Speedo moving erratically

[stevebrooker58]

Hi All,
Hope to pick some brains. I have a 2003 R1150 GS and just recently the speedo started acting erratically ie showing 200Kms at 3000rpm accompanied by a screaming noise which decreased when slowing down. When I got home stripped out the inner cable cleaned it and sprayed contact cleaner down the outer , reassembled with some lube seemed to be OK.

Yesterday driving down the motorway ,similar things occurred except that the needle went crazy and snapped off.

Is the speedo buggered ,as I am sure it can be dismantled and repaired ,or just source a new one (Kms) reading .

Any thoughts or has anyone any experience of something similar.

All replies will be gratefully recieved.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

[fatnfast]

Most speedos can be fixed, but I guess you have got to weigh that up against the cost of a second hand replacement. I admit to not having stripped a GS speedo, but on others Ive restored you need to remove the outer metal bezall to gain access to the needle.
I suspect lubing the speedo cable has caused its final demise. Moden cables do not need the lube (ptfe lined) and will swell and grab at the inner wire if you do this.
Worth double checking the drive unit on the wheel is all free to move etc. as well.

 

[ahutcheon]

Being cable drive, is the GS speedo an old-school magnetic coupling to drive the needle? I had an old Suzuki where the two parts of the magnetic drive started to touch (one is a spinning disk on the cable, the other is spring loaded and carries the needle), giving a speed that flicked from end stop to end stop as the spinning disk physically grabbed then let go of the one it is supposed to drag magnetically. Might be consistent with your high reading and odd noise?

 

[davegs]

Speedo

Try changing the cable this used to be an old prob in "the old days"!!, ,these days every one seems to take the most serious
things start with the cable.

 

[stevebrooker58]

Fixed

Hi All,

Did a bit of surfing on other sites and found that the sleeve in the back of the speedo , where the cable attaches has a bearing in it .

Fed a feww drops of oil down the sleeve ,removed the ring around the speedo and bonded the pointer back on. Rode to work this morning nice smooth movement no squealing , seems to have fixed the problem.

Thanks for ideas.

Steve