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Dancing speedo needle at low speed

guzzisti91

guzzisti91

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
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Location
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Ladies & gentlemen,
Ever since i serviced the cable on my nevada, the speedo needle started bouncing. It was all over the place when i used lithium, & graphite powder isolated it to below 45km/h. Any ideas? It spins smoothly above that, & i know it is the cable as i tested the other parts which are running smoothly. Any advice on lube? Powder doesn't appear to be cutting the mustard
 
In the event that i can't smooth out the twitching, is there a digital speedo that would fit in the existing dash? Or an electronic conversion kit that replaces the cable with a pulse generator? I also lubricated the plastic gear drive on the front wheel, which helped a bit.
 
O
V700Steve said:
I used aluminum and copper based. Don't know off hand what speedo will work.
Click to expand...
Ok. I'll give it a shot on the weekend. Is a cable drive supposed to shake at all? I remember having a cheap chinese bike whose speedo spring broke, but the drive was mostly nice & smooth. I have tried MCAS suggestion of bellray 6-in-1, which halved the shaking
 
Is there a tach wiring diagram for this model? I will buy an Acewell 3000 series with pulse generator if anti-seize fails - as cleaners & lubes have already set me back nearly $100
 
I've always lubricated speedometer and tachometer cables with just a 90 weight gear oil. Seemed to work just fine.
 
john zibell said:
I've always lubricated speedometer and tachometer cables with just a 90 weight gear oil. Seemed to work just fine.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I just tried anti-seize as the 6-in-1 left the components bone dry. Silly question, which inner end goes into the clock? The one with the stopper or the free end? I may have it the wrong way around
 
Yeah, make sure the cable is installed correctly. If that fails, make sure the cable is in good working order, make sure the ends are not rounded or otherwise mangled and make sure the cable is not broken (I know that sounds stupid but a broken cable has been known to partially work).
If you are not sure about the cable, a new cable is fairly cheap.
As to alternate speedo's, Acewell, as you mentioned, but another option is a GPS unit from a company like SpeedHut. They make a variety of units, and will do custom graphics for not a lot of money. The GPS versions make hooking them up easier than the Acewell unit. I have an Acewell on my Daytona, it works pretty well but it was tricky to get it working right. It does have both a tach and speedo in one.
 
Another development in this saga, the bike mechanic next door says it's supposed to twitch at the low end. Considering i pulled the whole thing apart bar the speedo unit itself (tests proved it worked perfectly, therefore negating the need to dismantle it), i guess the only way is to eliminate this is to reposition the cable somehow or buy one of those acewell units. A problem with that last option though, how does one match up the odometer readings? I'm no fan of windbacks, & i don't want to do maths each time i ride
 
GuzziMoto said:
Yeah, make sure the cable is installed correctly. If that fails, make sure the cable is in good working order, make sure the ends are not rounded or otherwise mangled and make sure the cable is not broken (I know that sounds stupid but a broken cable has been known to partially work).
If you are not sure about the cable, a new cable is fairly cheap.
As to alternate speedo's, Acewell, as you mentioned, but another option is a GPS unit from a company like SpeedHut. They make a variety of units, and will do custom graphics for not a lot of money. The GPS versions make hooking them up easier than the Acewell unit. I have an Acewell on my Daytona, it works pretty well but it was tricky to get it working right. It does have both a tach and speedo in one.
Click to expand...
Cable is in good nick & spins smoothly. Drive gear & speedo unit are also smooth & undamaged. But once i hook it all up, the problem begins. It twitches until just over 40km/h. I think it may be something to do with the way the cable sits. Did you manage to program the right odometer reading on the acewell? That's my main concern
 
As an instrument technician who has done this job many times for other people:
1. Remove the entire cable from the bike.
2. Remove the inner cable.
3. Block off 1 end of the outer cable and fill it with petrol. Keep it vertical.
4. While that's soaking, use a rag and petrol to thoroughly clean the inner.
5. Keeping both ends of the outer blocked (fingers will do) shake it all about vigorously.
6. Empty it out and repeat until guaranteed clean.
7. Smear just a thin smear of any bearing grease onto the inner cable. JUST A SMEAR!
8. Put it all back together, ensuring the inner is the correct way up - some have different ends.
 
Dinsdale Piranha said:
As an instrument technician who has done this job many times for other people:
1. Remove the entire cable from the bike.
2. Remove the inner cable.
3. Block off 1 end of the outer cable and fill it with petrol. Keep it vertical.
4. While that's soaking, use a rag and petrol to thoroughly clean the inner.
5. Keeping both ends of the outer blocked (fingers will do) shake it all about vigorously.
6. Empty it out and repeat until guaranteed clean.
7. Smear just a thin smear of any bearing grease onto the inner cable. JUST A SMEAR!
8. Put it all back together, ensuring the inner is the correct way up - some have different ends.
Click to expand...
Hmm. I've been flushing it with circuit board cleaner, but i never soaked it. What about the drive gear? I've smeared that with anti-seize, but i'm tempted to use bearing grease on that, too. But, i'm reluctant to use petrol (i hate the smell & my landlady's paranoid about flammable liquids). Is it just to clean it? The circuit board cleaner seemed to work wonders...
 
guzzisti91 said:
Cable is in good nick & spins smoothly. Drive gear & speedo unit are also smooth & undamaged. But once i hook it all up, the problem begins. It twitches until just over 40km/h. I think it may be something to do with the way the cable sits. Did you manage to program the right odometer reading on the acewell? That's my main concern
Click to expand...
I was able to get it programmed, using a magnet on the rear wheel and the included sensor. I tried to get a hall effect sensor that installed in place of the cable drive, but that failed. I think had that worked it would have been a cleaner install, but the magnet works.
But to be clear, there is no reason why the stock speedo with the stock cable set up can't work. It works for almost every Guzzi out there. You do need to make sure your cable is properly routed, with no unusual bends or kinks. You need to make sure the cable is lightly lubricated (you don't need / want to over do it with lubricant, especially with grease or anti-seize). And the cable must be securely and properly installed. A cable that is not fully seated at either end, or if either end is damaged or rounded, could result in issues as you describe.
You can always try spinning the cable with a drill and seeing how it works, you just need to be able to connect the drill to the cable without damaging it.
In the end, maintain a logical approach to figuring out what the issue is. It is a fairly simple mechanical system. It does predictable things. And it requires certain parameters to be correct and it will deliver the desired result.
 
I undid the cable & drive gear again. I just degreased everything when i discovered this bend. In fact, it is quite noisy around there. Now, last night i repositioned the cable - it reduced the shaking to below 30km/h, but, i also discovered freplay in the helical gear that attaches to the cable. There was always freplay since the beginning. Is there supposed to be any freplay? It spins smoothly & stays put upon attaching to the wheel
 

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I have taken Piranha's advice & went with bearing grease. I also dipped the ring gear with said grease & coated the metal ring beneath it. This, after a good soak & wash of all parts with degreaser, water & allowing it to go bone dry before re-assembly.
Result: needle rumbles a bit before beginning taper off at 25km/h - going completely smooth at just over 30. I used enough grease to coat the gears & just a smear on the cable as per Piranha's instruction. But, the soak revealed tiny bits of abrasive dirt & concrete on the inner cable - something i don't believe petrol would dislodge. Or maybe it would, i'm not game enough to try. Still worried about that bend i mentioned in a previous post...
 
guzzisti91 said:
I have taken Piranha's advice & went with bearing grease. I also dipped the ring gear with said grease & coated the metal ring beneath it. This, after a good soak & wash of all parts with degreaser, water & allowing it to go bone dry before re-assembly.
Result: needle rumbles a bit before beginning taper off at 25km/h - going completely smooth at just over 30. I used enough grease to coat the gears & just a smear on the cable as per Piranha's instruction. But, the soak revealed tiny bits of abrasive dirt & concrete on the inner cable - something i don't believe petrol would dislodge. Or maybe it would, i'm not game enough to try. Still worried about that bend i mentioned in a previous post...
Click to expand...

If you found that much contamination on the inner, perhaps it is time to break down and buy a new cable.
 
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