comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 16, 2014 Took her out on the road for the first time just a few minutes ago. Whaddya know, speedometer isn't working. I thought this might be the case the other day tooling 'round the yard, so I checked the connections on the cable. Checked the wheel, tight. Checked under the dash, loose, but tightened her back up. Couldn't get in there too far without tearing her back apart though... I've just had the dash out recently to resolder that pesky circuit board. Any ideas? Can't ride if I don't have the slightest clue how fast I'm goin'. Definitely can't get a ticket, either. I get a ticket, I'm as good as unemployed. I'm just miffed that I can't ride it again 'til I fix this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted July 16, 2014 Share #2 Posted July 16, 2014 Heck, just stick a GPS on there and ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodaggit23 Posted July 16, 2014 Share #3 Posted July 16, 2014 Have you checked the fuses? Sorry if it seems so obvious, some people might forget...me being one of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted July 16, 2014 Share #4 Posted July 16, 2014 It is possible that the speedo cable is broken, not fully engaged, speedo is dead. Does the odometer work? Does the cruise control work? While working on it you can use a speedo in a GPS or smart phone to know how fast you are going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted July 16, 2014 Share #5 Posted July 16, 2014 Have you checked the fuses? Sorry if it seems so obvious, some people might forget...me being one of them... The speedo and odometer on a 1st gen are purely mechanical, and driven off the front wheel, no fuse will matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiehammer Posted July 16, 2014 Share #6 Posted July 16, 2014 Does the cruise control work? And an '83 doesn't have cruise control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted July 16, 2014 Didn't pay attention to the odo. Crap! I'll have to check tomorrow. I guess I'll have to pull the dash apart and reinsert the cable and see what I get. Hoping it's just a stupid little thing. I really hope I don't have to go looking for parts this early in the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted July 16, 2014 Share #8 Posted July 16, 2014 2nd on the broken cable, test to see if it isn't broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted July 16, 2014 Honestly not sure how to check for a break. Don't deal with instruments much on cars, when I do it's mostly electronic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted July 16, 2014 Share #10 Posted July 16, 2014 One of the issues with the 1st gen speedometer is sometimes the odometer would seize up and the speedometer would fail as a result! Then cure is replacement. If you find your cable broken or the end stripped out that may be the cause... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted July 16, 2014 No idea what to look for here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted July 16, 2014 Got her apart, put a twist tie on the cable end to track position and pushed the bike back and forth, cable turns freely both directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksbike Posted July 16, 2014 Share #13 Posted July 16, 2014 You can pull the cable out from the bottom after you unscrew the housing from the speedo drive the core will come out from the bottom,also you can hook adrill to the cable to see if the speedo works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted July 16, 2014 You can pull the cable out from the bottom after you unscrew the housing from the speedo drive the core will come out from the bottom,also you can hook adrill to the cable to see if the speedo works. Well, I'm officially a dumba**. That's what you get for working on something after midnight. It did not occur to me to unhook the other end and chuck it up in a drill... I'm guessing since the cable is turning up top when the wheel moves that it ain't the cable. So, I'll hook her back into the cluster tomorrow and see what I get with a drill on the other end. *facedesk, repeatedly* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted July 16, 2014 Share #15 Posted July 16, 2014 The gear on the end of the cable at the wheel is usually plastic. I'd check that even though the cable is turning when you push it. I haven't checked the VR but that is the way my Kawasaki is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Rollins Posted July 16, 2014 Share #16 Posted July 16, 2014 My 83 speedo has never worked but odometer does, I just run off RPMs , I do have cruise though, is it after market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiehammer Posted July 17, 2014 Share #17 Posted July 17, 2014 I do have cruise though, is it after market? If your bike is a 1983, then the cruise control is aftermarket or someone installed a later year Venture factory cruise or in actuality you have a 1984 Venture. Cruise Control was available from the factory on the 1984 Royale. What is your full VIN? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted July 17, 2014 It's not the cable, it's not the speedo. Cable is good, hooked a drill up to the bottom end and the speedo worked fine that way. So, I guess it's the gear. Does anybody around here have one by any chance, and how the heck do you replace it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share #19 Posted July 17, 2014 Found one local listed on Ebay. Still don't know how to replace it. This better fix it, and this had better be the last of it for a while. I can't afford to keep throwing money at this thing every time I blink, I already do that with both of my other vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiehammer Posted July 17, 2014 Share #20 Posted July 17, 2014 It is unlikely that the 'gear unit' is bad. What is very likely is that the PO assembled the front wheel and speedometer drive (gear unit) and 'meter clutch' incorrectly. The clutch has two tabs that must align with notches in the gear unit and with notches in the wheel. It is not unheard of for the clutch to become mangled and inoperative when the aforementioned tabs and notches do not align. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share #21 Posted July 17, 2014 Okay, how do I get the thing off of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted July 17, 2014 Share #22 Posted July 17, 2014 Put the bike on the center stand and use a jack under the front of the engine to raise the front wheel off the ground. 1. Remove front brake calipers. (I am not sure what needs to be done with the Anti Dive brake lines on the 83.) 2. Loosen pinch bolt on front axle. 3. Pull front axle out until you can get the old drive out. (I do not recall if the axle must come all of the way out so you can drop the front wheel out.) 4. install new drive making sure you line up the tabs. 5. Put front wheel back in place and install axle. 6. Torque front axle to spec and tighten pinch bolt to spec. 7. Now is a good time to take a look at your front brake pads. If the pads are still good but the inner and outer do not have the same amount of wear, switch the inner and outer pads to get more even wear. 8. Put brake calipers back on. 9. Go see how fast you are going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiehammer Posted July 17, 2014 Share #23 Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Okay, how do I get the thing off of it? Jeff, explained the process of removal. Here is a diagram of the front wheel assembly: BTW: This is a scan of the Service Manual. Note that there are two "meter clutch" depicted. The inboard (toward the center of the wheel) is the meter clutch. The other 'meter clutch' depicted is actually the 'gear unit'. Just another example of the many typos in the official Yamaha Service Manual. Edited July 17, 2014 by Prairiehammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comingbackdown Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share #24 Posted August 5, 2014 Replaced the gear AND the cable and NOW I have a working speedometer. Sheesh! Now I've got a very, very slow water leak, like it'd take a couple months or more for it to run dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted August 5, 2014 Share #25 Posted August 5, 2014 Replaced the gear AND the cable and NOW I have a working speedometer. Sheesh! Now I've got a very, very slow water leak, like it'd take a couple months or more for it to run dry. Coolant leaks on these old bikes are quite common. They usually only leak while cold and do not leak while hot. It is due to the rubber o-rings getting hard and shrinking with age. this allows a few drops of coolant to leak out when cold. As soon as it heats up the heat softens the o-ring and it reseals till it is again cold. normally only leaks a couple of drops at a time. You just have to figure out which one is leaking so that you can replace it. Any time you are messing with anything on the cooling system, plan to replace all o-rings that you run into. Even if it is not leaking now, it will soon. AND o-rings are cheap to do "While you are in there" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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