barend Posted November 8, 2011 Share #1 Posted November 8, 2011 OK, so my '83 has a new noise, I thought maybe the speedo but I pulled the cable and lubed it and it still does it. The "whine" starts pretty much when I start rolling, builds up to a constant level and stays there. It is louder when the bike is cold but still somewhat noticeable when I've ridden 30 miles. Any ideas? I do have an issue with the tach not winding up as it should. It does go up or down but takes about 5 miles to show cruising RPM and will not respond rapidly, even going down, but the thing is electric, so I don't know that would be it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkuhr Posted November 8, 2011 Share #2 Posted November 8, 2011 Pull the speedo cable core out (at the wheel and reattach housing)and ride. If no noise then likely still speedo problem even though you lubed it-maybe gauge itself. If noise still there at least your definitely eliminated speedo. If noise from front wheel low, could be speedo gear internal wheel may need lube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_in_london Posted November 9, 2011 Share #3 Posted November 9, 2011 If taking the cable ot kills the noise, then some oil sprayed up the drive connection might help. For a quick check it would be easier to disconnect from the bottom, but make sure you tape it somewhere safe AND block the end to stop the inner cable falling out (or remove it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barend Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted November 9, 2011 Pulled the cable and no noise, so I cleaned the cable and re-lubed again and squirted grease in the wheel connection, hopefully that'll take care of it, otherwise I'll have to pull the windscreen and dash. Annoying as I replaced the cable but a couple of years ago. Thanks for the heads up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Slab_Ryder Posted November 10, 2011 Share #5 Posted November 10, 2011 Reading the Subject line, all I could think ... Mmmmm Speedo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted November 10, 2011 Share #6 Posted November 10, 2011 Hey! You promised not to release that picture of me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Slab_Ryder Posted November 10, 2011 Share #7 Posted November 10, 2011 Lol, then we're Twins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted November 10, 2011 Share #8 Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) Had that happen on my '83. Cold moan when I first started out. Stop and take off again and it would go away. Did all the cable lube treatments, but it turned out to be the speedo screw fitting on the back of the dash was loose. Snugged it down and life was good again... It is a PITA to get to.... Going thru the LH flasher opening made it easier.... OK not as hard... Edited December 10, 2011 by Condor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted November 10, 2011 Share #9 Posted November 10, 2011 This is a typical problem on a 1st gen and it usually pops up more often when the weather cools off. The problem is the bearing in the bottom of the speedometer where the cable sticks into. There are two ways to fix the problem. You can take the dash out and remove the speedometer and lube it from the inside, or you can put grease in from the outside and since the hole where the cable goes into is a blind hole(does not go through), you cannot just squirt oil in the hole. I made a fixture that has worked well and you can see it in the attached post. If you keep riding the bike with it squealing, you will destroy the speedometer. RandyA http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36254&highlight=lubing+speedometer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barend Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted November 12, 2011 Well, this is annoying! Everything pulled and greased and my first 1/10th of a mile up to 30mph was good and then the squeal started back up. Pulled everything again and tried the drill bit again, no sound from the speedo itself but when I hooked the drill up to the bottom of the cable and spun it there was my squeal. So the problem is in the cable, yet there are no burrs on the inside cable and I greased the entire length with white lithium. The dealer suggested that wheel bearing grease would be better or what they use, graphite. Can't see that a different lubricant would make a difference, but I may try it, otherwise it'll have to be a new cable. At least they are only about $25 and I wouldn't have a speedo till Tuesday/Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted November 12, 2011 Share #11 Posted November 12, 2011 When you say you pulled everything, did you pull the speedometer and grease the bearing from the inside or just the cable? RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barend Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted November 12, 2011 When you say you pulled everything, did you pull the speedometer and grease the bearing from the inside or just the cable? RandyA Did not grease from the inside but as stated, I ran a drill on the back of the head speedo head with no noise and did the same thing with the drill on the wheel side of the cable and she wailed as soon as she started turning. I understand what (and why) you are asking, but if the bearing is dry she should be whining either way. I ordered a new cable, so I should know by wednesday if it was indeed the cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barend Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share #13 Posted November 24, 2011 So my new cable came in, I at least had the foresight to try it before re-assembling the whole thing. Turns out I still had the whine. I did find out that by pressing the speedo cable hard into the back of the gage i could stop the noise, but that would bve hard to re-create on the bike. So, back to Randy's suggestion to grease the inside of the bearing. I used a plastic fork with all but one of the teeth broken of along with some bearing grease. The fork gave me some offset to make it easier to reach the bearing point, the slightly flat tine allowed me some measure of "packing" the grease in the edge of the bearing. The result is deafening - quiet that is! I put everything but the windshield back together and took her for a test spin and I am happy to say that my speedo whine is gone while still using the "old" (2 years tops) cable. Hate to admit it but, sometimes it really pays to listen to the folks who've "been there, done that". Thanks Randy!! If anyone needs a new throttle cable, give me a shout, $30 plus shipping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted November 24, 2011 Share #14 Posted November 24, 2011 Ya done good.......with a little coaching. As you said, "Been there, done that". What you encountered is fairly common on the 1st gens and it is a lot more common when the temperature drops. This is just one of those things that falls into the preventative maintenance category that no one does unless they have a problem. This is one of those things that folks should put on their winter projects list to do every few years. If you think about it, it is amazing how long the original lubrication lasts. RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfVenture Posted December 10, 2011 Share #15 Posted December 10, 2011 Ok, I made my fitting (See picture). Most everything around the speedo is removed except some wires. I'll put some plumbers tape on the speedo threads and install the fitting finger tight being that the fitting is pipe threads and the speedo is metric. If think it will turn about 2 or 3 turns. I have some lithium boat wheel bearing grease in my grease gun. Is that an ok grease to use? If so I'll use the same grease to lube the entire cable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrenchrob Posted December 10, 2011 Share #16 Posted December 10, 2011 Reading the Subject line, all I could think ... Mmmmm Speedo! Oh my! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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