Squeal in the front end

I just changed the speedo cable on my bike, from another bike that I recently purchased. My original bike had a squeal to it, which I thought might have been an indicator of the demise of the speedo cable. However, this one is well lubricated and still squeals a bit. It seemed to stop as I was ending my test run, to see if it did indicate speed. Is there anything I should be looking at regarding front end noise? Thanks.

 

The speedometer itself.
The cable (even a lubed cable can squeal if the sheathe is worn on the inside).
The Speedometer drive.

You can rule out wheel bearings, brakes, and the speedo drive by putting the bike on the center stand, weighing down the back of the seat to get the front wheel in the air, and giving the front wheel a vigirous spin.

 

Thanks, K-Moe. Brakes are good but I haven't checked the bearings, I'll check bearings tomorrow.

 

The wheel doesn't seem to be the issue,so it must be the speedometer itself or the cable sheathing. It isn't constant, in fact quite most of the time. I'll just keep an eye on it as I really don't want to get into the speedometer right now. However, Big Fitz provided a detailed look at how to take one apart, so it may be a winter project if necessary.

 

Well at least it's not a major component causing the trouble.

 

True. Surprisingly, the noise stopped today. The speedometer is reading steady, which it didn't do with the old cable (it bounced all over the place).

 

Are you sure the squeal isn't coming from you when you hit the power band range?

 

It was definitely from the speedometer. It was quite distinct. I tightened the cable a bit more and it hasn't come back.

 

I replaced the speedometer on my Maxim because of an accident. My son-in-law got it off E-bay f0r $30(???). Found out why it was so cheap. It squealed from Day 1 and the odometer didn't work. But I was able to use the guts from the broken one and put them into the casing of the replacement. Lubed up everything and it works fine.
BTW, there's a tutorial here somewhere on how to disassemble speedometers and tachs.

 

Clean the magnet pickup an cup within the speedo drive housing. Then lubricate the "pin" points of rotation. I had the same issue with mine. It was dirty and in desperate need of lube.

 

I'll do that this weekend. Sounds like a good idea.

 

http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/speedo-and-tach-dissection-with-pics.15303/