Speedometer quit working. Help!

Ok, so I'm ridin down the road and look down to check my speed and notice that the speedometer has quit working! It had been working all day, and the PO had told me that he replaced the speedo cable. I don't know why the speedo would quit out of nowhere, and I couldn't find anything about it in the service manual.

Some history: One day not too long ago, my headlight went out, out of nowhere, so when I got home I replaced the bulb and it still didn't work, so I went to check the fuses in the instrument cluster and found that the PO had glued the whole thing together.... idiot.. anyway, I had to take the entire instrument cluster off and break through the glue. The fuses were fine. When I got everything back together, the headlight mysteriously came back on and has worked since...weird. So I wonder if this could have anything to do with the speedometer going out.

I'd like to know what I need to check, and how the speedometer works on this bike. It looks as if it's pretty simple. Just a cable from the gauge to the front wheel. Any help would be greatly appreciated as this bike is a daily commuter, and I use the odometer as a gas gauge! Thanks.

1985 XJ700X Maxim X.

 

I would take the cable off the back of the speedo, put the bike on the centerstand and either have someone sit on the back or put a jack under the front of the frame to get the front wheel off the ground. Give it a spin and see if the cable spins.
At least you know if it's the speedo-drive or the speedo itself.

 

Thanks, I don't have a center stand, but I will find a way to give that a try.

 

Ok, so I took the cable out of the speedometer and rolled the bike. The speedo cable was not turning. So I took the other end out from the wheel and inspected it. It looked fine, not broken. I was able to turn it manually, so it wasn't the cable. I but the cable back on the wheel and left the speedometer end out. I started the bike and drove around, the cable still did not turn. So I manually turned the cable and noticed that it was getting stuck. So I turned it manually the other way until it loosened up, and then turned it back the other way. I had to push down on the rod inside the cable a couple of times to get it to work. Then I rolled the bike back and forth and it worked for a bit then stopped turning. I repeated that procedure 3 times. On the 4th try, I drove the bike around and it was working, so I hooked the cable back to the speedometer and it is still working.

Very weird... I'm guessing that it was not connecting with the gears in the wheel that make it turn. However, it now works... for how long, no one knows.

Any additional input or guesses as to what is going on would be great. I'm starting to think this bike has a mind of its own!

 

P O probably didn't get the replacement cable seated properly,but you did when you reassembled it. Others may have a better explanation.

 

It might be time to pull the front wheel Not too bad of a job but will be worse without a center stand. Sounds like something in the speedo adaptor at the wheel is getting worn out. I forgot to look this week when I was putting mine back together But I think there are only two tabs to line up and you want some grease in there. Maybe yours is getting dried up and starting to bind.

 

The speedo drive is the black circular ring witha notch in it just inside the left frork on the front wheel axle. It has two prongs which fit into two matching slots in the wheel hub. This drives the side gear that turns the speedo cable inner which then drives the speedo head.

You need to remove the front wheel and check that the prongs are seated correctly in the slots for reliable drive.

Sometimes people do not check or notice this when refitting the wheel. The prongs then get bent, but because they are pressed tightly again the face of the hub may seem to work for a while until the prongs wear back and start to slip.

If this has happened you can simply bend the prongs a bit so that they engage in the slots properly.

Its going to be tricky to remove the front wheel without a centre stand though. so you will need a paddock stand or axle stands.

 

Thank you very much for the input. The speedometer is still working just fine. The day it quit working, I was going to the bike shop. The roads were very bad, this is Oklahoma after all... (we have the worst roads). I think hitting all the bumps must have knocked it out of the gears or something.

I also lost the use of my back right turn signal.. thought the bulb went out, after replacing the bulb with no luck, found out that the wire had a short because I moved it and the light worked again.

My headlight also quit not too long before this. Replaced the bulb, nothin. Took the gauge cluster apart to find the fuse, didn't know where it was, found the PO glued it all together with silicon. Fuse was fine, besides the fact that it was a 30 amp instead of a 15 which it should have been. Replaced fuse with correct amp, nothin. Gave up, left the bike apart to see a movie, came back, put it back together and it worked! What the heck?!!! Couldn't figure that out....

Today, I was getting ready to go home for lunch and noticed my front tire was mostly flat, so I put air in it and inspected it, but couldn't find a cause for it to be flat.

Seeing as how this is my first bike, I'm starting to believe that it is having weird things go wrong on purpose so I will learn how to fix it! LOL! Seems like one weird thing after another..... at least it drives good.. knock on wood!

 

Ok so this is my first post, awesome. i am picking up an 81 xj650 tommorrow..I am really excited, but a few things i need to work on it stock before i start tearing down the frame, My first question was on the spedo, he says its off, like it works, but when it hits about 45-55 its off, and the faster he goes, the more its innaccurate. what could cause this? and what is the rules on the bike, i want to tear off the front turn signals, is this still road legit without them?

 

K9, from the sounds of it, you have the same problem as the rest of the family (aside from ingrown toe nails), a lousy fuse block! Your slow leak tire may be the result of aluminum corrosion on the inside (most compressors will gladly add water to your tires, no extra charge). That or your tire valve stem is loose. Gotta pull the tire to inspect for and fix corrosion issues. The valve stem fix is free and easy. Have you tried a bit of spittle on the valve? Also free and easy. Last time I checked, you can check for leaks at home with a tub full of soapy water. Put the tire in and follow the trail...

 

Just about all of our speedos are off. And of course the difference is more notable at higher speeds. If there's 10% error, that's only 1MPH off at 10MPH, but 5MPH off at 50.

The legality of taking off your turn signals is something you'd have to check with your local Department of Transportation or Department of Motor Vehicles. In any case, I don't think it's a wise idea. Any little bit to get you noticed and not have someone drive in front of your turn is a good thing.

Good luck.