Speedometer/Odometer Stopped Working

[tian647]

Last time out on the Hawk my speedo quit mid-ride. I assumed the cable broke so I bought a replacement and this weekend I finally had time to dig in and replace it.

When I removed the old cable I found it was crusty and full of dried-up grease but intact and apparently functional. Then I tested the speedometer itself with a drill and a square-drive bit, it seemingly worked fine, both indicating speed and incrementing the trip meter.

My next suspect was the front wheel drive gear adapter but when I put the front up on a stand and spun it I can see the tang/blade spinning around inside. Similarly, reattaching the original cable and spinning the wheel results in the flexible cable shaft spinning at the top (speedo-end) too. Put it all back together and ran down the block - nope, still no speedo.

So what's left? Is the drive cable just not seating into one or the other end? I didn't really note it to be tricky to assemble, but maybe I missed something. Is the drive flange on the speedo worn and not tight enough anymore? Since I had one already I tried the new cable too, same result - wheel motion results in cable motion but doesn't spin the speedo needle or odometer readout.

Anyone here worked through this before?

[bk94si]

I have not but I bet the speefo drive is bad. Maybe spins with no load but not with a load attached.

[6]

I have not but I bet the speefo drive is bad. Maybe spins with no load but not with a load attached.

That was my thought too.

[BillnOroville]

If it was me, I would remove the drive from the wheel, clean and check all teeth on both gears, regrease and put back on wheel. The I would clean the speedometer cable and flush the housing. Then I would shoot a small drop of WD40 up inside the odometer where the cable goes. Then I would test it again. This is just me trying to figure out which end is bad.

[squirrelman]

seems like the inner cable length is a bit too short to hookup to the speedo drive sufficiently. try some trick down at the wheel to insert the cable less, and make sure the fittings are FULLY screwed in at both ends.

[tian647]

Sounds like I'll be pulling the axle and taking a closer look at the speedo adapter, thanks for the suggestions.

I might also detach the lower end of the cable from the adapter first and chuck that up in the drill to see whether it is an issue of cable length (or girth I suppose...).

Dang, this bike is supposed to be the reliable one I just ride while I work on the actual project...

[6]

seems like the inner cable length is a bit too short to hookup to the speedo drive sufficiently. try some trick down at the wheel to insert the cable less, and make sure the fittings are FULLY screwed in at both ends.

interesting thought Jerry.

[tian647]

Had time this morning to dive deep, pulled the front wheel and found this mess:


The grease was pretty packed and hard, I guess over time the tangs on the wheel forced themselves around and eventually through the plastic. Fortunately I have a couple extra Hawks laying around so I had a good speedo drive on-hand to replace it:

All back together and functional again. Plus I replaced a couple burned out lightbulbs so I have a high beam and neutral indicator again.

But, I realized my gauge illumination lights don't work - none of the three are seeing voltage. Gotta sort that next, after consulting the wiring diagram...