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I bought a 160 MPH speedo and it seems to be slugish, like it dosnt want to go to speed like it should. My question is can you spray silacone or anything where the needle from the cable screws in? I know its not the cable because my old speedo never acted like this. Thanks for your help
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you'll probably need to take it apart and clean it, if you do a search there should be a thread about how to take apart the speedo housing so you can get to the internals.1979 xs1100 Special -
Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power
Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.
My Bike:Originally posted by fredintoon
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Remember, these things are 30 years old +/-. So, if the speedo has been sitting for awhile it can get sluggish by nature because the light lubrication at the needle pivot will get gummy. When the weather warms a bit it will probably start functioning correctly as you ride.
BUT, if you want to lubricate the pivot point, that will require taking the unit apart. The speedo works by an arrangement of two metal cups, one magnetic, rotating inside of each other at an angle. One cup is attached to the cable the other to the needle. There is no mechanical connection between the two so there is no way to lubricate from the outside.
It is still a good idea to lubricate the point where the cable goes into the unit as sticking here can cause noises from the speedo and actually cause cable failure.Mike Giroir
79 XS-1100 Special
Once you un-can a can of worms, the only way to re-can them is with a bigger can.Comment
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Hi 'maker,Originally posted by xs11widowmaker View Post
like Mike said, the lube inside has most likely gotten all gummy over the years.
Did you check the odometer, does it still read the right distance between mileposts?
If the odometer part of the instrument works OK then all you need is to de-gum the speedo part.
FWIW, I met a speedo Guru at a swapmeet who was clutching a quart jar of a secret mixture that he'd had a chemist mix up that was formulated to soften speedo lube.
My buddy seemed to know the guy so I will ask him who the guy was and how to get in touch with him.Fred Hill, S'toon
XS11SG with Spirit of America sidecar
"The Flying Pumpkin"Comment
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Thanks for your response. The odometer is correctComment
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Oh am I glad I found this post! I stopped my bike and the speedo showed me going 25mph. It took a full 10 or 20 seconds to get down to 0mph.
Makes me wonder how fast I was going through the neighborhood when I saw the needle at 40...Guy
1980 XS1100G - Frankenstein - resurrected from the impound lot
1991 Suzuki GS500E (not running yet)
2003 Burgman AN400 - Blue Belle
2005 Burgman AN400 - Silver BelleComment
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