XS1100 Speedo Fail

[Keoke]

So I'm cruising along on a beautiful winters morning, wind in my helmet, when sudden;y my speedometer needle goes to 0. Bear in mind its not the original speedometer.
Cable seems fine, no loose connections. Am I looking at a new speedo or am I missing something?
I realise in this day and age a new speedo is not a big outlay, but an outlay none the less...

[DiverRay]

Pull the cable off the speedo, and drive a short distance looking at the end of the cable now and then. IF it's turning, probably the speedo, if not, the cable. BUT! if the cable has gone, the speedo MAY be the cause. Check the force needed to turn the speedo by inserting the cable into it. You should be able to turn the cable with your fingers. If you cannot, the speedo is probably the problem. Try squirting a little silicon lube into the speedo where the cable enters, and see if it helps with binding. If not, you will need a new speedo.

[TADracer]

Remove the cable end from the back of the speedo and pull the cable out of the sheath for inspection. If the cable is not broken then eye ball the square ends of the cable very closely as they have been known to slip inside the square socket on the drive at the front wheel and in the speedo. If they show even a hint of 'rounding' then you have a speedo or drive problem and a new cable will not solve that. Then put the cable back in the sheath and on the center stand raise and turn the front wheel a bit to make sure the drive is turning the cable smoothly. If the cable is good and turns with the front wheel that eliminates two things and your problem is in the speedo.

Like DriverRay says, the speedo insert should turn very easily and I find that the older these things get the more they need to be lubricated (especially in winter when it is cold). You probably will need to pull the speedo and turn it upside down to lube it well. I use an end of an old cable I have clipped off at about 6" long and insert that into a drill motor. Turn the speedo upside down and put in your lubrication then I run the drill in each direction until it loosens up enough to turn freely with your fingers. I have been using a graphite based liquid lubrication where the liquid flashes off and leaves the dry graphite.

There is no mechanical connection between the cable and the needle inside of the speedo, other than the odometer. The needle is attached directly to a magnetic cup that is affected by another magnetic cup turned by the cable insert. Only the odometer is connected to the drive inside the speedo. If you need to get inside, there is a thread somewhere that details how to pry open the case and see the goodies inside.

[Keoke]

Thanks DiverRay and TADracer...
I took the cable off again and checked the speedo, movement was smooth and easy. So I removed the inner core of the cable and found that it had sheared free about two thirds the way down. It worked as it should when I had tested it on the side of the road but under a working load would fail, hence the reason I had suspected a speedo issue.
Thanks very much for suggestions! Much appreciated.

[DiverRay]

If the sheath is in good condition, you can replace just the inner cable with a kit from the local auto part store. If the have the cable kit for a car, it will work. as new cables are usually mail order, that will get you on the road sooner. DO lube the speedo! it is normally the reason for a cable failure.
Glad you found the problem!