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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: Rweimer on September 17, 2004, 09:01:20 AM

Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: Rweimer on September 17, 2004, 09:01:20 AM
Ok, this was scary.  i was riding down i 10, feeling those gusty Ivan winds, back home from ocean springs, ms, to mobile, al.  and my speedometer, odometer, and trip meter go out.  they just stop working.  the lights still worked as did my tachometer.  just the left instrument panel went out.

is it just a blown sensor?

is this covered by warranty (bike is 2 months old)

is just the part covered by warranty, still charged for labor,?

is some easy fix?

checked my trusty clymers and it only talks about the main fuse, and how to replace the bulbs.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: taki on September 17, 2004, 09:11:01 AM
ill bet that the speedometer cable is loose, or has come off completely...check the speedometer cable connections...
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: dgyver on September 17, 2004, 09:12:49 AM
Not exactly sure what you meant by "they just stop working". The speedometer is mechanical. Check the cable to if has come unscrewed at either end.
Title: checkeda bit
Post by: Rweimer on September 17, 2004, 10:11:38 AM
Ok, well, i checked out the rig.  it seems there is a silver cable that connects to the instrument panel, and then i traced that cable down.  it appears to be connected to something on the left side of the front wheel.

the cable on the top is factory tight, as i couldn't hand loosen it nor tighten it.  the one connected to the wheel doesn't even seem to have a nut to tighten or losen, it just seems to dissapear into this black thing.

weird, i thought it wouldn't be mechanical, rather more of a sensor to detect speed/odometer
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: Rweimer on September 17, 2004, 10:12:29 AM
and, by stopped working i mean i was driving down I10, and i was going 80, then all of a sudden, i was going 40 then 10 then 0.  the tripometer odometer and speedometer stopped moving whatsoever.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: SPARKPLUG1977 on September 17, 2004, 10:18:56 AM
sounds like a snapped cable.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: dgyver on September 17, 2004, 10:20:34 AM
If all is tight, try checking to see if the inner speedo cable may have snapped.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: Rweimer on September 17, 2004, 10:22:22 AM
ok, where might i look to find the 'inner spedometer cable' or, where in clymers does it tell me where that is?

thanks a lot for the help, i hate to bring it to my dealer and him rape me on prices, plus everything is closed round here coz of ivan.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: dgyver on September 17, 2004, 10:38:14 AM
If you unscrew the cable from the back of the speedo, you will see a square piece inside the housing, that is the inner cable. It pulls out from one end but I don't recall which one. To remove it from the pick-up at the wheel, there is a small phillips screw that has to be removed. Once the screw is out the housing, it just pulls out of the pick-up.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: indestructibleman on September 17, 2004, 10:38:34 AM
sounds to me like a warranty issue.
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: JamesG on September 17, 2004, 11:37:03 AM
Coulda been worse, the bike could have been fine and you ran off that damaged section of the I10 bridge over the bay!


BTW- Anyone down that way know how the USS Alabama faired? I'm sure the battleship was fine, but there were alot of airplanes outside on the grounds of the park...
Title: weird occurrence while traveling down I10 after Ivan
Post by: Rema1000 on September 17, 2004, 08:39:53 PM
Warranty work.  If you start pulling-off the speedo cable, the dealer may look at you funny when you ask for a new one under warranty.