speedo/tach needles bounce

[cd85]

Anyone know why these needles would fluctuate? They don't do it very bd,just around 50-65mph or so. They move very little but enough to drive me crazy. Any fixes?

[kawboy]

Both? In unison?

[mreinh3233]

Ive got a 900ZL and my tac is rock solid (electric), but my speedo (cable)does jump a bit, may be a dirty cable? This winter I'm going to take it apart and clean it to see if that helps.

I hate to do any unnessesary work on the bike in the summer.

Mike

[Hoss]

Simply vibrations from the engine? Does it do it the same at the same speed in a different gear (different RPM obviously)? If so it would rule out engine vibes.

[gosupes]

Clean the speedo cable, some have had good results with a dry lubricant as most oils and grease will get gummy over time.

Haven't got a cure for the tach as mine gets jumpy as well. Even bought another with no luck. Check the connections on the back, clean and coat with dielectric grease. Might help.

[cd85]

The speedo does it more so than the tach. Speedo mainly at higher speeds.(over 50mph) Very well could be the frickin cow paths we have to ride on causing it to bounce. The tach, I just noticed yesterday.(around 4000rpm=60mph) Mainly on the crap roads. I guess I will have to find a good smooth road to find out for sure.

[kawboy]

Clean the speedo cable, some have had good results with a dry lubricant as most oils and grease will get gummy over time.


Yeah, that's true.

If you lube with grease, don't over-do it. A light coat is enough.

[wuputt]

For the speedo I would pull the front wheel and clean and regrease the speedo drive and cable! Good time to check the wheel bearings and brakes too.
Both my ZL1K and ZL9 tachs bounce between 4.5-6000RPM when running steady speed. They are fine under acceleration! I don't like it but have learned to live with it!

[WillyD]

My 900 tach bounces...Not sure about the 1K...I think both speedos are good though....Tach bounce is a ZL trait I think...hear lotsa people describing the same thing....

Willy

[cd85]

Might sound silly but, what is a dry lubricant. Who makes it?

[gosupes]

Graphite powder. A little goes a long way. Usually used for keeping lock tumblers working in cold weather.

[cd85]

Thanks for the info. I would think a hardware store or big box store would carry that.

[Jarney]

Found the spray can kind at Ace Hardware = that way I could still use my cable luber. Later.

[mikemillcreek]

I agree with remove, clean and regrease speedo drive on the axle, if you go the route of lubing the cable i would suggest pulling the inner core out and cleaning it and the inside of the outer cable. if the liner is excessively worn the lube job will only make it a little better for a short period of time. new cable is less agravatting and you only have to do it once. finally broke down and replaced mine 4 or 5 years ago after trying different lubes,no more jumping from 55 to 75 when running down the road:nike:

[lowlife]

Who uses a tach? When it sounds right ...shift it....seriously though use a graphite of some type as it is tried and true.Clean the cable housing too and make sure it dries well.

[WALTSTAR]

When the tach jumps around, its because of a electrical gremlin. I had the same problem and swapped another tach with the same hookup = problem gone. I surmise the circuitry in the tach is the problem. Possibly a capacitor.