Author Topic: Broken Speedo cable at 103miles on the odo  (Read 6600 times)

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meilaushi

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on: September 09, 2010, 03:41:36 pm
Just a question... I got my G-5 last Saturday, 9/4/2010. (whoopeee!)  Took it out for a short ride then, and didn't get a chance to get out again until Tuesday,when I took it for a 50 mile breakin ride (<40 mph).  Anyway 10 miles from home, when the odometer read 103.4 miles, suddenly the speedo went to 0 and the odo stayed at 103.4.  Puzzling over this for the 10 miles to home (I had my GPS on and noted where it happened on the "bread crumb trail"), I concluded that the speedometer cable was the culprit, and sure enough, upon undoing the front wheel repeater end, the little solid square tip part had broken off the springy part of the cable.  My '08 Iron Barrel classic has 4600 miles on it with never a problem with its speedo cable.  Has anyone else had this problem with their UCE G-5 or C-5?  Or is this just one of those "one in a million unpredictable and hardly ever happens" sort of things?

Just curious.
Ralph Meyer
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REpozer

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Reply #1 on: September 09, 2010, 03:55:41 pm
My speedo cable came loose at the speedo behind the head light on my Classic AVL.

   Congrats on the new G-5,
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r80rt

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Reply #2 on: September 09, 2010, 03:56:08 pm
I'd think that would be a pretty rare thing. Congrats on the new bike!
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Andy

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Reply #3 on: September 09, 2010, 04:16:03 pm
The speedo cable on my C5 snapped exactly as you described at the 7,700 km mark (close to 5,000 miles), just behind the hub.  The expired unit still had plenty of lubrication, so I'm guessing it was a faulty unit.  On the other hand, the rubber casing had started to show signs of actually melting at the point where it passes through the guide on the front mudguard, so maybe it was dry in that spot and bound up on me.  I had assumed that the constant rubbing (as I understand it, your G5 doesn't have this problem) was melting the casing, but perhaps it was heating from the inside. 

In any event, the replacement unit will be getting plenty of close attention. 

2010 C5 Military - "The Slug"


meilaushi

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Reply #4 on: September 09, 2010, 04:59:27 pm
   Congrats on the new G-5,
Thanks, Guys! 

My cable seemed to have plenty of lubrication (fingers got all black with oil or grease removing it!), and I didn't notice any indication of heat or melting on the sleeve, so I am assuming the problem was a bad weld at the point of attachment of the square pin to the flex cable.  But the cable does take a couple of twists I noticed when I put the new one that came in the box of extra 'goodies' with the bike.  The new one I pulled out and put plenty of grease on.  Had the bike out yesterday and the odo's up to 173 now--so far, so good!
Ralph Meyer
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2010 RE Deluxe G-5 :)) "Eagle"
2010 BMW F800ST
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2bikebill

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Reply #5 on: September 09, 2010, 05:06:49 pm
May be an issue with these cables. The C5 I borrowed while my G5 was in for service a while ago had a similar problem. Speedo cable broke at the hub end.
G5 no problem so far.....
2009 Royal Enfield Electra (G5)


meilaushi

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Reply #6 on: September 10, 2010, 08:22:39 pm
May be an issue with these cables. The C5 I borrowed while my G5 was in for service a while ago had a similar problem. Speedo cable broke at the hub end.
G5 no problem so far.....
Could be a UCE problem, though when I contacted Nfieldgear about the fact that the only cable they listed on the 'net was for what looked like the old non-UCE bikes that are now out of production.  However the answer I got said that they all used that same cable and getting one of those that they had in their 'net catalog would work. Innnnnteresting!
In any event, the G-5 does bring a smile from ear to ear, speedo working or not! :D (but it's working now again since I put on the cable that came in the goodies box.)
Ralph Meyer
2008 RE Classic Bullet ES :) "Ennypenny" (It's an Enfield and costs pennies to run!)
2010 RE Deluxe G-5 :)) "Eagle"
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Ducati Scotty

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Reply #7 on: September 10, 2010, 09:29:55 pm
Good thing it's working, you'd never get past the break in mileages without it no matter how much you rode!  ;D


Andy

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Reply #8 on: September 10, 2010, 09:51:10 pm
... when I contacted Nfieldgear about the fact that the only cable they listed on the 'net was for what looked like the old non-UCE bikes that are now out of production.  However the answer I got said that they all used that same cable and getting one of those that they had in their 'net catalog would work. Innnnnteresting!

Although the part number does not match, the NField Gear cable fit just fine on my C5.  I'm personally glad the numbers don't match.  If it WAS a bad production lot, my replacement isn't from the same batch.   ;D
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REpozer

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Reply #9 on: September 10, 2010, 09:54:44 pm
Last time I had the front wheel off, the speedo cable came out of its cover.
I shoot alittle 30w oil on it and reinstalled.
2008 ( AVL) Classic Bullet in British Racing Green
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meilaushi

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Reply #10 on: September 11, 2010, 01:10:32 pm
Good thing it's working, you'd never get past the break in mileages without it no matter how much you rode!  ;D
That's what worried me Scotty!  I began to think that if I didn't get the speedo working I'd be stuck at 35-40mph forever!  Hah! ::)
Ralph Meyer
2008 RE Classic Bullet ES :) "Ennypenny" (It's an Enfield and costs pennies to run!)
2010 RE Deluxe G-5 :)) "Eagle"
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meilaushi

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Reply #11 on: September 11, 2010, 01:14:08 pm
Last time I had the front wheel off, the speedo cable came out of its cover.
I shoot alittle 30w oil on it and reinstalled.
I had a can of old grease that I used on the replacement.  And it seems the cable can come out of the cover only from the bottom -- wheel end.  Might not be a bad idea to unfish the thing from time to time and give it a shot of oil just to be on the safe side -- while checking it for wear too, methinks.  :-\
Ralph Meyer
2008 RE Classic Bullet ES :) "Ennypenny" (It's an Enfield and costs pennies to run!)
2010 RE Deluxe G-5 :)) "Eagle"
2010 BMW F800ST
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hocko

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Reply #12 on: September 13, 2010, 03:29:13 am
I went for a 200 km ride yesterday to try out the new screen. On the way back the bike was travelling along at about 120kph (And doing it easy. I noticed that the speedo needle started fluctuating between 100 and 110. It had never done this before, I slowed down and it came back to 100 or so, I acelerated up to what I thought was the speed I had been doing, but the needle wouldn't go past 100. Whe I turnd off the main highway I went back to about 80kph but the needle continued to fluctuate. I'm suspecting the speedo cable is on the way out, the has just gone over the 3000 km mark by the way. Any thoughts from this esteemed group would be appreciated.

Cheers  :)


Andy

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Reply #13 on: September 13, 2010, 05:12:52 am
I went for a 200 km ride yesterday to try out the new screen. On the way back the bike was travelling along at about 120kph (And doing it easy. I noticed that the speedo needle started fluctuating between 100 and 110. It had never done this before, I slowed down and it came back to 100 or so, I acelerated up to what I thought was the speed I had been doing, but the needle wouldn't go past 100. Whe I turnd off the main highway I went back to about 80kph but the needle continued to fluctuate. I'm suspecting the speedo cable is on the way out, the has just gone over the 3000 km mark by the way. Any thoughts from this esteemed group would be appreciated.

Cheers  :)

That's exactly what mine did, before it crapped out.  Occasional flutters on the speedo gauge, at the higher end.  Do you have a problem?  I'm not willing to guess. 
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hocko

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Reply #14 on: September 13, 2010, 05:38:23 am
Thanks Andy, was it the speedo or just the cable ?

Cheers  :)