Broken motorcycle speedometer cable replacement, Kawasaki Vulcan
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- My 1995 Kawasaki Vulcan VN800 speedometer stopped working abruptly. The video shows how I diagnosed the problem and then replaced the cable and cable sheath.
The replacement I bought included the speedo cable sheath, and was slightly shorter than the original so I couldn't just replace the inner cable portion. You'll see that I tried to replace the whole cable without removing the gas tank, but the routing was too tight so I had to remove the tank and air box for better access. In retrospect I should have used my wheel chock to position the steering wheel straight ahead, so removal of the tank would have been easier. Even though the tank was not siphoned dry, very little gas drained when the fuel line was removed.
My new cable came with lubrication already in place, but I plan to do frequent lubrication to allow the new cable to last longer.
For an interesting explanation of how the motorcycle petcock works, watch this interesting video by my friend mrmaxstorey • How does a motorcycle ...
This video is amateur effort, published in good faith for entertainment purposes only. I am not a qualified professional motorcycle mechanic, and a pro may have accomplished this task very differently. So, this is in no way a qualified instructional video.
Motorcycle repair is a potentially dangerous activity, especially when removing a gasoline tank. Don't be a dick, don't let anybody smoke or cause sparks near open gasoline, and of course take all appropriate safety precautions. Be sure to inspect the vehicle afterward and while running to be sure that fuel connections are not leaking. Any misadventure resulting from your attempt to repair your vehicle is your responsibility.
I've had that tank off a few times over the past few years, and here are a couple of time saving suggestions. You don't need to remove all three of the small bolts on the top of the tank, shown at 0:55, just remove the bottom one. You also don't need to siphon fuel out of the tank, simply leave the petcock in the 'on' or 'reserve' position (make sure it is not set to "prime"), and remove the hose clamp at the bottom of the petcock. The Vulcan petcock is an automatic vacuum type, which is designed to shut off in the absence of manifold vacuum. If it leaks, the petcock needs service, and I recently did a video of how and why to do that in another video on my channel. Good luck!
If you really did want to empty the tank, you could pop the cap on top and once your funnel is in place under the petcock, switch it to prime. Should drain all but the reserve.
Wow, that's a lot of effort. When I hear stories like that, it reminds me of what people in Cuba and elsewhere have to do every day. I admire their ingenuity, though I don't envy what they have to do just to get to work. Thanks for your insightful contribution.
Nice walkthrough. A couple of addons: no need to loosen all three bolts on the small plate. Just need to unscrew the bottom one. And no need to empty the gas tank. The petcock is vaccum controlled, so just leave it in the "on" position. It`s easier to remove the breather hose while the tank is on. Just pull it off in the front and unhitch it underneath.
I'm glad you mentioned those points, both of which I learned through the years. It's the reason I always scroll through a comments thread, gems like this one will help many others. When one makes a video, it is impossible to get it perfect, especially in retrospect years later. Thanks!
Very helpful video. Only thing I'd add: when working with the gas tank, always disconnect the battery and cover the negative terminal. A dropped wrench can arc, causing a fire.
Again, very helpful and well narrated video!
Was just trying to read up on the Kawasaki 800 Vulcan. Trying to get some use out of the book. But I just got confused and looked up on the internet. Here it is with everything I needed. GREAT!!!!!
Thanks. After 18 years, I still love riding my Vulcan.
who doesn't
Yeah, this one was a little tricky. Last week my clutch cable broke, and that repair was really easy, in contrast to some other bikes. Overall I'm really happy with how well this bike has performed over the past 13 years -- very few repairs needed. I would certainly buy another Vulcan, based on my experience with this one.
Thx for posting this, mine just stopped also and I'm more likely to do it myself now than leaving it to the shop.
Spelunkerd, I wanna thank you for helping me to remove my gas tank on my bike just like yours. I just couldn't remove the fuel tank and then I saw your video, which is excellent by the way, as you were replacing the speedometer cable & you touched a little bit on that bolt that I couldn't find. Thanks for your help.
Great video well explained. I’m looking at a Vulcan that mentioned it needs a new Speedo cable. This just put my mind at ease
Thanks, it is gratifying to see such an old video still be of some use to people. I pinned a new remark in the comment thread to make it easier than shown in the video.
It would be nice if they were all fun to do. I'm sure you can remember so tough ones out there. Thanks Dave for replying!
Glad you posted this. My 02 classic 800's speedo just started acting funny amd just quit working as well today.
Definitely good looking bikes. I like some of the modifications some have done with them. The CB450 is my first motorcycle and though it is in good shape for a 30 year old bike, it definitely has issues, namely the speedo cable just snapped. so far in the 6 weeks, I've had to replace fork seals and springs, replace the chain and sprockets, repair the master cylinder in the brake and replaced brake cables
If not for videos like the one you've made I wouldn't know where to begin, so thank you.
thanks for the video. saludos desde México!
i broke my speedo cable connector and couldn't find the same length cable so i found one with the same connectors and cut one, heated it and took it off the donor cable and put it on the original. its still working.
Thank you, Max. As you know I watch all of your excellent motorcycle uploads.
Thanks for the video. Needed a reference on running my cable. Awesome job 👏.
A holiday in Cuba is on my bucket list. Nice to meet you.
Next time I clean the carb I'll keep the camera rolling. My vintage of Vulcan had no fuel filter, which made the carb particularly prone to carb gunk. I have an aftermarket generic fuel filter in it now to slow down that process. It doesn't help that new gasoline with ethanol may be hard on plastic parts....
Thanks for watching.
Thnx for this upload.
It helped me a lot to replace the cable 👍🏻
Thank you for the easy instructions. The only thing I'll say is I'm glad I don't have your bike. I have an old Honda CB450 and the speedometer cable is exposed right in front, no need to take the gas tanks and other parts off.
Gracias por los subtitulos, me sirvió mucho tu video.
Re Tim Hayes, Most wobble I've seen is a tire issue. I'd be checking wheel balance and wheel position on the axle, not forgetting to closely look at the tire for sidewall weakness and other issues. Not sure about the popping. MrMaxStorey is a good resource here on youtube, with way more experience than I have.
Nice job, that cable will last millions of years, so worth the trouble.:-)
Ive often used insulation tape to bond one cable to another in a smooth lump, and its allways worked, and the same for replacing mains cable in conduit in walls.
But your route looked a devil so a stripdown is a must.
I wonder why they used the back wheel rather than the typical front hub method, hmm??
Nice machine, smashing video :-)
Thanks for the kind words.
Great video, I had the same problem with my vulcan. All fixed now. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for the followup!
I don't know anything about the new models and I've never taken apart the 05. But if you are mechanically inclined, the repair for either is probably fairly easy. Just be careful around open gasoline. It would help if you can get your hands on a dealers manual, either on ebay or from the dealer. I'll guess it may be fairly similar to the repair I did here. The cable itself was about $30. Good luck! Please stop back and let us know how it worked out.
Yeah, you're right, I keep telling myself the same thing. It's been a struggle to break old habits, and I haven't found a pair that doesn't cause some type of irritation (grin).
Thanks, Terry. This one was fun to do.
And thank you for the feedback, I'm glad it helped.
I know this is an older video but I have the same bike and was wondering where you got you fender rack from. Would love to put on on my bike.
@@randallclark2407 It came from the dealer, on the bike 25 years ago when new. This year I applied for and got a 'classic' license plate, and my insurance costs dramatically fell.
Nice. I might have to do that myself this year.
thanks this just happend to my 99 today im glad its an easy fix.
Thanks back, I appreciate the feedback.
Next time, not in the near future. Shane Conley has a channel here on youtube where he does that as part of a brake job. He's a great teacher. Just a word of explanation that he uses what we in the auto field consider a somewhat different method because he uses retrograde flow. Some auto mechanics don't like the use of retrograde flow because of possible strain on seals in the MC. I don't have a problem with it, though.
Well done,clean and precise job !!
Thanks for your response, Gabe. Yeah, I've learned tons from videos on youtube, and my channel is a humble effort to return the favor. You might consider turning a camera on when you do your repairs (grin).
Dave
Masterful installation. Excellent!
Thank you.
Thank you for the kind feedback!
The thing I found interesting about the gas tank was the way the petcock is vacuum actuated, which explains why I didn't get a flood of gasoline when I removed it. That's a vacuum tube attached to the petcock, I presume from the intake manifold. I didn't completely understand that when I was doing the video, so I was very careful at that point.
Nice work Dave!
Those are thoughtful ideas. Thanks for watching.
Again a good video. Can you make one where you change the brake fluid?
Very good. Glad I found you. Thank you.
Nice bike dude. Thanks for the video - most helpful.
+Rohan Healy You're welcome.
I just got a Vulcan, and looked up videos to help figure out how to flush and replace the coolant. I thought your videos were super helpful. Thank and keep up the awesome work!
Any thoughts on a carburetor cleaning video?
thank you for this video.it helped so much ....
Good job man , you saved $150 or more.
Thanks
This vid was super helpful thanks!
I'm glad it helped, thanks for the feedback!
Great video dude!
Very good bike!!
Thank you!
You're welcome, let us know how it turns out.
GREAT VIDEO
VERY INFORMATIVE THANKS!!
You're welcome, thank you.
Yeah, great on a sunny day. Winter, not so much. Thanks for watching.
This video was very helpful. However I have the same issue. But I do not believe its my cable. but I didn't purchase a new one in case. But my speedo tends to jump. and doesn't run at all. but will jump from time to time....I was told there may be a speed sensor in the rear wheel that may need to be aligned as since I had a tire replacement and that might have happened. Anyway to get a video on how to check or replace it or know of one I should watch as I have not found one unfortunately...... Thanks in advance!
+Richard Forrestal Those cables stick as they get older and eventually break from lack of lubrication. There may be some rotation as the broken ends spin so your speedo may show a jumpy reading. Newer speed sensors are electric and have their own issues. If you still have a cable you could try lubricating it, and if it's a newer electronic one then perhaps cleaning it would help. Most likely you'll be replacing a fairly inexpensive part. Please stop by and let us know how it turned out.
+spelunkerd
last year i had my rear tire replaced. and shortly after my speedo stopped working. it would occasionally jump and bobble around the speed i was at. i changed the cable and nothing. had it looked at or so they say and said everything is fine. i was told in a vulcan group that there is a sensor that can become misaligned and is quite common. sensor isnt electronic its in the rear hub. its a 2002 vn800b. (vulcan 800 classic) i have a new cable that came in today. but im fairly certain thst its in my rear wheel where the problem is gonna be. i just wish i had a guide of sorts to show me how to fix it. ive never removed the rear wheel and i do not know exactly what to look for. i was given a diagram. pin pointing the sensor. but id prefer a step by step...
Thanks for responding!
Excellent!very thanks
Thank you.
I'm not sure, mine just fell right out. Maybe yours got caught and wrapped around something in the speedo itself. Or, maybe there is a hidden set screw that is not visible.
That's an excellent point, thank you for bringing it up.
How does the cable break? I must have installed mine wrong after I unscrewed it when I removed the fuel tank. I had to have it repaired at the shop. Spelunkerd
Thanks.
thanks for sharing...
Great stuf, i own the same bike and your video's are helpfull.. thanks a lot.
I am missing info on the Gear sensor, i would like to make a gear indicator for my vulcan, do you have any info on that..?
I know that you do! Subbed
Great videos, really help me in the past so thanks for that....
hey would you have any advice for two (2) problems ? 1st. I have a wobble in the handlebars at 30-45 mph and 2nd the popping I n the exhaust when I come off the throttle, I beleave the popping is due to open pipes but is there anything that might stop some of it?
Thanks for Any help,
Tim H.
ok can do thank you
As you can see, in my case the diagnosis was obvious when I undid the cable connection and pulled the central wire out. In your case, I suspect it is still probably broken, but it may be lower down. The speedometer can fail as well, or it can simply come undone at the wheel or at the speedometer. If I was not sure, I would take the whole cable off and have a look before buying a lot of parts. I'm not sure how to test a speedometer off the vehicle....
Connect the wire to the speedo and use a drill in the opposite end...
hey i have a 05 kawasaki vulcan 800 classic and my speedometer stoped working yesterday and so does the round trip. is that the same thing that happened to you? i f so how much was the cable and is it the same set up for the 95 and the 05? i dont want to take it to the shop because it gets expensive. thanks
wash your bike much? nice video
Question: on mine, (2000 vulcan 800 classic) the cable is stuck to the speedometer, even once unscrewed. ive tried forcing it out as well but its in there pretty good. i cant get it out. any ideas?
Bike boy lo,cool
How do you know it's not the cluster instrument? What are the signs? Mine is doing the same thing but the background light isn't working so at night I can't see the speed even though it is stuck at zero? My mechanic told me it's the cluster instrument. I have '09 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 Ltd.
Good question. When you pull the cable off these old mechanical devices you can see the internal cable shaft is broken, so spinning one end doesn't spin the other end. If the cable wasn't broken and it was inserted properly into the rear wheel hub, I'd wonder if the sensor at the gauge was broken. Newer speedo cables have actual electric wires, so no rotating shaft. The new electric designs have less friction and are more efficient. Electric speed sensors came in two varieties, Variable Reluctance sensors (two wires) and newer Hall effect sensors (3 or more wires, more sensitive at low speed). I tested a bad VR speed sensor in the video I did of a 4WD selector on a Chev Suburban. Those things usually fail at the sensor rather than the cluster, but either end can fail.
@@spelunkerd thank you for your quick response. I will definitely have to take it apart to look at it. I'm also having the issue where the back light doesn't work. It doesn't light. Not to mention my temperature and oil light came on Sunday. It's not digital and I don't think speed sensors went on Kawasaki until 2013 if I remember that correctly from Googling it.
Is it possible to replace just the cable and not the entire sheath?
That was my first thought, much like the way we used to simply replace wiper blades rather than the entire wiper arm on a car. Or how we used to replace the starter solenoid rather than the whole starter motor and solenoid together. Same thing happens with AC clutch failures. Problem is, retailers don't want to keep a whole lot of stock on the shelf for assembly and it is easier for them (and more profitable) to sell the whole thing. I didn't find separate cables for sale, it likely would require the skills to mate and match the two together. The end that goes into the rear wheel is a specialized tip, so it is more complicated than a bicycle cable. Also inside the cable you'll likely find rust and internal wear that may leave survival of a new cable in doubt. So, if you can find just the cable, go for it. I think a separate cable may be hard to find.
@@spelunkerd that’s very true about rust or other debris still being in the sheath and damaging the new cable. I think since it’s easier to get a full piece anyways that will probably be the route I go. Your video is top notch and I will be using it to replace my cable!
install RPM meter will know is your speed meter go bad and second it is more easy for your mech to check your bike
Hi there its me again i need ur expertise to the situation im having w my 1995 vulcan again im having trouble starting the bike my neutral light is not turning on even im in neutral coz i could drag the bike without pressing the clutch but since the neutral light is not turning on the bike thinks im on gear n would not start? I replace the bulb n deactivate the switch on the kick stand n still would not start. I checked the clutch wirng plug i put a paper clip onto the clutch plug to connect them together n still would not start now i stated unscrewing thegear box coverand im about to open it up. I just dont know if i need to replace any gasket in the gearbox kindna the clutch gasket need to be replace once u open the clutch cover ? Pls dont know where to find the neutral switch or how to trace the wiring to find the neutral switch location? I still need to check the gear shift rod n make sure there is nothing on the way that prevent it to switch gear. I hope u understand what im trying to explain to you. Pls get back to me asap if u could for im working on the bike right now. Thank you my friend.
We divide no starts into two categories, based on whether the starter motor spins the engine or not. 1. Crank no start 2. No crank, no start. Are you describing #2? The neutral safety switch is on the left side, the opposite side to the clutch. If you open the clutch cover you definitely need a new gasket, I don't know about the left side cover since I've never had it off.
@@spelunkerd #2 no crank no start
@@l3vnoml332 The classic no start with a bad neutral safety switch is bypassed if you pull in the clutch before starting, so you should be able to spin the engine with the starter motor if you pull the clutch in. If that is your situation I would agree with investigating the neutral safety switch. It makes me wonder if your bike has had the ignition switch tampered with, causing weird starting issues. It may be time to pull out that wiring diagram and look closely at the wires leading to the ignition switch to be sure they are properly hooked up. Generally the approach to a no crank no start is to begin at the starter motor to see what is missing. If the trigger switch is not hot when you're trying to spin the starter motor, you could trace that wire back and look for what's missing.
Hi.I have a 800 cc Vulcan from 2000.The speedometer stopped working.I checked the cable and was nothing wrong with it.I got this problem after I changed the back tire.It still worked about 2000 miles.Now,I can't figure out what the problem is.What parts I need to replace.Any Ideas?
I would have a close look at the connection between the cable and the rear wheel. You may have to disassemble that rear wheel connection.
There is a speedo-receiver in the rear wheel that looks like a hat, sometimes it gets bent during wheel replacement and will cause speedo to slip or stop completely. you can bend back in shape or replace it. It has to seat correctly to engage! Hope that helps!
thank you.I will fix it this weekend.I had a whole year without speedometer.Didn't have any problems until they took my licence and fined me good.But now I'm back on the road.
Great video. I have a 96' Vulcan 1500 with a broken cable. Do you have any information about hooking up a digital speedometer from Autometer? I have only the speedo and no instructions. I've contacted Autometer, but they never responded. Thanks!
Sorry, no. Are you switching from a mechanical to a digital meter?
Yes I am. I'm wondering if the cable turns something for a "pick up" to get signal or if the cable is done away with all together.
Although I have no direct experience with your unit, I always assumed the long cable would be replaced by wires, and a local pickup should be as close as possible to the wheel...
Bike, Truck, SUV, Hybrid, Boat.....when are you getting a plane? lol
Having a boat is such a financial hole in the water that I don't see how anybody with a boat could afford a plane. In all honesty I love driving 20 year old beater cars. The hybrid belonged to my wife before she drove off an embankment and destroyed it. Fortunately she was OK and now we have the Subaru. I love it when kids and relatives ask me to help with their auto repairs. Thank you for scrolling through and watching my videos, some of them are pretty old now.
Cheers!
Dave
I can only imagine! So far the only pilot I know personally has wrecked every car he's owned in the last 4 years. I don't think I'll ever get in any vehicle with him, much less a plane, and I can only imagine how much his operator insurance would be if they cross-checked his driving record!
It will be a while before I have to worry about a boat. My father's navy stories as an ET in the late 80s are sufficient for now. Apparently everything was broken and wired to heck on the new destroyers he was on, and that was back when systems were troubleshot and repaired on the component level. I can only imagine delving into that level of detail, but I am thankful for what I have learned from him and his older associates.
And no problem! Wish I had more available time and background in videography to record some of my interesting findings. Maybe someday when things slow down I'll get your input on how you put things together....or you could move to Ohio...I'm sure I could find a couple year's worth of vids to make. Haha
Let me know if you want some help with how to upload videos, there are a few tricks that make the process easy.
Apprx how long did it take to change thw cable??
That's always a difficult question, and recording it on camera doubles the time commitment. I tend to be painstakingly slow, in part to avoid a mistake. It probably took me two hours in total, but I could do it again in minutes.
@@spelunkerd
So it took closs to 2 hours, mostly for the video
Thank you
any clue on how to take out the whole speedometer?.....that little thing on the left (that one that adjusts the riden distance) side wont let me take the whole piece out.
I never did that, but I assume there is a clip or mounting screw underneath. Undo that screw and the speedo should gain enough mobility to back out. I had a quick look at my bike for you today. Kneel on the left side of the bike, look down the end of the adjustment screw, along the axis of the adjusting screw. You'll see a small phillips head screw that probably will allow the adjusting screw head to come off. The Kawasaki repair manual doesn't go into much detail beyond what I said above.
+spelunkerd thanks friend..i will try it.
Always ride with gloves.
Would you have any "tips" to tell me about where I should run the cable, so that it works correctly? because I bought a Kawasaki vn800 and it came without the cable so you could guide me, thx
If you follow the routing shown in the video you should do find. Keep the cable away from anything it may rub on, especially anything hot. Kawasaki offer free online parts diagrams that may help you, and I believe their dealers repair manuals are relatively inexpensive. Worth having.
funny you say that i'm half cuban!
Biker
HAHA, no one can handle that many swears in a short time span believe me.
wear gloves!
whats with the name: spelunkerd??
telefoon1978 Didn't really think much about it until I suddenly had to come up with a name. If I knew I'd use it every day, I'd probably have put more than a nanosecond worth of thought into it, ha ha.
ok, cheers! thx for the vids! i enjoy them very much!
Not even a yr after buying a new speed cable the sob broke
Every time I have it off I douche it with lubricant. You can buy a little adapter to mount a spray lube nozzle to more easily spray down the inside of the cable. Watch out for tight turns, the cable inside needs to spin.
Question: on mine, (2000 vulcan 800 classic) the cable is stuck to the speedometer, even once unscrewed. ive tried forcing it out as well but its in there pretty good. i cant get it out. any ideas?