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Speedo bodge - advice needed! Speedo bodge - advice needed!
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Bodger Fix What they don't show you in the repair manual - tales of duct tape, bailing wire and WD 40. Bodge, Bush Mechanics, farmers fix, patch, temporary repair, or whatever your definition, tell us YOUR best story of a bodge that got you home!
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  #1  
Old 14 Apr 2011
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Speedo bodge - advice needed!
Where the cable goes into the speedo it has rounded off (previous owner fitted a kph/mph converter with a very hard, very square edged output shaft). My options as I see it are:
1)epoxy the cable in and hope
2)stick some chemical metal into the bit on the speedo, oil the cable end, stick it in to create the square hole and pull it out to let it set

any opinions on which would work better/why?

This is the first time I've actually encountered a 'square peg into a round hole' problem since I was about three years old!!
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  #2  
Old 14 Apr 2011
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What about solder?
Have tried lots of bodges - but this ones new. Have you thought about solder? Put one or more strands of thin multi core into the hole and then push the cable in - I'm thinking the solder might be soft enough to deform and jam the cable. Has the advantage over epoxy of easier to clean out if it doesn't work. Good luck
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  #3  
Old 14 Apr 2011
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do you mean without heating it, like using matches instead of a raw-plug? It might work. I had thought about trying to solder the cable in but decided I wouldn't be able to get enough heat into it to bond it properly without damaging the surrounding plastic
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  #4  
Old 14 Apr 2011
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I would get an electronic MTB speedo and use that, If you don't already know it NX650s and the XR650L speedo drive is junk.
Inner cables are available for about 1/3 of the total cable cost but they are still troublesome. The nylon cog in the front wheel also gives gyp.
Better long term fix is to get a Trailtech vapor.
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  #5  
Old 14 Apr 2011
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Unfortunately as I am delivering the bike on Saturday getting a digital speedo is not an option. The cable seems fine though and the drive is still engaging properly - these were what I looked at first, I wasn't expecting the speedo end to have failed like that!
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  #6  
Old 15 Apr 2011
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Well, I tried using a two part epoxy putty, filled the round hole, jammed amatch in to make a square hole - it looked like it would work but the speedo is still not working, aargh! Time to try some epoxy glue.....
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  #7  
Old 15 Apr 2011
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Are you sure the speedo works? Have you tried turning the bit where the cable goes to check the needle moves - jam something like the end of a pencil into the hole and twirl it in your hands to check the needle jumps.

That area is usually covered in oil so if you haven't degreased it completely it may be that the epoxy putty isn't taking.
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  #8  
Old 15 Apr 2011
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The speedo works - I checked that with a torx bit. I cleaned the hole with contact cleaner which should have flushed out excess oil. The epoxy putty I used was 'milliput' seemed similar to radweld etc - two part plasticine type stuf that you knead together.

I need to open it up to see whether the epoxy has collapsed, it's rotating in the speedo or the cable is rotating in the bodge. If the putty is rotating in the speedo I might try getting a drill bit into one side of it and 'messing it up a bit' to give it something to bite into...

Bodgetastic!
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  #9  
Old 15 Apr 2011
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You sure it's not the white gear off the wheel hub?
They crap out as well.....
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  #10  
Old 16 Apr 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huan View Post
You sure it's not the white gear off the wheel hub?
They crap out as well.....
Definitely not, I took the cable out of the speedo, rolled the bike down the hill and it was rotating fine, visually you can see exactly what the problem is - the square hole is now a round hole so the cable just spins in it.....

Am off in an hour and still haven't bodged an old suzuki screen onto it so it will be a speedo free trip!
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Old 16 Apr 2011
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Is the interface in the speedo plastic or metal ?? That's the part that has rounded off I guess.

Epoxy or solder might last 100 miles but with all the spinning it will soon disaggregate so forget it.

I'd just get a MTB speedo like suggested. Too late to get a replacement I guess.

Go to halfords on your way out lol.
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Old 16 Apr 2011
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My mate Paul has promised to flash me if I'm about to lose my license! If anything interesting happens will stick a RR up when I get back!
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Old 16 Apr 2011
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At least you'l have lower mileage for the resale !
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  #14  
Old 30 Jun 2011
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Model shops have square section brass tube, a piece of this glued in there has fixed similar stuff for me in the past.
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  #15  
Old 30 Jun 2011
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The bike has served its purpose and I will be getting it back at some point, when I'll see how it got fixed (owner got it done in Turkey, apparently still works), will let thebodger forum know the secret!
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