Is it only me ?... speedo cable

Odie1

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Joined
Apr 24, 2011
Messages
127
Location
Claremore, Ok
Bike
1996 ST1100
Just wondering,

Anyone else ever break a speedometer cable? I got my 96 in 2009 - 29K miles - and within the first year, the speedo cable broke. Of course, replaced it and went on my way.

Yesterday, good weather day here so I decided to go for a ride..... and the second one broke. Now - I know its been 12 years and about 60K miles since I replaced the first one, but I was just curious.

I don't seem to recall much chatter about them breaking. Of course, they are so simple to replace, maybe no one bothers mentioning it.

Odie1
 
I had speedo cable broken last year. But the initial problem was not the cable itself - it was partially stuck speedo gearbox on the wheel axle. Or maybe , the cable ruined the gearbox) replaced them both
 
I had to replace the gear assembly, but never the cable on my ST11 at ~125k miles. The original cable now has about 150k miles on it.
 
I pack a small amount of marine grease into the speedo gear, apparently some of that works itself up the cable sleeve, never had a broken cable yet...
Just don't over-stuff the gear casing with grease to prevent hydro-lock...
 
If the outer sheath is not routed properly, it could create a bend that creates wear on the cable itself. When installing the new cable, a light smear of white grease on the cable is a good idea, but keep that grease away from the last few inches of the upper end, as the speedo head could be damaged by grease getting up into it.

Never had a cable break in over 250,000 km on two 1100's.
 
My '00 cable broke in year 2002/2003, 81360km.
The internal cable snapped/twisted.
Replacement good till now @230500km, hope I don't jinx myself...
 
Whoa - wait a minute!? Lube the cables? come on!? :)

Next you'll be telling me I need to grease the splines, and maybe even change oil once and a while. Not sure I am buying it ! :):)

Seriously though, the thought crossed my mind that MAYBE one should do the "dab of grease" thing say once a year? FWIW, the cable broke about 2-3 inches from the wheel end. And if I recall, that is where the last one broke as well.

It was stated above to "inspect the drive end" and "gearbox on the wheel axle". Stupid me, I can certainly pull that, but what do I look for? Just to make sure it spins freely and drives some kind of worm gear the cable fits into? What would be an indication it needs replacing.... other than it being completely locked up? IF it matters, the speedo was working normally one minute, then the next time I looked down, was completely "dead". No odd behavior noted. Kind of like I would expect if a cable had broken. Had not even considered it might have broken due to anything other than age.

Truth be told, there are probably dozens of other items like this - minor ones - I have over looked.

This winter it's time for me to do the major maintenance work... replace time belt, cross-over hoses, ect., so you may be hearing a lot from me, my posts probably starting with "help" or "how do I....".

I plan on scanning the forums and trying to pickup little tips of things to service - check- while I am at it. Unless there is already a good check list out there I have missed.

Thanks everyone

Odie1
 
Odie - If you jack up the front wheel off the ground and remove the 'wheel' end of the cable, you can spin the front wheel in the proper direction and see if the drive is turn or snagging (a little slotted 'protrusion' where the cable connects should be turning). That would be my first 'look'. To remove the drive, you obviously have to pull the front wheel then it falls out of the wheel. I had a situation on one of mine where the 'drive' tabs were bent in just enough that it would not always turn the 'protrusion'. Also, you can put the wheel end of the cable in a drill and run the drill in reverse to see if you get any 'stutter' or snags at the speedo end.
 
Replacing speedometer cables as often as you have is not normal.
Anything wrong with the speedometer drive assembly of the front wheel will not cause a broken speedometer cable. A broken speedometer cable indicates a problem between the drive assembly and the speedometer.

The most common cause is a dry cable due to lack of lubrication. This causes increased resistance to turning. Since the drive assembly will continue to force the cable to turn no matter how much resistance there is, the cable will break where the resistance is the greatest. An indication of a dry speedometer cable is whipping of the speedometer needle, or jerkiness and motion that is not smooth, caused by the cable storing energy as it resists rotating and then releasing that energy when it overcomes the resistance much like a spring would react.

A cable that has been incorrectly routed, resulting in a tighter bend in it than it should have, also creates a location with higher resistance where the cable will often break.
If the cable has been banged or otherwise compressed hard enough to cause damage to the exterior sheath, this will cause a pinch point that can also result in the cable breaking due to increased resistance to rotation.

Another possibility is the speedometer itself. If the driven end in the speedometer is presenting excessive resistance to rotation, extra force will be required by the cable to turn it.

If the entire cable assembly is replaced, as opposed to just the interior cable, and breakage occurs again, this would seem to indicate a routing problem or a speedometer problem.

Incidentally, in the days when speedometer cables were still the norm, lubricants that are specifically for lubricating speedometer cables were used. I don't know what special properties that they may have, if any, that would make them superior to other types of grease, but they do exist.
 
Checked and no noticeable rust. In fact, almost appears as there is grease still on the cable. Hard to tell if it is grease, or just "ick", that comes off on your hands when you touch it.

Odie1
 
I've often heard that it is not necessary to lube the cable on the 1100, and should not be done. I haven't, and have not had any problems. I have done so on my older XS1100.

Also hear the opposite, just as often.
 
DeanR said:
I've often heard that it is not necessary to lube the cable on the 1100, and should not be done.
Click to expand...
That advise is referring to throttle cables, as there is a nylon sleeve inserted to reduce friction...
The speedo cable runs in the steel structure, hence can use some lubrication (but not so much that it floods the instrument casing...)

Always see that the protective plastic coating is not cracked or chafed (keeping water out) and that the cable (+ drive gears) see some marine grade grease as used at the hub seals, goes in one strike while the wheel is out...
 
ST1100Y said:
That advise is referring to throttle cables, as there is a nylon sleeve inserted to reduce friction...
The speedo cable runs in the steel structure, hence can use some lubrication (but not so much that it floods the instrument casing...)
Click to expand...
Thanks Martin.
I best attend to my speedo cables!

How best to do that, and with what?
 
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