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Speedometer reads Zero

16K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  bradtx 
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#1 ·
I have a '03 955 and the speedometer will not work (reads zero) 25% of the time. Had it looked at during it's 800 mile service, but problem remains. Occurs mostly after the bike has sat overnight, but it has also happened after a quick stop and the bike is still warm. Turn bike off and restarting will usually corrects the problem.

Has anyone else seen this?

And yes, I'm the guy with the side-stand oil leak too.

Cheers.
 
#2 ·
This is starting to be a somewhat common problem - same thing happened to my '02 S3 last summer. It would operate normally after a quick stop too. My EML (engine management light) also came on too.

Check your battery connections - they may be loose, causing the problem. Your battery may also be going south, causing the voltage drop...

I took it into my dealer (just in case) and they tightened the battery terminals, cleared out any fault codes, and I've been fine ever since....
 
#4 ·
I had the same problem with my '02 s3, The service engine light came on, so i took it to the dealer, and there were no codes. He reset the light and i havent seen it yet (knock on wood). Then this winter when i was going for rides on nicedays i started having the speedo problem your describing. When i took it in for service right before the start of the season, it was accaully doing it for the dealer too. He could find no problems, but reset the computer and put in a new speedometer sensor. I have not had this trouble since. The dealer could not diagnose the problem, but from years of experience, he told me he was 70% sure the new sensor would solve my problem. Man, did he hit the nail on the head, i know how frustrating that can be.
good luck
 
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#5 ·
Check the electronic cable connecting speed sensor to spedo housing, look at cross over at triple clamp near crossing with front brake housing. The cable tends to get twisted and kinked and halts the signal from the sensor getting to the spedo. I had this happen twice on my daytona. Fixed it both times by straightening cable and adding slack at cross over point.
 
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#6 ·
Hello all. This is my first post, finally had something to add. Thanks for all the great info. This came up on t595.net and they diagnosed the problem and came up with some reasons and fixes. It seems the ECU interprets a low battery voltage (drained, cold) as an error due to the speedometer error checking function. The link is to the discussion over there. Good luck, hope this helps. http://t595.net/messageboard/thread.asp?thread=13669&highlight=speedometer
 
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#7 ·
Hello All,

I went out and replaced the battery and so far the problem has not returned. The "original" battery never had a problem starting the bike and I made sure it was disconnected over the winter and fully charged this spring. For whatever reason, it must not be up to snuff. Since the bike was a 2003 leftover, I have no idea how old the "original" battery may be. Both old and new batteries are Yuasa, but the original was manufactured in Japan while the new one was US made. Perhaps there are differences in manufacture?

Thanks to everyone for your replies and I hope this helps.
 
#8 ·
Mine reads 0 too

The speedometer on my '02 Speed Triple 955i started reading zero last year. I found it was OK when I was riding daily but usually failed after a week or more in the garage. As I'm a weekend rider this was a nuisance. I spent $308 on a new speedo sensor without fixing it. I decided it must be a voltage problem and discovered that the voltage going to the ECU (measured at the fuel pump connector) increased by 0.9 volts when I switched off the headlights. I have relays 14, 15 installed so that both headlights are lit on both high and low beam. This means that there is 10 amps less coming from the battery if I turn off the lights. Some (about 1/2) of the voltage drop is in the battery itself, most of the rest is across the ignition switch.

Result is, if I switch off the lights before turning on the ignition, the speedo always works.

I think a new battery would fix it too, since my battery was 5 years old when the speedo problem first showed up. It stills cranks the engine OK.
Then I updated T595.net and the reply told me that a Triumph dealer can download a tune that disables the speedometer test. My dealer told me they'll do it for free.
 
#10 ·
I also had this problem. The colder the weather got, the less I rode and the worse it got. Took my '04 to the local dealer and had him put the latest download in. Everything's worked great since then. I think, and this is only my theory, as the colder weather comes around and I only start the bike once every week or 2, the battery slowly loses it's charge and you get the error talked about above. The new download eliminates that error. Good luck!!!
 
#11 ·
Hi All..........reading thru this thread you see one common factor, the low battery voltage or weak batteries.I rode last year in some really cool weather and then thru a hot sticky summer out into a cooldamep fall here in Canada.never had any issues with the speedo.
I do though believe heavily in my battery tender, it is always plugged in unless i'm riding.Never any problems.I also have one on my garden tractor for the very same reason,stops the sulphating

cheers!
 
#12 ·
Tri, Most of the 'zero reading' threads pop up in the spring. It seems weak batteries, rather than compleatly dead or disconnected batteries bring on the problem. For some reason once it starts to be a problem it won't go away without ECU tinkering.

It looks like Triumph map 10152 disables the speedo diagnostic (base tune is 10128). The resident tune on my '04 was 10152 before changing to 10181 TOR. Likely done by the dealer before I bought it. Otherwise, like DEcosse wrote, it'll take a Tuneboy to deact, which is how the '02 D955i was fixed.

It's also important to know that if a speedo reads low single digit values, it's much more likely to be the front wheel sensor.

Brad
 
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