03 ST Speedometer Sensor

[perfectweb]

Hi all

my speedo gave up today, investigation revealed that the speedo drive / sensor unit had mashed its insides into a brown lumpy gunge, therefore no reading!

The tyre was changed a month ago and that was the last time that the sensor would have been disturbed, not sure if it was put back wrong or damaged in any way by the fitter, hard to prove. Perhaps it just expired!

Anyway the dealer wants to relieve me of loads of money and I was wondering about second hand parts. Does any one know if other Triumph models have the same unit? A quick look at an RS showed a similar unit, its an electronic pickup type with an electrical lead attached, no mechanical cable.

Also I had a quick look at removing it from the bike, the cable disappears under the fuel tank and then where....? I guess it must plug in somewhere. Before I rip apart the whole bike can someone give me the right way to do it? Please don't tell me to drain the tank, I only filled it up just before the speedo died!

Grateful for any help

[Stlakid]

Are you sure it's 'Toast'? They are supposed to have grease in them. A 'LOW' battery will also make them not function and read '0'. Mine does it and I now start the bike differently and this does work if the sensor is not actually damaged.

When you start the bike, do so 'Quickly'. Do not wait for the fuel pump to prime and the dash to clear first. During this time the ECU is running pre-start checks and one of them is a speedo error check. If the battery voltage is below the threshold it is looking for it disables the speedo and it will read '0'. My battery is 3 years old and not like a crisp new one but it still cranks the motor over fine, especially when it's not cold out. With the weather getting colder it's getting a bit sluggish first shot in the morning. Even on these days this procedure works albeit not always the first time. A couple of times I start it and need to let the bike settle into an even fast idle mode. I shut it off and do the start procedure again and the speedo has not failed to work in the last 3 months doing this.

Basically what I am doing is 'Fooling' the ECU into seeing a higher initial voltage being produced by the alternator as the actual battery voltage and stopping the software glitch from disabling the speedo function. I say glitch because if you get a new tune loaded at the dealer it will disable this function now. It can also be turned off with a Tune Boy. A new battery will cure the problem to, obviously.

So try this if your speedo is not physically damaged and it 'Will' get it to function again. If your's is truly damaged get in touch with SPRINT Mfg. as they 'Know' what will and will not fit between the Triumph models and are a full line breaker for them as well. They even offer completely rebuilt engines should you ever get to that point with your Triumph. I just wish they were in So Cal!

Almost forgot, (well actually I did) the connection for the cable is under the tank near the rear of it if I remember correctly, so run the fuel level down and you may be able to disconnect it without actually removing the tank completely. If you do at least it will be lighter!

[ This message was edited by: Stlakid on 2005-12-20 14:03 ]

[perfectweb]

Definitely toast! The outer casing exists, the front wheel exists but in between there is a mixture of melted metal, maybe some melted plastic and grease. Very messy, something happened in there!

I will get in touch with Sprint, they are on my list. Thanks for the info re the connection for the cable.

[Stlakid]

Just a note to others; When you take the front wheel off (like tire changing times) put a little grease on the sensor. There doesn't appear to be any 'real' bearing to speak of there. Cheap insurance for keeping it from melting. (might be what happened to PERFECTWEB's unit) be careful lining up the tabs when you put things back together too. Obviously these things are a bit fragil.....but not cheap! $165.00 US!

[KayTee]

To me this is a "line up the tabs" issue without doubt. If you had your tyre changed by a dealer he should be fixing the problem for you.