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Homecoming and a speedo needle question

3K views 31 replies 10 participants last post by  riddmkidd 
#1 · (Edited)
My sprint is here!!

Just took her around the block a couple of times. Wow, this ain't no moped.

My mirrors are shaky from loose washers at the base of the arms (looked up fixes in here and will try the nuts and bolts swap). The dash lights are rather dim in direct sunlight.

she has a bit of rust on the bottom of the triple tree and the top of the fork tubes, some of the rubber fittings (gear shift boot, rear brake light switch cover) are cracked and dried. I assume this means I should start the process of replacing all the rubber I can find.

More importantly I have no idea how fast I was going because the speedo needle is on the wrong side of the 0mph pin. Do I have to replace the whole unit to fix that?


meanwhile, I can't wait to ride the you know what out of her.
 
#4 · (Edited)
You can use a strong magnet to manipulate the needle movement back around so it falls in the right direction. Look for the "retrieval" style magnets. The small one from harbor freight works.

Found this out when experimenting with a donor unit to see if there is a way to fix the offset on these gauges. Unfortunately there's no easy calibration adjustment inside and the needle is strongly fixed to the shaft.
 
#8 ·
talked with the manager, at least they have never encountered this kind of issue before, so that's a nice sign...

they are going to get back to me about how to rectify the speedo needle. the manager stated it's illegal for them to sell a bike in that condition so they should have spotted it prior to delivery (they had it for a month after i paid for it...). if they can't fix this needle they will figure out how to get it fixed. it might mean replacing the whole cockpit or speedo unit. meanwhile, i'm going to try the magnet trick.

meanwhile, holy heck what a ride! next up is a double bubble windscreen since i ride year round. the front tire is scrubbed in (100mi of errands getting duplicate keys, showing it off, visiting the dealer. perfect distance just as the clouds were coming back in). time to wear off the chicken strips!

the headlights need to be adjusted up at least 5 degrees or so. they seem to offer decent coverage but are staring down too much.
 
#14 ·
welp, tried the retrieval magnet trick and it didn't work. next week the shop will sort it out so i'll just have to keep with traffic for now and dodge the Leos.

Took off the bodywork to adjust the headlights this morning. couldn't figure out how to get the cockpit off in one piece. the service manual just says to Remove the two retainers that secure the cockpit. without a picture i'm at a loss. Fortunately I didn't have to actually take anything off to adjust the headlights. Turning the handlebars out of the way and using a stubby screwdriver works just fine. I still consider it a success since I now know removing the plastic isn't that big of a job.


while reinstalling the lower windshield screws i broke the head off of one from overtightening it. why are there plastic screws in the first place?? any tips on how to remove it? thin screwdriver superheated? i'm worried about melting the adjacent plastic.


finally, what's this connector for? It's inside the left fairing and the other wiring connects to the left turn signal.
 

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#15 ·
You got her going so fast the speedo dial went all the way around? Awesome! :)

Funny thing is, once you get it fixed you won't know how fast your going anyway. It is so off it's a joke on mine. 35 on my speedo gives me the You Are Going ## signs telling me it's about 27-28, consistently across a number of different signs. God knows how that fares when my speedo tells me I'm going 80 or 90?
 
#17 ·
You got her going so fast the speedo dial went all the way around? Awesome! :)
Hah I wish! Turns out the bike has indeed had a tip over. The right handlebar is bent upwards a bit and I think the speedo got knocked out of alignment on impact.

The sales guy was surprised to hear it and the service trip stopped answering questions and deferred to the store manager.

Can't say I really recommend the shop at this point, though they are making good on things that I've brought up. There is a 30day warranty on used bikes so we'll see what exactly that entails.

Did another 50 min ride before the rain showed up. Checked the chain's condition which resulted in removing the front sprocket cover and cleaning it enough sorry to start a planter box garden.

Newbie tip: when you get road dirt pebbles accidentally blown into the screw thread holes a q-tip inserted and "unscrewed" out removes all the debris. That way you don't end up with messed up threads or seized bolts.
 
#16 ·
Did you get the needle to move at all? If not you need a more powerful magnet. There is a knack to it. You have to move the magnet just right to keep it pushing on the magnets inside the gauge that the needle is connected to. Once it's past vertical you remove the magnet and it will fall to the left side where it belongs.

The connector is for heated grips. It's a useful point to attach other accessories up front too as it gives you switched and always on +12V. You can get the mating connector from Eastern Beaver.
 
#18 ·
Did you get the needle to move at all? If not you need a more powerful magnet. There is a knack to it. You have to move the magnet just right to keep it pushing on the magnets inside the gauge that the needle is connected to. Once it's past vertical you remove the magnet and it will fall to the left side where it belongs.
It moved a little bit not enough. I have a general magnet from thebauto parts store that I thought was pretty strong. Would a rare earth magnet be enough?

The connector is for heated grips. It's a useful point to attach other accessories up front too as it gives you switched and always on +12V. You can get the mating connector from Eastern Beaver.
Awesome, thank you! Also found the 12v accessory outlet next to the left side of the frame too. Oh the possibilities....
 
#20 ·
I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has offered assistance and advice already. This forum is a great resource and has been a big help in getting familiar with the sprint.

Trying the rare earth magnet this week. Hoping to keep my speedo on the bike for the sake of the correct mileage reading.

Now to also figure out how to retrieve the lower windshield screw with the broken off head that i overtightened.
 
#21 ·
If you don't have one already, I really recommend dropping $100 on a digital torque wrench. I have an AC/Delco 3/8" wrench that does 5-50 Nm, which covers all but a few of the fasteners on the bike. The ones it doesn't do are all high torque and therefore less demanding of accuracy. I spent way more on lesser wrenches and broken fasteners, not to mention all my wasted time, before I got this one.

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#22 ·
I've got an analog 1/2" torque wrench that's pretty big size wise. Worked out great on my truck and haven't had a need to use it on the Sprint yet. Heck, I'm just about to only do my first fill up on the tank.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into the digital one.
 
#25 ·
The AC/Delco wrench is great for lower values and will error out if used beyond its limits. (It's $25 to send it off for "recalibration," which is actually swapping it out for a refurb.)

Harbor Freight torque wrenches have cost me way, way, more than the difference in price versus a good one in stripped parts and lost time. Never again.

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#27 ·
UPDATE: FIXED!!!

the rare earth magnet was strong enough to move the needle back around to the correct side. I now know when i have passed safe and prudent in my acceleration.

haven't heard back from the dealer. i have even less faith in them now. off to ride some more!
 
#29 ·
Speedos are made to international spec: readings of 5-10% faster than actual speed are the target. I'm still getting used to my "new" bike only being 5% fast when the two previous ones were 7-8% off. Also still not sure how anyone can read the speedo on an ST without stopping and getting out a magnifying glass first. :D

Cheers,
-Kit
 
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