speedometer woes

I have a '77 KZ900. I was going down the road and the speedometer quit. Headed home to change the cable and found there was nothing wrong with the cable on the bike. What are the easiest ways to find out if the problem is with the speedometer or the sender at the wheel? Speedometers seem really rare and expensive. Can they be repaired and are parts still available? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Post edited by: epop2357, at: 2005/10/21 14:00

Post edited by: epop2357, at: 2005/10/21 14:02

Throw it on the ground, stomp a few times heavily, and walk back to the computer and check on e-bay. Honestly a bone yard or E-bay would be your best option, if your trying to keep the bike looking origional. Otherwise there are generic aftermarket speedos that work much better, and seem to be more accurate.

Can you put the bike on a centrestand, put a weight on the rear seat so the front wheel is off the ground and spin the wheel to see if the cable turns?

No centerstand, but I do have a floor jack. Thanks a lot....

If everything checks out and you trace it back to a hinky speedo, WiredGeorge did a write up about repairing either a speedo or tach. It's somewere in the old Archives.

thanks man, that was my first thought, but then thought I might try to keep it semi original. I have some Honda CB750 scabs at my son's house. Maybe one of them will work.

thanks luvmykaw, I'll look that up.

My 81 KZ-1000 CSR has Honda Gages The RPMs and the MPH matches the KAW gages on my 82 KZ-1000.
I like the Honda Tack better because it has a Volt Meter.

Spock

there's two used speedo/tach combos for sale here:

www.oldkawman.com/

click on "KZ 900 and KZ1000 parts"

(sorry, just double checked and they're both 1980 gauges)

Post edited by: duncan, at: 2005/10/21 19:39

You should check with this guy... Bob Harrington Z-Resto <76kz900@bellsouth.net>. He told me he could fix mine by replacing the drive unit for around $120... worth it if you want to keep the bike original.

Don't know what to tell you exactly, but you can easily see if the cable is turning by unhooking it from the bottom of the speedometer and pushing your motorcyle a few feet while looking at the cable to see if it turns. Chance of speedometer failure very slim, chance of drive failure very slim. Got to be something though if you're sure the cable is good. Strange.

Welcome epop. Your bike looks too nice as it is to build a chopper. Please don't change it, at least not drasticly.