Speedo stopped working

[glenbee]

A few weeks back, the speedo just stopped working. It cycles up along with the rev counter when the ignition is turned on, but reads zero mph when I take the bike out.

Prior to this fault, I had took the bike out for a ride, come back, washed it and put it away for a few days.
I followed some instructions from th international site on how to take off the panels to access the plug under he LHS front fairing panel, and it looks dry and in good condition. I also followed the cabling up from the lhs of the front wheel to see if any of the tie wraps wee especially tight but they seemed okay.

I had the tank off and it looks like the cable disappears somewhere beneath the air filter box.

What do you recommend next? Do I need to get the airbox off to access the plug, then get a multimeter on it?

If so, are there any instructions on removing the airbox, and on how to test with a multimeter.

From what I have read, this year (2007) are prone to speedo sensor failure.

[greywolf]

A speedo connector is just inboard of the regulator/rectifier, the finned object on the right in the picture. There is also the large connector in the left side of the fairing under a rubber cover and the connector to the instrument panel itself.



If you don't know where the regulator/rectifier is, here is a another view. The R/R is a replacement but the OEM R/R is in the same place. The crash bar over it is also not original equipment but you can recognise the back of the right fairing cowl easily enough.

[glenbee]

Thanks GreyWolf, I will check that connector next.

[Juvecu]

If it's not the wire/connector then it's possible that the speedo pickup has failed, I replaced mine once before. I got a 2nd hand one off an SV650, the part numbers checked out the same. My problem wasn't as abrupt though, it failed intermittently and then stopped completely after a few weeks.

[Dracula]

Funny, mine stopped last week too. But then it did this time last year aswell. Bought said pick up as Juvecu has suggested and just as it arrived speedo started working again. I suspect water, so I'll wait to see if it dries out again.

[glenbee]

Finally got some time to have another look at the none functioning speedo. GreyWolf, you were spot on. The connector you highlighted was making a poor connection. Pulled it apart, no visible corosion but I cleaned it a little, gave it a thorough coating with WD40, reconnected it making sure it was firmly pushed together and voila, sorted. The connector does have a little bit of play.
Thanks again to GreyWolf.

[Dracula]

Mine is still not working/ dried out. I'll check the same connector.

[Dracula]

Been and checked and mine is different. No plug at the bottom of the finned thingy. Where would mine be on a k5?

[greywolf]

It's there. It's well inside the frame, not connected to the finned thingy.

[glenbee]

Mine has been erratic.
Did 180 miles today, it worked for most of the time, but occasionally stopped working completely as I was riding along.
Maybe I should replace the connector.

[Dracula]

Speedo working again. I did nothing, it just started of its own accord
Must be water.

[Descolada]

Speedo working again. I did nothing, it just started of its own accord
Must be water.

I had this a little while ago, did almost exactly the same thing. I had washed it before going away for a week and when I got back the speedo would not work but cycled through the start-up checks just fine. After a day it started to come back in fits and spurts before eventually retuning to normal.

I put my experience down to a sticking sender at the front wheel. Others mentioned that these can get stuck if they are not properly lubricated. This explanation works when put in context of introducing water and soap through washing before then leaving the bike unridden for a while. Washing could have cleared out the grease (particularly if it was a vigorous wash or done with a pressure washer), it could also have moved the grime from other parts down into the sender mechanism and caused it to stick. A final thought is, given the time of year, washing could have moved road salt from other parts down into the mechanism, where left for a while it could have started to crystallize again.  Just a thought.

Since my speedo started working again it hasn't missed a beat.

[Juvecu]

The sensor on the front wheel can't stick. It fits in slotted parts on the front wheel hub and if it sticks the wheel will simply break it apart. The design is such that it would need some serious physical damage to make it stick. The problem is much more likely to be related to the speedo wire or connectors involved.

[greywolf]

About the only problem involving the sensor is noise. Wash the grease out and it chirps. There was at least one case though where the owner tried to clamp the sensor top under the fork leg instead of behind it when tightening the axle and basically destroyed it.