It seems my speedo cable is broken, I took off the RHS fairing last night but wasn't able to see where the speedo cable is hidden. I have a workshop manual but no serive manual and I can't find anything about replacing the cable? Can anyone direct me to a walk through or atleast give me a few pointers on how to get to it?

During the long ride home the other day, it ran fine and sounded good when I shut it down but when i restarted it the next day, it seemed to be running a bit rich and struggling to idle smoothly. It's a new bike for me so I was intending to change the oils and check the brake fluid anyways, would it be worth booking it in for a tune? The timing chain I keep reading about quiets down after a few minutes but it is still disconcereting... I'll try to record a sound file of it wraming up this evening for people to have a listen to see if you can hear anything...

 

The cable reads off the front sprocket nut. The cable goes into a plastic socket that goes onto the nut. Usually the cable is OK, the plastic socket usually breaks. About $5 for the sprocket, but too hard to replace. The carbs are quite simple and not that hard to clean if you have the workshop manual.

 

I had CBR 1000 and EX 500 speed-o cables break in the same week last year.

Not a hard swap, little tricky getting cable off the back of the instrument cluster. Hopefully you have hands like a little girl.

Nova Scotia Mike

 

I've pulled the side cover out of the way to get at the broken connection but just found lots of wires and tubes and cables that I don't know anything about. Can anyone tell me what I need to get off to check the speedo connection to the sprocket?

And why does the cowl have to have sooo many connection points... they could have split them up a bit!

 

As I remember, put it in neutral and take off the shifter (notice how the two dots line up). The clutch slave cylinder push rod goes through the sprocket cover, so remove the bolts that hold it on. You might want to measure each bolt and note where it goes, as each is a different length. Remove the cover and you can then see the plastic sprocket and how it attaches to the cable on one side and the sprocket nut on the other. You can now see if the sprocket is rounded off where it attaches to the nut, or if the cable is broken, or if the 90 degree elbow is broken. If all are OK, maybe the speedo is bad, but I bet it's the plastic sprocket. If you put a new one on carefully align the sprocket onto the cable end and then onto the sprocket nut while you put the sprocket cover on. Good luck.

 

Seems like the plastic sprocket is rounded like you surmised and doesn't keep in contact with the nut, everything else seems good.

How does the plastic bit come out of the sprocket cover?

I can't see any screws and don't want to force it... With the speedo cable removed from the sprocket cover, the pin inside turn reliably when I spin the back wheel in reverse but is intermittent when spinning forward - further evidence of the rounding wear I suppose.

When in first gear with the clutch pulled in, should the back wheel be firm to turn while on the centrestand or should it freewheel like it is in neutral? Have I caused a problem by pulling out (curious) the long clutch rod that goes through the engine? By pressing the clutch lever without the sprocket cover on, have I pressured anything? I ended up lining up the three holes for the sprocket cover bolts and then forcing the cover down into its seat with my heel. Once I had it seated, I could take the sprocket cover on and off with no worries to make sure the plastic sprocket was lined up, not that it matters being worn and all...

 

Things 10, 11 & 12 are not part of my bike... all i have is a pastic slip on thing that goes over thin 13? I've now got both the specific 1000F manual and the standard Honda one and I can't find the removal of the plastic instructions in either

 

Pull the plastic sprocket off the small blade of the cable drive with pliers. Put the new one on, but don't push it down too much or the blade will break through the plastic and be in the sprocket part. Put the sprocket cover back on and turn the wheel like you did to line up the sprocket nut and plastic housing. The blade in the housing should turn. Don't bother looking in the Honda manual for instructions, cause there ain't none.

 

The new one should arrive friday or monday, thanks slowpoke, you're a champion!