sound help

[hicklifeoutdoors]

hello just got a 85 gl1200 sounds great idle but problem I came to is when i start to accelerate it starts making a loud noise not grinding cant really say buzzing just hi pitch noise thought could be belt or radiator but when bike is idle there no noise and fan on radiator still on thought it could be me shifting into wrong gear but i slow down cruise in second and still there till I park haven't tried leave third gear yet cause of rain and i haven't been on big bike in while what kind of things from front of bike should I look for to try find source of noise

dont know if this is enough info will try to see if i can get a video put on youtube and post link here tommorrow

[Bike...and Dennis]

If it's only doing it when it's sitting still, there are two possibilities, off the top of my head.
First, make sure nothing is rubbing on the wheels or tires.
Second, if it's an Interstate, lube up the speedometer cable. It's pretty easy to do, take it loose from the front wheel.

[hicklifeoutdoors]

sorry it only has been doing it when i drive when i first take off don't know if sound continues after 3rd did not go passed it it is a interstate gl1200 sorry for confusion some times type what i thinking and comes out wrong but will definitely check those things will have video up on youtube tomorrow with link if still not fixed

[hicklifeoutdoors]

i belive i found the problem my speedometer like you said is making the noise found a video and sounds just like it only problem not sure how to get to it do i have to take the whole front faring off also i tried to take radio out did not know if there were screws holding faring in there but key will not turn to unlock the radio is there supposed to be a different key or same key that cranks the bike

[Bike...and Dennis]

No need to take the fairing apart. The noise is in the cable.

Down on the bottom of the fork, you take out the screw that holds the cable and when you take that little housing off, the cable should slide right out. You slather it with some light grease, or heavy oil, and slide it back in.

Be aware, that is a Japanese standard screw head, so be cautious not to strip it. Also do not tighten it too much as the old plastic can break. Any questions...ask away.

[joecoolsuncle]

if i may add to dennis great advice, use graphite to lubricate the speedo cable. if any sign of oil or grease is on the cable, then use just a little moly grease. things stick to oil and grease, and will make clumps if using too much. in the sixties, would boil the speedo and tach cables and let sit in sun , then lube with graphite. but they had only been lubed at factory with graphite so it did not clump.

[Rafalow]

In my case, it was the speedometer itself. Not the cable.

Kind regards

[Randalls84GL1200std]

So was the speedo broken in some way? Have you fixed it? What does it need to fix it?
I’m asking because mine was making the same sound for about 3 weeks, but would only seem to be doing it on cold mornings (freezing and below —yes, I ride my GL1200 to work even in the wintertime). I suspected speedo and/or cable and was planning to lube the cable soon, but before I got to it my speedo/odo QUIT. I’m assuming something broke in the cable or the speedo? Haven’t looked into it yet. Anybody know anything about such goings ons?

[Rafalow]

For the moment I lubricated the connection hole of the speedometer.
That did the trick for the moment.
I am not sure if it will be the solution for ever.
Kind regards

[Bike...and Dennis]

Did you lube the cable as well?

[Rafalow]

Yes i did.
A few days before, but in my case that did not dim the sound.
When i lubricated the inner hole the sound disappeared.
For how long....time will tell.

[Randalls84GL1200std]

Should I assume something broke in my speedo/odo when it quit working after 3 weeks of hearing the whining noise on the way to work in the mornings? It didn’t always make the racket on the way home in the evenings when it was a little warmer. The noise seemed to be connected to cold weather. But warm or cold now, the speedo/odo are no longer functioning. Period.

[Rafalow]

Well, if the speedo is not working.
First check the cable and all its connections.

[DenverWinger]

On really cold days the speedometer in my old Toyota (353K miles) does the same thing, At highway speed noisy as he** (sounds like a loose bearing squealing) and the needle bounces around between 0 and 140 MPH. Once the interior of the car warms up just a little the speedo settles down and performs as expected. I suspect main bearing in the speedometer where the speedo cable connects to the gauge. These are typically oil impregnated brass or copper bushings.

So that isn't the cable, but the speedometer itself.

My 1500 I noticed is lately making noise at certain speeds. Seems to be coming from the speedometer, but in this case the speedometer needle has always bounced up and down since I bought it if driving at slower speeds (like 25 MPH or less). In this case I suspect failing cable, not the speedometer itself.

The internal "spinning" part of the cable can be pulled out of the sleeve and lubed then pushed back in, but if the internal cable has started to fray even just a little, no amount of lube will fix it, you just need to replace the entire cable, sleeve and all (the only way it can be bought).

If your speedometer cable got tight inside, good chance it broke. Replacement of the entire cable is the fix.

If things got too tight in the cable and your speedometer no longer does anything it is possible you stripped the speedometer drive worm gear in the front wheel. You can lift the front wheel with bike on center stand and a jack under the engine, spin the wheel and observe inside of the speedometer drive where the cable connect so see if it turns with the wheel turning

[Randalls84GL1200std]

I did a quick look when I discovered the speedo had quit. The connections appear tight. I don’t know the mechanics of the speedo/cable system and am just wondering what might have broke. I’m guessing there’s some kind of gearing top and bottom where the cable engages with the wheel at that point and also up top within the speedo case, and maybe one of them stripped out?

[DenverWinger]

I edited my post above with more comments - see my previous post again.

[DenverWinger]

If you disconnect the speedometer cable from the wheel you should be able to pull the internal cable from the sleeve intact. The last inch of the internal cable will be "squared" on the end where it fits internally to the speedometer gauge.

[hicklifeoutdoors]

Sorry had internet trouble I lubed the actual speedometer and tip of cable have to do bottom part for most part it fixed problem thanks for info everyone and sorry but late response

[Randalls84GL1200std]

Ok, it’s been a month or two since I mentioned my speedo/odo quit after a couple of weeks of a whining noise past 1st gear when traveling. Coincidentally the whining quit the same time the Speedo quit. So the whining was definitely speedo related. I pulled the cable out of the front wheel cable drive and spun it with a drill and got the speedo reading up to maybe 5 mph, so the cable and speedo connection are good. Problem is in the speedo/odo drive gear at the front wheel. I’ve got my front wheel off, but now I don’t know how to remove the speedo drive gear housing for its inspection. Anyone been into one of those and know how to remove it?

[DenverWinger]

I don't know how fast you were turning the drill to get 5MPH on the speedo, but the speedometer cable really doesn't turn very fast in real conditions.

Any speed at all on the drill motor should have shown a high reading on the speedometer. Check again!

[Randalls84GL1200std]

Speedo/odo don’t work AT ALL when cable is connected to the bike at both ends. I don’t remember really if it was 3, 5, or 10 mph I got the speedo needle up to when spinning it with the drill at the wheel end, but the speedo was working when I used the drill to spin it and smoothly, not jerking or bobbing. The problem is definitely in the drive gear at the wheel. I have to figure out how to get it off. I’ve tried YouTube but no luck.

[Rafalow]

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I found this

Kind regards

[Randalls84GL1200std]

Thank you Rafalow. He skims over that part in his vid lightning fast, but I’ll give it another go. I’m thinking the grease in the gears in that drive case gummed up on those cold morning rides to work and the gear stripped out. It looks like new speedo cables are readily available for the GL1200s but I’ve yet to locate a source for a GL1200 speedo drive gear.
Thanks again for the link!

[Randalls84GL1200std]

Looks like I can order a new speedo drive from China. I’ll keep looking for a good used one from this side of the world.