speedometer cable replacement question

[Jon_P]

my speedmeter cable it broken, how do i remove the part of the cable that is in the tranny? my book remove cable, am i missing something? i dont see how to remove the cable with out digging further in the trans.

[Bob_Roller]

You have to remove the whole assembly the inner drive part cannot be purchased alone. You first remove a small bolt at the transmission end ( it also holds the ground cable for the battery), it goes through a groove in the cable housing end fitting, and remove the entire  assembly the rubber boot and a black plastic bushing that goes into the transmission. If you have a digital camera, or video recorder, take several photos to show the routing. Then remove the cable and outer housing from the indicator and pull it off of the bike. If the rubber boot at the transmission end doesn't come with the cable, you need to buy one of these as well. The bolt you removed, is also the vent for the transmission, so make sure the small hole in it is clear. Price for the cable assembly is $16-20, so not too expensive to replace.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

That rubber boot is also very important for keeping water out of the transmission.

If, when you drain the oil from your transmission, it looks like chocolate milk, that is because water has gotten in.

The boot should be replaced whenever it gets hard and cracked.
Some folks tighten up the top with a small zip-tie to help keep water out.
Others put some grease or silicone in the underside to help displace the water.

Change your transmission oil annually to help extend it's service life.
After removing the drain plug, you will see it has a magnet on it.  Grab hold of the stuff stuck to it.  If it is fine and silky, that is normal.  If there are larger peices of metal stuck to it, that indicates that bearings or gears may be going bad.


Take care when tightening the ground cable bolt.  Like so many others, this is a steel bolt threading into aluminum threads.  They are easy to strip if you are too enthusiastic.  It will make you wish you could turn back the hands of time, if only for a few moments...