need a little help

[pigsear1]

  so a couple of weeks ago i became the proud owner of a 1982 r 62  very low miles
in great shape i love it  i used to ride a 1150 gs
i need to replace front fork oil seals  they both leak  is there an easy solution  is there such a thing  ??
also today the speedo went wonkie on me over 60 it drops to 80  is the cable is to replace
any info would be great thanks very much

[Matt Chapter]

Many moons ago my speedometer acted like that.. once I got going, it would consistently read 20 mph faster.  Then it would vary.. more moons passed, and now it just flops around.

The odometer still works, I know how fast I'm going (fast, natch) so I've ignored it. I have to assume it's the speedometer and not the cable or drive though.

Long story short, there's no easy solution.

[Bob_Roller]

No easy solution to leaky fork seals, replacement is your only option .

No guarantee of success, but you could try putting a light oil down the speedometer drive cable and see if it helps any, if not, it's going to need to be sent to a shop for repair .

[fbenach]

Almost same thing here, my speed goes perfect until 60kph, after that, between 60-80, it jumps around and stabilizes after 80kph... my guess is that somehow the cable has to be replaced... havent done it...

[nhmaf]

There are some sources of info on the net which can help an intrepid DIYer to fix a misbehaving odometer/tripmeter, but alas, the speedometer portion often requires more expert hands.   There is  a worm gear on the input drive to the speedometer which can become loose and slip and/or strip its teeth (plastic) but if the damping spring or other parts of the mechanism are messed up, sending it in is the only viable option.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

We have a member in Oregon that repairs speedometers.  I have no idea what he charges.
His name is 'wirespokes'. http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1311642921/2#2

And yes, you will need to disassemble the fork legs to replace the seals, but the internals might need a thorough cleaning anyway, regardless of mileage.  The procedure has been discussed here more than once.  If you intend to do it but can't find the threads, let us know.  Parts are cheap.  

[Barry]

And yes, you will need to disassemble the fork legs to replace the seals

That's what I always thought until recently when I read on the airheads list that one of the Pro's does it by dropping the stanchion out of the triple clamps and the seal can then be withdrawn over the stanchion. You have to drill small holes ( how ??) for self tapping screws to extract the seals. Sounds tricky to me but he knows what he's doing. So it is possible and even the oil doesn't necessarily have to be drained but I'm not sure I would do it that way and don't recommend that our new friend does it that way just thought it was an interesting method to report on while we are on the topic. And as Rob said better to strip and clean the forks properly while you are at it especially on an unknown bike where if it's never have been done they will be full of gunge that will shorten the life of the new seals.

 

[wa1udg]

If the tach still works you can use revs in a particular gear, like 4th, to keep track of your speed.  Mine still work so I'll make a couple of rpm notes if you need reference points.  I am sure our tire sizes wouldn't vary enough to matter.  I had a Volvo which constanlty broke the speedo drive which came off the ovedrive.  I can still recall my "35(00) is 55 "in fourth"  note taped to the dash.

[tvrla]

If it's not the cable causing the speedo malfunction, I'd recommend disconnecting it completely. The reason being that the longer those moving parts grind away in there, the more damage is done, the more parts need replaced and it can get messy and expensive.

So disconnect the cable when the needle starts jumping around (especially if a cable lubing or replace didn't fix).

I've been charging about half to 2/3 what normal shops charge. I pretty much have only been working on the beemer mechanical gauges - airheads 1970 to 95.

As for the fork seals, that's a simple solution - to pull them out with sheet metal screws. But I wouldn't drill holes, just use a sharp punch to start, and the screw will do the rest. But I agree, it's best to completely take them apart for a thorough clean. They're actually pretty easy to work on, the only difficulty is removing the top clip. I'd read about it and wasn't exactly anxious to tackle the job. But I did it this last weekend and wasn't too bad, especially after figuring out a trick to help suppress the keeper. The clip comes out easily once the keeper is stabily down.

And the reason it's important to do a thorough clean is because the top-out damper can leave rubber bits all through the system and plug orrifaces. Also, steel and metal shavings can be all through there from the spring rubbing and metel/metal contact. I just had a thought that it'd be a great idea to have magnetic drain plugs to catch those particles. Or at least have a magnet in there somewhere, as those particles can be pretty damaging.

[Matt Chapter]

If it's not the cable causing the speedo malfunction, I'd recommend disconnecting it completely.

If you do this, won't the odometer / trip meter stop working as well?  I agree that leaving it connected will allow the problem to progress, but there is a trade off.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

If it's not the cable causing the speedo malfunction, I'd recommend disconnecting it completely.

If you do this, won't the odometer / trip meter stop working as well?  I agree that leaving it connected will allow the problem to progress, but there is a trade off.

You will either lose some mileage-tracking, or you will really foul up some expensive parts inside the unit - per wirespokes.  Your choice.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Wirespokes - if I end up keeping my bike and am gainfully employed again this Winter, I may send you my speedometer for a going-over.
My original one was destroyed in a crash, and the replacement, while only costing a little over $100, is kind of rough.  I've yet to test it out on the road (this weekend?!)

[Matt Chapter]

You will either lose some mileage-tracking, or you will really foul up some expensive parts inside the unit - per wirespokes.  Your choice.

Since mine's been doing it for approximately 5 years / 20k miles I think it's a little late by now.  One day I'll get it repaired.  My focus has mostly been on riding it, and keeping it rideable.

[tvrla]

I've been doing this for a couple years now, not really advertising anywhere except adventure rider and here. And then only in my signature line. It's been an interesting process, considering new parts aren't available anymore for these things. When I started I figured since I can keep mine going and fix the new ones I got (seems the speedos are usually wonky on 'new' bikes I get), I could fix other's as well.

Boy, I didn't realize the challenges I faced! Damage and wear and tear I'd not run into before. Little bushings with a 1mm hole, shafts 2mm in diameter but less than half that on the ends, what to make them out of, wadded up coil springs, trashed or weak magnets, broken needles... these things had me scratching my head more than once.

Like the time I couldn't figure out why the speedo wouldn't read the proper speed - was reading too slow. After messing with the thing all evening, about 1 in the morning I realized the magnet was weak. It's like the miserable ride in the rain when you're wet and frozen that you won't ever forget - I'll always remember those lessons!

I found a machinist who could make the bushings for me, and the precision work on the shafts as well after figuring out what to make them from. Now last week he retired! I'll have to get him to train me to do the stuff he did for me, and try to buy the equipment to do it. Scary times!

This is turning into a labor of love more and more...

One thing I really would love to learn how to do - screen printing so I can re-furbish the faces.  

Take care of these things guys, they're getting scarcer all the time. Make sure those reset rubber covers aren't cracked and letting water in!

And I hope you do keep the bike, Rob - I'll be looking forward to servicing the speedo for you.

[wa1udg]

  According to my observation (no big secret) the speedo and tach needles  run at just about the same angle in 4th.  You could just transpose locations mentaly and get an idea of your speed.