I did this with both the tach and speedo cables on my Nighthawk 750. I packed the casings full of white lithium grease and wiped away the excess. Works great.
Great video. I've done this for my speedo on my '78 KZ200 as it bounced at speed. Still does a bit which is probably the old grease/lube inside the speedo itself now.
The tach on my 83 shadow vt500 was bouncing all over the place and was whining like crazy. Thought it was beyond repair. I used brake cleaner and greased the cable, now it runs perfectly. Hopefully it lasts!!
It's probably an aftermarket cable replaced at some point. I had to try several before getting one quite the right length internally. Some can be a bit short, not quite pressing into the bottom assembly of the tach enough when screwed in. Mine would always leak slightly at the other end. A small o ring around the end fixed this for me. Those tachs eventually develop a sticking symptom. Good luck finding the exact one. I periodically look on eBay with no luck. For now a bit of compressed air and wd 40 sprayed up in it from the bottom hole seems to help for a bit.
I have one of these bikes, the most likely problem causing the tach to bounce is a loose stem where the cable screws into the back of the tach. That stem wiggles loose over time and it holds the magnet that spins against the drum to turn the needle on the face of the tach. You can take the tach out of its mount and make a simple bracket to hold the stem solidly against the back of the casing. This will stop the magnet from spinning to where it is closer to the drum at some points in the revs. I can send anyone photos of the bracket I made for my bike.
Since you have both of my favorite motorcycles, and I have none, I want to ask about your experience. Assuming your Nighthawk was in top condition, how do you think it would have been as your FIRST bike, instead of the CBR? I really like the CBR and I think I'm going to go that way, but the Nighthawk is more my style. When comparing costs, if I paid to have an old Nighthawk gone through (carbs done, fork seals, sprockets, chain, tires…) it would end up costing slightly less than a used CBR so cost isn't really a deciding factor.
VeeDubJohn Great question. The Nighthawk is a sport tourer which makes it comfortable on long rides with room and power to carry heavy bags. It is very stable at straight aways and is a very capable passer at highway speeds, going over the speed limit with little effort. And to be honest, sometimes it still makes me feel like a 'bad ass' when I'm on it like the first time. My first bike was a CBR 125R, while still a good beginner bike, I replaced it within a month due to its lack of power. Had it been the Nighthawk, I would not have looked for a second bike for a long time. But I'm comparing 2 different styles of bikes which have different strengths and weaknesses. That's why I have both.
I have a Japanese tractor with a tachometer that's not too smooth. It has a lubrication schedule that says to use motor oil on it, which in this case is a 15W-40 I believe. You guys might wanna check your manuals... the comments mention grease, you mention silicone, and my info says oil. Another video say PTFE and not to use lithium. Some ask about WD-40, one guy uses PB Blaster! All we lack is someone mentioning gear oil and ATF to round out the pack!!
Nice task for people to view and try. I thought it was a little funny at the end when you were concerned about the chemicals so you had a glove on one hand and a cigarette in the other hand.
I did this with both the tach and speedo cables on my Nighthawk 750. I packed the casings full of white lithium grease and wiped away the excess. Works great.
Just watched your video on speedometer cable and I really appreciated it, my tach is fine but I will probably clean and oil it anyway.
No problem 👍
Great video. I've done this for my speedo on my '78 KZ200 as it bounced at speed. Still does a bit which is probably the old grease/lube inside the speedo itself now.
The tach on my 83 shadow vt500 was bouncing all over the place and was whining like crazy. Thought it was beyond repair. I used brake cleaner and greased the cable, now it runs perfectly. Hopefully it lasts!!
Did the brake cleaner effect the rubber at all? It says to protect rubber on the can but I'm questioning how bad it could actually be.
No, you can use brake cleaner. It is great for this.
Dude, you're awesome! Your videos are so helpful. Thank you!
It's probably an aftermarket cable replaced at some point. I had to try several before getting one quite the right length internally. Some can be a bit short, not quite pressing into the bottom assembly of the tach enough when screwed in. Mine would always leak slightly at the other end. A small o ring around the end fixed this for me. Those tachs eventually develop a sticking symptom. Good luck finding the exact one. I periodically look on eBay with no luck. For now a bit of compressed air and wd 40 sprayed up in it from the bottom hole seems to help for a bit.
I like the o ring idea. Thanks for the added advice.
I have one of these bikes, the most likely problem causing the tach to bounce is a loose stem where the cable screws into the back of the tach. That stem wiggles loose over time and it holds the magnet that spins against the drum to turn the needle on the face of the tach. You can take the tach out of its mount and make a simple bracket to hold the stem solidly against the back of the casing. This will stop the magnet from spinning to where it is closer to the drum at some points in the revs. I can send anyone photos of the bracket I made for my bike.
Kro- Man I'd love to get those pics! Koqsnippy@yahoo.com
I have the same problem even after lubing, do you maybe have the pictures left? Thanks!
Just bought my nighthawk 450 and the cable holder has fallen out. Still have those photos of the plate you made?
Thank you! Doing this on my Suzuki Gn400, can't wait to see how it works
I hope it worked out well for you.
@@Brownbrady Yes! Solved all my problems
Would regular old carb cleaner do the trick as far as spraying the gunk out?
Thanks! I think this will help with my GS.
Great video! I'll have to try that on my old gs550 Suzuki. It bounces like crazy in higher RPMs
Since you have both of my favorite motorcycles, and I have none, I want to ask about your experience. Assuming your Nighthawk was in top condition, how do you think it would have been as your FIRST bike, instead of the CBR? I really like the CBR and I think I'm going to go that way, but the Nighthawk is more my style. When comparing costs, if I paid to have an old Nighthawk gone through (carbs done, fork seals, sprockets, chain, tires…) it would end up costing slightly less than a used CBR so cost isn't really a deciding factor.
VeeDubJohn Great question. The Nighthawk is a sport tourer which makes it comfortable on long rides with room and power to carry heavy bags. It is very stable at straight aways and is a very capable passer at highway speeds, going over the speed limit with little effort. And to be honest, sometimes it still makes me feel like a 'bad ass' when I'm on it like the first time. My first bike was a CBR 125R, while still a good beginner bike, I replaced it within a month due to its lack of power. Had it been the Nighthawk, I would not have looked for a second bike for a long time. But I'm comparing 2 different styles of bikes which have different strengths and weaknesses. That's why I have both.
I have a Japanese tractor with a tachometer that's not too smooth. It has a lubrication schedule that says to use motor oil on it, which in this case is a 15W-40 I believe. You guys might wanna check your manuals... the comments mention grease, you mention silicone, and my info says oil. Another video say PTFE and not to use lithium. Some ask about WD-40, one guy uses PB Blaster! All we lack is someone mentioning gear oil and ATF to round out the pack!!
You just totally saved my day!!
Very helpful video. Great job on filming
Nice antic bike :)
Vids are very helpful.
Nice task for people to view and try. I thought it was a little funny at the end when you were concerned about the chemicals so you had a glove on one hand and a cigarette in the other hand.
motofun Haha exactly why I almost deleted it. Thanks for watching.
It was still bouncing.. just sayin.