Almost done speedo setup atc250es

[djm0242]

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Ok so I'm almost done finally. I have rebuilt the speedo drive box, used fresh marine grease. For some reason the speedo drive doesn't stay in one place. It pulls back which I'm worried will possibly bind the cable. Is this normal or should I zip tie the cable in place? Any ideas? I have yet to wire the lights on the speedo head. The wires are green and brown, two of each. That looks like the headlight wires. I don't have an official installation kit. I have pieced this together pretty well based on the actual kits I have seen. Any help on wiring or advice you gents can offer would be appreciated. :D

[jeswinehart]

On my 85 Bigred the speedo gear will float back and forth too. I have my fork leg retaining piece a wee bit farther down on the fork leg but for all intent + purposes, you got it correct (nice job).
I would need to look at my wiring to be positive but I believe mine is wired in the head light so the speedo only lights up when the head light is on,,,

john

[wonderboy]

As for your wiring: green is the ground, brown is the switched power (switched with headlamps switch).

EDIT: I'm looking at the cable guide on the lower fork leg. Should you try rotating that a bit to put the cable more on the inside of the leg? It looks like with how you've got it rotated, it is forced to make a quick turn. Maybe it's needed to clear the tire. That guide on the lower fork (as you've already figured out) holding the speedo cable is all that will keep the speedo drive from rotating.

EDIT again: Looking at picture 4, you can see how the cable is making s-curves... you want it to be as straight as possible, so from the wire loop cable guide at the top down to the speedo drive, you want it to be one straight shot.

[djm0242]

Thanks John, there is a tab that keeps me from pushing that collar down further. Should I place the collar below that tab instead? It's molded into the fork casting.

[jeswinehart]

Sure, you might try that,,, it certainly won't hurt to have a look at moving it.
Wonderboy also has some great observations too. Good eyes Frank !

[djm0242]

Yes thank you Frank! I'll try some different things. This gear box by the way had a broken driven gear or pinion. I ordered a used 1972 CB500 speedo drive from eBay and the pinion was exactly the same so I swapped it out. The aluminum cap on the bottom had wallowed out at a strange angle causing the old pinion to shift hard under torque. So I used the pinion holder, and washer as well- it all went together perfect and works great.

[djm0242]

Well the good news is that it appears between both of your advice the problem will be solved! Thank you very much! I think I wasted the money I spent on that top cable guide, I don't see the purpose of using it, like Frank said the less curves the better.

[jeswinehart]

Well the good news is that it appears between both of your advice the problem will be solved! Thank you very much! I think I wasted the money I spent on that top cable guide, I don't see the purpose of using it, like Frank said the less curves the better.

I don't think you wasted any funds on that guide, it definitely gives the set up a completed Hondaline set up (that is what came with the kit).
Dive buddy Amy wadded up her speedo cable on her 85 Bigred set up and broke her guide all to heck and back. I gave her that set up and knew the cable was too lkong, off a street bike or Honda something but heck it lasted her like 5+ years.
I believe her man Dan ended up using zip ties after I found her another bike speedo cable (oem Bigred cable is impossible to find by its self)
Darn good info about the interchangeability on the worm gear ! We will never know how many folks read that in the future researching speedo drive gears and when they come across that golden nugget of info ~ priceless !

[djm0242]

Well on that interchangeability -while we are defining what will swap from the cb500 drive to the atc250es speedo drive; let me mention that the ring gear would probably also worked if the "ears" weren't in the wrong place. The tabs on the ring gear itself that mesh with the adapter piece that goes into the axle hub. By the way the top cable guide looks the same but is not correct, I cheated a little. I got a cable guide from an atc125 and used a torch to gradually heat and stretch the guide to make it fit ;)

[djm0242]

Got wired up this morning. I could not bear the thought of cutting or splicing into the harness. So I remembered that there are a brown and a green wire with two empty female slots back near the right rear taillight. I just cleaned the connections and made my own mini harness, which since tied into the lighting already causes the light on the speedo head to turn off and on with the headlight switch as it should. Thanks again guys!