Change speedometer cable still not working

[jwcpastor]

So my speedometer quit working and I thought that it was just a simple fix of changing the speedometer cable however I change the cable and still it doesn’t read my mileage or speed. What’s the next thing I need to do it’s a 2003 Kawasaki voyager 1200.

Any help would be appreciated
Dale

[cushman eagle]

The first thing to do would be to see if the gearbox at the front wheel is turning the cable,if not you need to pull the box out and repair it
You can do that by putting it on the center stand,and have someone else turn the front wheel backward and watch the shaft in the gearbox.
The reason I say backward,is it will keep the bike from rolling forward off the stand.
If the box is working,turn the bottom of the cable with someone else watching, to see if the speedometer needle is moving.
Let us know what you find

[GrandpaDenny]

You may not need to rebuild the gearbox. Check the speedometer gear - the sheetmetal thingie with tabs that's on the wheel hub. If it has any damage at all, that's probably it. They get chewed up. Five dollar part, at least it was when I replaced mine before the pandemic. So it's probably thirty bucks now

[jwcpastor]

So I changed the speedometer cable, but that did not fix it. It looks like the gearbox is bad. How difficult is it to change the gearbox?

[GrandpaDenny]

Did you replace the speedometer gear? I know, it's confusing, there's the cheapo sheetmetal sender on the axle that's called the speedo gear, but isn't a gear, and there's the speedo gear housing, which does have gears. I'm sorry, I'm wrong, it's called the Speedometer Receiver. Part #41064 on the diagram https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawas ... ront-wheel. It's the same for all years.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

I agree 100% on the "speedo-gear". Mine had some tearing in the thin metal so after a year of knowing it was damaged, it finally failed. Got a new one from Carl Leo and in seriously just a few minutes had it replaced and has been working great ever since. That's been about 8 or 9 years now.

[GrandpaDenny]

I took Gertrude to get a new front tire mounted and brought the part and asked the mechanic to check it. He said "it's chewed up a little bit, but they get that way" and handed me the part back. Charged me $50 "diagnostic fee" even though he had the wheel off to replace the tire and I'd provided the part that he didn't replace even though he had it off anyway when he removed the tire.

I never went back to that shop.

It's a five dollar part. Get it from Carl Leo. Replace it anyway. Hardest part of the job is getting the rear end down and the front end up whilst on the center stand - I use a floor jack. So in my case the hardest part of the job is carrying the jack downstairs from my apartment.

[jwcpastor]

Ok so I see what part it is my final question (praying) does the entire front wheel come off to change the speed cover? Or can I change it with only removing the nut on that side? I have never done this before so it seems monumental to me. Thank you to all of you who have been sharing your thoughts and ideas. I love my Voyager and have not ridden since this happened and my summer is getting away from me. Any additional assistance will be greatly appreciated.

[cushman eagle]

You do have to remove the front wheel,which includes removing the calipers.

[GrandpaDenny]

You do have to remove the front wheel,which includes removing the calipers.

Which is fortunately a really easy job. Just make sure you don't squeeze the brake lever while you have them off. That doesn't break anything, it just makes for more work to compress the pistons to open the gap between the pads so you can get them over the rotor.

All in all it's an easy job. Two bananas.

Put bike on center stand.
Disconnect speedo cable from speedo gear housing (you don't HAVE to do this, but it makes it a little less cumbersome putting it back together).
Remove calipers.
Remove axle pinch bolt.
Remove axle nut.
Jack under engine to get front wheel high enough to pull it out from under the fender.
Put a Phillips (hey, we all use JIS screwdrivers on our bikes now, right?) screwdriver through the hole in the end of the axle and yank the axle out.
Jack engine up higher because you didn't lift it high enough to get the wheel out from under the fender.
Actually you don't have to pull it all the way out, just enough to pull the speedo receiver (the five dollar stamped sheet metal thing with tits, er fingers, er tabs, yeah that's it tabs, out.
Put a little grease on the surface the new receiver thingie rides on (on the wheel)
Put the new receiver thingie on the wheel. Put the gear housing onto the receiver thingie and the wheel.
Put the wheel back into position on the bike and put the axle through. There are two tabs on the fork tube that the tab on the speedo gear housing must go between in order for it to be in the proper position and also not go spinny spinny and break something whilst riding.
Then reassemble in reverse order.

This all from memory, hope I got it right. Last time I pulled a front wheel was when I replaced the front tire last summer. Annnd... never rely on my memory. I can't remember what I had for breakfast. Oh, I just remembered, I haven't had breakfast yet.

[GrandpaDenny]

OH - and whilst you have the front wheel off it's good time to check the wheel bearings for smoothness and if you're up to it regrease them if they haven't been done recently. That's a bit harder.

[jwcpastor]

Thank you so much. I will order this as soon as it comes in.

[cushman eagle]

And,While you are doing all that ,it is an ideal time to change your front brake pads

[GrandpaDenny]

And,While you are doing all that ,it is an ideal time to change your front brake pads

Yup.

[jwcpastor]

I thank you for the help. I am awaiting the parts now. Hoping to get I to this next week. I have never done this before so I am hesitant. I have a friend that has a motorcycle jack so I think that will help. I will order brake pads too. Again thanks for the assist.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Dale, be careful when using the "motorcycle jack" as they typically lift from the bottom of the bike and with the Voyager XII's our exhaust pipes are directly underneath. Without using an adapter, you may and most likely will crush the exhaust. From what I understand a strategically placed chuck of 2x4 will fit between the pipes in a few places to lift the bike safely. Use caution and take your time.
And fixing the speedometer gear is really an easy job. I've done it and even though I have worked on cars for several decades' bikes are not my comfort area and I too was apprehensive but got it done. I have removed the front wheel many times now and each time it goes smooth. The Voyagers are easy to work on if you take your time and think it through!

[cushman eagle]

And,While you are doing all that ,it is an ideal time to change your front brake pads
Whenever I want to do front end work,I put my bike on the center stand,put a scissor jack under a 2X6 under the front of the headers to lift the front end. . The 2X6 spreads the weight out,which is very little,being on the center stand. The jack can be adjusted as you remove the axle,then raise the front to roll the wheel out.
I have never had an issue doing it that way.

[Nails]

I've used a simple bottle jack right on the engine to raise the front wheel. With the bike on the center stand, it's a light lift to get the front wheel off the ground.

The headers are very tough. They're double-wall, and they put up with terrible bashing ... at least until I fixed the suspension. viewtopic.php?p=85649#p85649

[GrandpaDenny]

I use a floor jack right under the engine. It doesn't take much, you can lean on the luggage rack, push down, and the front wheel will come up off the ground (on the center stand), then have somebody put a suitable sized block of wood or something similar under the engine.

[jwcpastor]

I am still waiting for the parts to do the change out. I will let you know as soon as I get things rolling.