Replacing the speedometercable |
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On 24 January I made a test trip with the "Red Rascal". Not just to
look if the CX was working, but also to check how warm or cold it actual
was. The temperature turned out better than expected, and nothing
kept me from a ride to the new year reception of the
Dutch Honda CX-500 club
I took the A12 into the direction Arnhem, turned to the A50 to Apeldoorn,
there into the direction of Amersfoort and at Stroe I took the exit of
the motorway, choosing smaller roads for the last 30 km.
Satisfied with the CX, myself and the beautiful winter day I thought: "It goes nicely, everything is in orde." But that was asking for trouble. And it came. The breakdown imp, who covertly was riding with me, had waited fot that. It was a small, very small imp, but in Otterlo the speedometer pointed all of the sudden at zero, where I nevertheless drove with a reasonable speed through the village. I stopped, to pull on the cable, hoping that it was only a loose cable. But no, the cable was firmly connected to the meter. I concluded it was a break on the innercable. It was not the first time that I had to ride without a working speedometer. On the "Blue Angel" on route towards Bolsward I also had a defective speedometer. I knew that I could convert the rpm's to kilometres, when riding in fith gear. Rpm/1000 x 20 equals Km/u. I drove the remaining kilometers to Ede, and at home I checked the connection of the cable with the wheel The securiry bold was quick loosened, and yes, without much effort I took out about 25 cm of the innercable. What to do? How do you get a speedometer cable in the short term? You don't, because on Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock you can't get a cable. To bad, the next day I simply had to ride 'on rpm'. A new cable was ordered at CMSNL, but also that will got into action at Monday. | |
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After the succesfull new year reception at Boekel I found it nevertheless
interesting to look if I could come up with a speed-rpm table of some sort
Using Excel and the data from the 'Peters' WPH, the relation between
rpm, gear and speed could be calculated. The result was neat little table.
But it is nevertheless more easily to have a working kilometre meter.
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 ... rpm, gear and speed ... | |
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At last, at friday morning the package from CMS was deliverd. Exciting, just
as christmas, has santa brought me the present i wanted?
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 ... a package from CMS ... | |
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Prima in orde, een 'Honda spdm' kabel, en, omdat ik dat binnenkort toch
eens wil repareren, het keerringetje van de koppeling. Dat keerringetje
is voor later, nu eerst de kilometertellerkabel monteren. Ook dat zal
wel lukken, maar mens, wat is het toch frisjes buiten, helemaal geen
sleutel temperatuur, hoe los ik dat nu weer op? Binnen is het warmer,
zou dat passen? Volgens de meetlat past het, en ik maak wat ruimte in
de bijkeuken, pak de CX, en rij de motor de bijkeuken in. Zo, dat
past precies.
It's all very well in order, a 'Honda spdm' cable, and, because I need
that soon, the oil washer clutch. That washer is for later, now I have to
assemble the speedometer cable. That will not be such a problem, but
people, it's could outsidee, no temperature to work in. Inside the house
it's much warmer, but will it fit? According to the yardstick there's
room enough, and I make some space in the scullery, take the CX, and push
the motorcycle into the scullery.
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 ... it fits ... | |
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I do admitt, the scullery is not as warm as the remaider of the house,
but it's much better than outside. Now I can start. Firts, remove the
fairing, the meterhood, replce the cable, and after that, I have to put
everything back in place again.
The fairing, mounted just one and a half week ago, after, after wintering in the barn, is striopped from it's lowers. Afterwards follows the fairing himself, and again I see that the plug connection between fairing and the rest of CX, made beginning December, makes work much more easily. If everything lies apart from each other, and also the protectionhood of the meters is removed, I can loosen the old speedometer cable. Also the lower safety bolt goes, after a slap with the hammer screwdriver, easy loose. After some pushing and pulling on the connections, and then everything is rebuild. Meter hood, fairing, and then, if the fairing has been entirely fixed, nevertheless, a check. And with a big grin at his face that small breakdown imp looks, while I test the electrical system. Light, okay. High beam, okay. Blinker left - okay. Blinker right - nothing. Nothing? Yes, if the handlebar is put to the left, but to steer left when I want to signal a right turn is a bit silly. And so, while the breakdown imp looks on, I remove the fairing again, and the protection hood on the meters, and all the wires inside will be inspected, as far as it goes. They all are, since I had some electrical problems, in plastic wrapped, to protect them against rain water from under or above. But I can't locate any real malfunction in the electric. Now, without the meterhood, everything works properly. | |
 ... plastic wrapped ... | |
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I push left, pull right, but everything continue to work properly.
There not real fault to be found, so I decide to build everything together
again, and make regular checks to see if it still works. But fortunatly
all keeps working, also after the last nut of the lowers has been set tight.
It's possible to move the handlebar from left to right while the blinker
keeps doing what it shoud do, blink.
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It works. That is beautiful, only there is no time for a test ride left.
It has to wait for another day. The "Red Rascal" is pushed out from the
scullery, and put under it's cover. As soon as the weather allows, and
the just refreshed sand/salt mix is washed from the streets, I'll start
riding the CX again. And then everything will work fine. All the cables
have been now been replaced, execpt for the revolution counter cable,
the only one that not has been replaced. If the breakdown imp gets the smell
of that .........
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