Hello,
I have recently bought a 1970 Starfire and the last job to do is to get the speedo working.
I removed the cable from the drive on the wheel , connected it to a drill , and gave it a whirl ! The speedo works but only when I run the drill anti clockwise, how can I resolve this please ? The drive was fairly new when I bought the bike , according to the previous owner.
Your thoughts would be appreciated please, many thanks
They normally run anti-clock. I t sounds as if the drive unit is not meant for your bike. Remove the cable from the drive unit and turn the wheel clockwise and check which way the little square in it turns. If correct it will turn anti-clock. Does the square turn clockwise, is the cable below the axle or above. If below then you need a drive unit where the cable is above the axle.
Thanks for the advice. I have just looked at the drive as you suggested, and it rotates clockwise which is obviously not right. It is also under the axle. I have seen many new speedo drives advertised but it seems to be a bit of a minefield. Any suggestions as to where would be best to source one from please ?
Thanks for your advice...........
The drives do come in different ratios. You can of course fit any one you can find and get the speedo recalibrated. Apart from my Velocette all my bikes have the drive from the gearbox. I have some drives in the garage I will have a look at them and see if any would be suitable.
Right forget what I said earlier. Your drive should be underneath the axle, which your's is. When turning the rear wheel forward the the little square in the drive unit should turn clockwise. If you were to look at the cable from the speedo end you will that it is turning anti-clock. If this is so, has the speedo worked since you have had the bike. What I have found over the years is that the cable is not far enough into the little driving square. If the rear wheel is turned does the cable rotate at the speedo end. If so maybe the cable is not entering the speedo far enough. What I have done is held the inner cable in a vice and tapped the brass collar down the cable a little this allowed the cable to enter the speedo further. If going for another drive unit make sure that the hole is the fight size. You can of course open it up. The drive dogs look all the same though. The one I have has a 5/82 hole. I hope you can understand all this.
Yes thanks , thats really helpful. I have just come from my garage ( it's away from the house ) but will go up again tomorrow and try your tips. I think my cable is 5 ft. 3 inches , and I know you can get them in a 5ft. 6 inch length, so perhaps that is the answer .
The speedo has never worked since I bought the bike and it is the only thing left to do now. Will let you know how I get on, and thanks again....
5' 3" is the correct length for the speedo cable on the Starfire. You shouldn't need to fit a longer one to get the speedo working.