Thursday, July 11, 2013

K75S Speedometer Saga continues

speedo cx01

Ron in Texas (on the BMW MOA Forum) advised me that the speedometer cable has brown and yellow wires and lives near the rear brake fluid reservoir.

I pulled off the right side cover last evening and found it right where he said it would be. Examining the contacts, I found lots of dust and crud.

speedo cx02Fortunately I have a can of Radio Shack contact cleaner that I used to use on the on/off/volume switch of my Radio Shack Weather Radio. I gave each plug a shot of the stuff, let it dry and reconnected the cable.

There were thunderstorms about last night, so I postponed my test ride until this morning.

I noticed the speedometer needle wavering a few times en route to the post office. It never dropped to zero, but it looked like the connection wasn’t all it should be.

After I collected our mail and put it into the right saddlebag, I pulled off the right side cover, undid the connector, then reconnected it, making sure it was as well-connected as I could make it.

Then I went for a 50-mile ride on Crowley’s Ridge, up to Paragould and back. The speedo needle was rock solid the whole time.

I am guardedly optimistic that I have fixed the problem without resorting to an expensive repair bill at a BMW dealership.

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