When I first start my 03 Road Star in the morning, the speedometer and gas gauge are sometimes "dead". If I slap the top of the speedometer housing a few times, the gauges jump to life and generally work fine the rest of the day?

It almost seems like a condensation issue?

My dealer says the unit is going bad and to replace it. That seems like the "easy way out".

I haven't tried opening up the speedo unit previously. Will there be exposed wires to check?

. . . Greg

the chrome casing that holds the speedo in place is easily removed (3 allen head bolts) 2 on the sides and one at the bottom (closest to you), I keep a towel handy so that when I've got the bolts removed I simply turn the chrome piece upside down, twisting to the left and setting it in the pocket it came out of (towel draped accross the tank to prevent scratches. there are 2 wiring plugs that run from the bike to the speedo case, the first thing I'd check is to see if one of them are loose (you can turn on the bike and the speedo will work, then move the plug around and see if you can duplicate the problem), the wires sneak down the front of the tank and run down the spine of the bike... if your connections are good, you can prevent moisture from getting in the plug by using dielectrical grease in the plugs... also check to see if the drain in the middle of the tank pocket is draining... hate to see a spider making a nest in it, dying and clogging that drain. you can change the speedo by taking another three screws out.. I can't imagine how expensive a speedo would be from a dealer, but if you have any local junk yards you may get lucky and find one, also watch on ebay... you might get lucky. ~Dave

Just replied to you other passing lamp problem.

It could be that the two are related. I'll have to check the schematics to see if there's possible link.

Doc

Well, last night was electrical repair night. I have taken the speedo unit and gas tank off many times, but this is the first time I have looked at the wire connection that goes directly into the belly of the speedo. I took off the rubber housing that covers the wire connections and pressed the wires down. I thought I felt a little movement.

This morning, I went out and turned on the ignition. The speedo needle and gas gauge jumped to life. Looking good. Of course, it will take a couple of days of use to convince myself that little push fixed the problem.

. . . Greg

Ouch. I spoke too soon.

Apparently pressing the wires down didn't help. Now, although when I turn the bikes on the gauges go their their check. However, when I ride the bike none of the gauges work - speedometer, odometer, trip meters, gas gauge!

I will take another look at the wiring tonight, but these wires go directly into the speedometer - and there are lots of 'em! I am going to check on pricing to replace the speedometer assemmbly just in case. This will be a pain in the pocketbook!

. . . Greg

Well, this may prove to be one of the "doh" moments.

This evening, I took the speedo housing off. I opened the rubber boot under the speedo, straightened the wires, put everything back together and everything but the speedometer came back to life.

I took everything back apart. I sat with my maintenance manual and mapped out every one of the 12 wires to figure out which affected the speedometer. Tested them and current was flowing. O.K, maybe the problem wasn't at the speedo assembly.

Tracing the wires upstream, I started looking at the Speedo Healer I installed last year. I thought I would reset the Speedo Healer unit when I noticed one of the DIP switches was "on". That's not right. I turned it "off", started the bike and what do you know. Everything worked!

Apparently, at some point while dealing with a tail light problem, I must have bumped the DIP switches (the Speedo Healer sits under the rider seat) and moved one.

This reinforces my life philosophy. I make all the mistakes on my own stuff so I can be an expert for everyone else!

. . . Buzz Unbelievable