Rev counter stopped working

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Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

I have done a good few miles this month (August) and a couple of problems have come up speedo stopped working the cable is broken so an easy fix but the rev counter has also stopped working symptoms were the pointer flew around to the clock and has stopped on the other side of the stop when I fire up the pointer started to drop back and then try and go up past the stop now it just does not move at all obviously electrical but how do I go about finding where the problem lays.
amorti
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Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
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Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by amorti »

Superjack44 wrote:I have done a good few miles this month (August) and a couple of problems have come up speedo stopped working the cable is broken so an easy fix but the rev counter has also stopped working symptoms were the pointer flew around to the clock and has stopped on the other side of the stop when I fire up the pointer started to drop back and then try and go up past the stop now it just does not move at all obviously electrical but how do I go about finding where the problem lays.
It's going to be a pain to find, I'm afraid.

Chase the wires going in to the rev counter until you find a plug. Check that plug for corrosion, and clean it anyway. Might solve your problem, might not. After that it could be any of those wires, anywhere along their entire lengths. If nothing else is going haywire then it's probably not the ground, so check the other wire first. What can happen, is that the wire can become trapped against the clocks' frame, rub through the insulation, and short direct to earth. That could also happen around the headstock.

HTH!
Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

Many thanks for that information the clocks are new so hopefully its not the clock itself.
amorti
Regular Member
Posts: 957
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
Location: Gibraltar
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by amorti »

Superjack44 wrote:Many thanks for that information the clocks are new so hopefully its not the clock itself.
Are they those replica clocks? If so then you probably should have mentioned that as it's almost certainly relevant. If the actual rev counter has failed, I have a rev counter / temp unit spare from a pair of broken CB-1 clocks.
Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

I bought them from kowloon and up to now were working ok if they have gone haywire I would be interested in yours . Jack
amorti
Regular Member
Posts: 957
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
Location: Gibraltar
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by amorti »

Superjack44 wrote:I bought them from kowloon and up to now were working ok if they have gone haywire I would be interested in yours . Jack
Kowloon is Hong Kong so yes Chinese cheapy copies.
The CB-1 rev counter redlines at 13.5k, this won't make a difference to performance but may just look a bit off. Otherwise I believe identical. Maybe you can even swap faces over assuming the replicas are a tight copy of original.
Get back to me once you've done some more diagnostics.
Don't you have any leftovers of whatever you took off?
Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

amorti wrote:
Superjack44 wrote:I bought them from kowloon and up to now were working ok if they have gone haywire I would be interested in yours . Jack
Kowloon is Hong Kong so yes Chinese cheapy copies.
The CB-1 rev counter redlines at 13.5k, this won't make a difference to performance but may just look a bit off. Otherwise I believe identical. Maybe you can even swap faces over assuming the replicas are a tight copy of original.
Get back to me once you've done some more diagnostics.
Don't you have any leftovers of whatever you took off?

I bought the bike off ebay as a basket case the clocks that were with it were off an earlier 400 model and not working too, it took a good while to get it painted and rebuilt then to find the problem why it would not run I could not find any original clocks and had to settle for the copy clocks but when I did get it going it ran sweet as a nut (really chuffed with it I did 1664km in 2 days going around scotland in early August :grin: ).
I do have a few spares and will check them out but they are in my shed and its a nightmare in there could take awhile to see whats there and what sort of condition they are in I will let you know how I get on thanks for your replies and help. Jack
Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

I have had a go at the clocks now and when I came to remove the wiring from behind the clocks there was a fair bit of water came out of where the connectors meet it seemed to run out of the harness.
I went through some torrential downpours on my way up to Scotland in early August but how long the water has been laying in there for I have no idea.
I am no electrician but I do have a small multimeter and connected it to the two wires that connect to the rev counter on the main side of the harness ie the female side I turned on the ignition and when I spun it over the digital readout started to climb so by this I am assuming that there is a pulse/current to the rev counter so looks like the clock is bust.
I have found an old rev counter in my shed so will try that hope it works but I may be calling about that one you have.
amorti
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Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
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Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by amorti »

OK good luck.
Superjack44
Familiar Member
Posts: 272
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Bike owned: 1CB400 SF 1 VFR800 1 Moto Guzz
Location: Prudhoe Northumberland
Re: Rev counter stopped working

Post by Superjack44 »

I tried the old rev counter and it works :grin: but the casing is all cracked and bits missing so I am going to see if I can swop it around to fit the good casing and make it look a bit better and try and weather proof it.

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