I've never had the speedometer removed from my 2013 Bullet 500, but I've had a lot of Japanese bikes, and every one of them that I ever had the speedometer removed form was just like that one. They are sealed units. There are probably 2 reasons for that. They are a lot easer and cheaper to make that way, and it helps prevent someone from being able to take it apart and change the mileage on it. If any of the "idiot" lights (that's what we call them in the U.S.) don't work, it's either going to be a bad bulb, or the switch/sending unit on the other end is not working or the wire is not connected to it. Since I converted mine to a carburetor, I'm planning to replace the entire check engine/low fuel light unit with a voltmeter.

Variable speed electric drill fitted where the speedo goes, to test it before dismantling it. It's also the way dodgy dealers used to "clock" second hand vehicles

I think it was the right philosophy and well attempted! I would have been like minded but I probably would have squirted some lubricants into the case from a bulb holder hole in the vain hope it would work 😂

Gotta admit pardner. I would've went down the same road with the same results! 😂🍻👍

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Can't make an omelette without breaking a few speedos!🤷‍♂😂

@johnlacaze4811

5 ай бұрын

@@BulletWanderer 🤣🍻👍

Live and learn I say, good for you for having a go at it. And I was glad to have seen the inside myself!

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Kev! I think it’s interesting how relatively simple and sparse it is inside 😄

That was excellent. Cheers

Here in my country jams are sold in glasses that have tin lids attached to them. Nothing new at all, that is how jams are sold worldwide. The thing is that before the industry started to make tiny holes closed by small rubber sealants to give to those lids some pressure provided by the vaccum inside the glasses we had to do the hole ourselves to release that pressure (this was the easy way). Or (I have seen many people do it) people did it the hard way. The later consisted in putting the glass upside down on a firm surface, a table for instance, and then inserting the tip of a dinner knife between the glass and the "lip" of the lid and then start to push that "lip" outwards around the circumference of the glass until the lid was loose enough to be pulled out. Well, Brendan, I think you may guessed where I intend to arrive with that crazy jam glass story. The way to open that chromed ring that holds together the "cup" of the speedometer, the glass of its display and the rubber gasket that seals the whole clock is the same as opening a jam glass the hard way. How I learned that? Well, opening the dead speedometer of my old Harley Softail Deuce to try to fix it. To reassemble the clock a light hammer is required to beat back the metal lip of the chromed ring to its original position on which it may be able to embrace and hold securely the body of the speedometer itself. Needless to say that I was able to open the dam thing and to close it but could not fix the clock. Had to buy a new and expensive one. 😬 I know that this is useless information now (and a bunch o nonsense as well) but at least you may have a good laugh because of the speedometer/jam glass "conection".😂 All the best from Brazil. ✌

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Felipe, enjoyed that story, opening the speedo here was exactly as you described the jam jars 🤣 unfortunately as I was working my way around the ring, it cracked at several points so no way its going back on 😅 If only there was an easy way option like the jam!

@felipedourado5721

5 ай бұрын

@@BulletWanderer I guess we both jumped into working on our defective speedometers believing it would be a "jam session" but it wasn't at all. 🤣 Sorry man, I just couldn't help that (very) silly joke. 😬🤦‍♂️ Regard from Brazil. ✌

Wishing I could be with ya there, lad! I had my speedo out when I swapped out the indicator bulbs with LED's...MUCH better. Not too bad inside that headlight housing. How I learned to build and fix things was by just taking things apart as a youngster. Dad would come home and find...things...in pieces. "It better work after you're finished!", he would say. They did...mostly.

Success is a double edged sword my friend, they are frustrating to work with have not got the original one sorted but saw a ton on the replacement speedo this morning.

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Janner ! A double edged sword indeed! 🤔

No advice from me on how you could have taken it apart but I very much enjoyed seeing the inside of the speedo and actually how easy it was to remove from Daisy! I think secretly you really just wanted a new Speedo 😉😁.

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video 😁 you could be on to something there 👀 😂

It good.u now know why it wasnt working right.and how easy it was to get it out .and that realy they sealed for life unless u have tool like way it was made in the factory. So hears to new clock and many more miles to daisy bell. Keep up good work brendan.

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Cheers Gerald! Sealed for life is the right way to put it. Hopefully Daisy’s new clock surpasses the mileage on the old one 😁

You can buy the replacement Bezels on the well known Online market place.. just be careful crimping on the back.

Hullo :) Good for you! As you say, doing is often ...learning. However, a manual of some kind would undoubtably be helpful. There are not an abundance of manuals out there - it is only very recently that Haynes deigned to produce one for the Bullet and that's only for '09 to '18 - which is far from comprehensive, given RE's history with this machine. Hitchcocks have manuals on line which are free to download and for you to use. I don't know what year your Bullet is ...but I would give this a try and have the manual on hand for such attempts. I have a 1986 Boxer which I have been working on progressively over the years, and would not have been able to do it without the Clymer and Haynes manuals. And some chutzpa :) I now have in addition, a 2020 Bullet Trials 500 and trying to come to terms with the differences, which are many, in spannering it. I have the manual from the Hitchcock's webiste and my honey got me a copy of the Haynes version as per above ... which is not for the Trials and not for the year, but there is much in common and the manual will be useful. Empty egg cartons. by the way. are good for keeping the many bit's n' bob;' which come out of a speedo mechanism ... as you disaseemble and reassemble. Also, when tackling jobs like this I have found it incredibly useful to take photos of what it looks like before wrenching and along the way until I am completely dis-assembles. Then you have a record of what stages looked like before. Again, an absolute mind and soul saver. Have fun, and keep the rubber side down :)

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Back at my parents house I have a Haynes manual for the Bullet, cos mainly "I" (aka, my dad while I watch 😆) do my repairs there. Have to agree that there can be a bit of discrepancies in the manual, (mainly things that don't exist on my bike, or sometimes things that do!) but as you said, it's covering a lot of ground from '09 to '18. Didn't know there were online manuals on Hitchcock's , so I'll check them out in future, cheers! Good shout on the egg carton and photo taking too 👍 Cheers Stenton!

You may be able to fashion a tool from the old speedo cable to wind the new odo up to 33k. I don't know if that's illegal in the Republic. It's probably frowned upon but it would be convenient..

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

I think as long as you’re going up in mileage, and not down the way it might be okay ? From what I’ve read online I’d need to do some gearing to get it back up to 33k in reasonable time 😂

@Paradox0182

5 ай бұрын

@@BulletWanderer I don't know any specifics but if you have a dremel, they're quite fast

@georgewylie9674

5 ай бұрын

Is there Truely a reason to worry about messing about adding mileage to the new Speedo (and possibly damaging it)? Leave the new one alone. Simple math will do. Add the new mileage from the new clock, with the mileage from the old clock, and you have the closest true total mileage for Daisey.

@Paradox0182

5 ай бұрын

@@georgewylie9674 Personal priorities I suppose. I think I would generally prefer to have my odometer seem as though it had been on the bike since new. Not for any sort of fraudulent reason but for aesthetics. Perhaps you'd prefer otherwise, I'd respect that.

Hopefully the new clock won't cost to much Brendan 🙏 I think you have to inform DVLA about a new clock being fitted 🤔

@geraldfitzgibbon7428

5 ай бұрын

DVLA is in uk. Brendan is in the republic of ireland.

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

@@geraldfitzgibbon7428 cheers Gerald! A load off my mind 😅 wonder do I need to let insurance know 🤔 plan on never selling the Bullet , but will write the previous mileage in the log book anyways 👍

@briand4000

5 ай бұрын

Write the current odometer miles inside the headlight housing with a sharpie. That way it stays with the bike, just in case you lose the log. And I agree you shall NOT ever sell Daisy Bell. I'll not have it. No sir. @@BulletWanderer

Gently gently removeee bezel. Pry it open/off with suitable blade. Common problem... grease works its way up speedo drive cable into speedo gizzards and cloggs up drive magnets and or return spring and odo drive gears. Clean it all out gently with 'brake cleaner' or similar..then apply just an eeenny weeeny dab of grease to gears. Replace bezel by gently crimping it back in place...never as good as new but patina is good. I like egg cartons for jobs with lots of little parts. Don't expect new speedo to be any better. Best wishes. L

Once you put the new one in, you can forget it. The old one would have always been a concern if you'd put that back in, even if it wasn't damaged during removal etc.

The odometer on mine packed up a couple years ago... the needle sems to be fine and measures speed correctly. Once the needle quits... I'll entertain a replacement unit. We're having a non-winter here.... No snow..... ridable afternoons. I got the 500 and 650 Interceptor registered for 2024 last week. Could a split rubber tube secure the glass... wrapped... sealed (glued) with a large radiation clamp.. allowed to cure... nothing to lose ? :)

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Lucky you, I’m still waiting on nice rideable afternoons , soon! 🤞 possibly could reseal it , thought about using electrical tape too , but ultimately I wonder if with the vibrations would whatever I do eventually fail 🤔 ordered the new one earlier anyways so new year new look for Daisy 😁

When my dealer installed the front tire they fid not assemble the connection from the speedo right. So the problem was at the wheel, not the speedo itself. Maybe this helps someone.

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

I have heard that the piece that connects the speedo to the front tire can break sometimes too, so worth checking too, cheers 👍

Gateway with a plastic trash 🤭

@BulletWanderer

5 ай бұрын

Shameful isn’t it 😅