Mechanical speedometer

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chopperjoe

chopperjoe

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Nov 15, 2009
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hello Russel, yea thats the one, i purchased one also, as soon as odometer hit 10 miles it flipped to read 110, also the needle jumps all over. Ipaid $20 plus shipping. i hope yours lasts for awhile. I got lucky and found one on ebay for $8 , stated vintage Cycle brand speedo still in box, happy to find that when i opened it it was made in USA by stewart- warner, with all metal gear sets. Keep on looking. happy holidays, Chopper
 
Russell

Russell

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Apr 19, 2009
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Chopper,
I have had a bit more luck. But it didn't come easy. Speed indication was way out of whack!
Slowly massaged it by taking up on the hair spring. Finally got it to be accurate between 18 thru 32MPH. Odometer is still, and will remain out of whack. It is off by about 25%.

I did lube it with very light grease while apart. Nine hundred Mi. (actual Mi).
I run a cheepo solid state speedo right next to it for comparrison. Also radar check it whenever I can find one of those "YOUR SPEED IS".

Also bought a NOS caprie mech speedo(used but won't screw with it until this one fails).
I like the looks of analog style speedometers.

Merry Christmas
And happy holidays
 

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bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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i had two stewart warners. an NOS Capri which looked really cool. after greasing the cable, mounting it to be basically shockproof, the inner cable broke the first day. made a new cable for it, and it worked perfect...

...for two days.

then it would just go haywire, and you could hear the cable inside, almost the same sound as the clutch makes on our bikes.

got another SW from a swap meet, and that one worked fine for a few weeks. it was accurate to a few mph, the odometer was almost right on, and then it did the same thing, just spun out.

after taking both of them apart, they look fine, and the needles move when you spin them, but they just don't seem to be able to handle the constant speeds of these bikes.

in my opinion, and from my experience, i'm done with them. at least the bicycle ones. if i can figure out, or find a moped one (that goes over 30) or a motorcycle one, i might give that a try.
 
Russell

Russell

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Apr 19, 2009
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Well guess that I just got lucky, hope it last through the next season.
Seems everyone who has purchased the speedos from Wizzer say that they are rock solid.

I hear that they offer one in chrome and one in black. Not sure but think they start at $40 for the black one.

bairdco said:
i had two stewart warners. an NOS Capri which looked really cool. after greasing the cable, mounting it to be basically shockproof, the inner cable broke the first day. made a new cable for it, and it worked perfect...

...for two days.

then it would just go haywire, and you could hear the cable inside, almost the same sound as the clutch makes on our bikes.

got another SW from a swap meet, and that one worked fine for a few weeks. it was accurate to a few mph, the odometer was almost right on, and then it did the same thing, just spun out.

after taking both of them apart, they look fine, and the needles move when you spin them, but they just don't seem to be able to handle the constant speeds of these bikes.

in my opinion, and from my experience, i'm done with them. at least the bicycle ones. if i can figure out, or find a moped one (that goes over 30) or a motorcycle one, i might give that a try.
Click to expand...
 
wjliebhauser

wjliebhauser

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Oct 24, 2009
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Boulder City, NV
I got one of these, off flea-bay. Was billed as 'vintage' so I thought I was scoring an older model...oh well...very disappointing. But the cheapie electronic I had was useless when motor was running.

It is a plastic cheapie, reset knob on side. I took it apart checked for burrs or irregularities on the gears (only one small casting flaw I exacto'ed off) and lubed gear teeth and cable with lithium and bearings with graphite. I think it reads a little fast. About 200 miles, still ok so far, but we should not have to disassemble new products and do pre-emptive work to prevent failure!
 
Russell

Russell

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Apr 19, 2009
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I hope that you removed the flex cable from the sleeve and lubed it also. Taking up on the hair spring can help make it more accurate. Try to get it accurate in the range that you cruise, it will never be accurate over the whole range.
 
wjliebhauser

wjliebhauser

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Oct 24, 2009
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You bet Russell, gotta pull the cable apart to lube! It was essentially dry, by the way. Thanks for the adjusting tip. I plan to borrow the nice electronic speedo from a friend's bike and do some comparisons on a long, 30mph coasting hill we have in town...Thanks! And Merry Christmas
 
Motorbike Wanabe

Motorbike Wanabe

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Nov 23, 2009
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Lakeland, FL
I found a cool vintage speedo on the bay for around 21 dollars. It's got a metal base and is made by Stewart-Warner. I've got about 200 miles on it now. At first, it was really jerky (all over the place over 15 mph) but, as I've used it more, it has calmed down a lot. Sure it gives me an estimate of what speed I'm going but, for me, it's the look and too fast is too fast. If it doesn't feel safe, why do it. I lubed the cable and put some electrical tape around the head and re-installed the lens. That helps keep it tight with the vibration. I'm also thinking of putting a run of electrical tape around on the inside, where the face rests in the housing. I noticed that it bounces around a little and the tape might help to keep it stable and not vibrate as much.
 

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Russell

Russell

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Apr 19, 2009
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Solid state may be accurate but in my book, you can't beat the looks of an analog!
Thats why I use both.
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
with almost 5 days left that will probably be 50 bucks or more. it's also for a 27" wheel (you can see a small "27" printed in the center of the face), but that won't make much difference, they aren't very accurate anyway.

i mean, some are. one of the ones i had that died was accurate + or - 2 mph, according to my buddies truck speedo, but it didn't live long. the last one i had was accurate up to 30, but then just fluctuated.

i still love the look, i just wish they worked better. i don't want any computer gadgets on my 70 year old bike.

i think i'm gonna get ahold of Stewart Warner and clue them into this site, and our little hobby, and see if they can start making (better) ones again.
 
chopperjoe

chopperjoe

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Nov 15, 2009
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bourbonnais il
Motorbike Wanabe said:
I found a cool vintage speedo on the bay for around 21 dollars. It's got a metal base and is made by Stewart-Warner. I've got about 200 miles on it now. At first, it was really jerky (all over the place over 15 mph) but, as I've used it more, it has calmed down a lot. Sure it gives me an estimate of what speed I'm going but, for me, it's the look and too fast is too fast. If it doesn't feel safe, why do it. I lubed the cable and put some electrical tape around the head and re-installed the lens. That helps keep it tight with the vibration. I'm also thinking of putting a run of electrical tape around on the inside, where the face rests in the housing. I noticed that it bounces around a little and the tape might help to keep it stable and not vibrate as much.
Click to expand...
looks like a sportster tank, if not were did you find that fuel cap? Would love to change out that the stock, leaking p.o.s.
 
Motorbike Wanabe

Motorbike Wanabe

Member
Nov 23, 2009
189
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Lakeland, FL
chopperjoe said:
looks like a sportster tank, if not were did you find that fuel cap? Would love to change out that the stock, leaking p.o.s.
Click to expand...
I got it on the bay. It's a tank from those little choppers that you see around once in a while. It was only $25, but you need to buy the fuel valve and cap separately. Check it out, it's item number 350240176337. they're great folks to work with. Not sure how many they've got left though. There's a link on the listing where to get the cap and valve. I suggest getting it from the folks listed, I KNOW theirs fits.
 
M

marts1

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Sep 18, 2009
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Oshawa Ont CA
The digital I have lasted about 300 miles and then started doing some funky stuff. I have no problem replacing a half decent cool looking analog every season if there is such a beast.
 
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