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  #1  
Old 22 Apr 2019
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Airhead speedometer failure
The speedo for my 1986 R80 is bouncing around above about 50mph and showing as if I were doing around 160mph. I know what you must be thinking - the R80 is good. it is good, but not that good.

So I am entering the world of second hand speedo and there is a variety to choose from but none with the right ratio - 737 (it reads it km/h) - and certainly none that are at a reasonable price. So I am thinking of going down the replacement route and getting a digital speedo / tacho combo from Motorworks - specifically an Acewell-258 speedometer/multifunction computer with S11 2 valve gearbox sensor (£110). I am not after original looks but a functional motorbike. I could carry on with the speed as it is but at some point it is really going to give up the ghost.

Does anyone have any experience of the Acewell unit? Tips etc.

TIA
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Old 22 Apr 2019
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I have no personal experience but I expect someone here has.
https://advrider.com/f/forums/airheads.85/
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  #3  
Old 22 Apr 2019
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay_Benson View Post
The speedo for my 1986 R80 is bouncing around above about 50mph and showing as if I were doing around 160mph. I know what you must be thinking - the R80 is good. it is good, but not that good.

So I am entering the world of second hand speedo and there is a variety to choose from but none with the right ratio - 737 (it reads it km/h) - and certainly none that are at a reasonable price. So I am thinking of going down the replacement route and getting a digital speedo / tacho combo from Motorworks - specifically an Acewell-258 speedometer/multifunction computer with S11 2 valve gearbox sensor (£110). I am not after original looks but a functional motorbike. I could carry on with the speed as it is but at some point it is really going to give up the ghost.

Does anyone have any experience of the Acewell unit? Tips etc.

TIA

FIRST of course - check your speedo cable - that's usually the reason they bounce all over the place - it's rarely the speedo. Cable gets a bit dry, sticks a bit, and the needle drops, then it unsticks and kicks up and the needle bounces up. Pull the cable, drown the shaft innards and the cable in WD-40, give it a really good wipe down, then a good light oil and you should be good to go for many years.


Hope that helps!
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Old 22 Apr 2019
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i will give it a try. The cable was replaced last year but I didn’t lube it at all - I was under the impression that BMW cables shouldn’t be lubed. I did partially strip the cable down and it seems to turn OK at low speeds by hand. Still as it is nice and warm, dry and a bank holiday it would be rude not to take the opportunity to go for an extended ride “just to test out the repair”.

I’m just going out, I may be some time.
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Old 22 Apr 2019
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Grant, thanks for the tip.

There seems to be an improvement but it is still bouncing once I get over about 50mph but instead of going straight to 240+km/h it works it way there over the next 15mph - sorry for mixing the units up.

I will give it another go tomorrow and use a very light oil - sewing machine oil if I can get some as the oil I used wasn’t especilly light. I will flush the cable sheath out with WD40 (fortunately I buy 5 litre containers of WD40 to use at work). Fingers crossed it makes the difference.
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Old 2 May 2019
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Speedo repair
This guy advertises in Old Bike Mart that he repairs speedometers, including German ones.

Peter Bond

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Don’t know anything about him, just seen the advert.
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