Speedometer not working

[AgentOrange]

So, first I'd like to say thanks for the help on my bike with the gaskets. Ended up being the push rod gaskets which were leaking, so I just bought a top end kit and changed all the gaskets out since the whole top end was coming off anyways. I have to say, the engine is fairly easy to work on.

Anyways, an issue I have been having for awhile is the speedometer isn't working. I had a problem where the regulator was overcharging the system and blew out a lot of the electronics on the bike. The speedometer went out right before that, so I figured it was just the system getting overcharged and blew the speedometer out. HD misdiagnosed the problem orginally, so I bought a new speedomete (it had a cracked housing anyways) and put it on the bike. It worked for awhile, but then also went out before the regulator overcharged the system again and blew up a second battery.

I'm trying to figure out if it is just a loose wire or if I need another speedometer. The oil light, brights light and neutral light work, but the odometer and speedometer do not. Any ideas?

 

[turbosix]

mine isnt working as well at the moment. i suspect the sensor by the starter. the needle still sweeps when i turn the key on though, does yours?

 

[ezblast]

Replace sensor

 

[firebolt020283]

i am in the same boat as you guys and I am sure it is the sensor but I just haven't put it on my high priority of things to buy.

 

[kyle_dewald]

The seedo sensor tends to go out, mostly because of the insane amount of virbation from the motor.

 

[AgentOrange]

Alright, so the sensor came in the mail, how do I change this out? Looks pretty simple, but having trouble locating the sensor on the bike.

 

[ezblast]

It is just behind the front belt pully on the engine case - picture in the manual.
EZ

 

[2003buellxb9s]

yeah my speed sensor went out, SUPER easy to change

 

[AgentOrange]

Okay, changed the sensor. Couldn't find it because it was buried under the oil and grease from when the gasket went. So now not only does the speedometer and odometer not work, but now the neutral light doesn't come on

 

[Thorivola]

the neutral switch is on the side of the engine, it's a little mechanical ball and spring deal

here is a set of pictures:

the switch itself in my hand

the neutral switch installed in the case, the spring-loaded thing my thumb is on is the piece the shift-drum presses onto the ball to signal it's in neutral

the spedo is just a tooth counter on the final drive gear (can also be seen on the edge of the picture just above) that sends the number to the ECM, it's a little black unit that is a digital hall-effect sensor

if all of your cluster sensors and stuff arn't working like that except turn signals and high-beam (I believe those are analog switches) then you might be looking at the wrong problem.

maybe the plug into the ECM got dirty or disconnected somehow, trace that next if you have no other ideas

yea, I've torn into a number of these engines and I have literally removed every single bolt, sensor, gear, whatever in these things more than once

 

[AgentOrange]

Well, it was just working, and as soon as I pulled the sensor, the neutral light now no longer comes on. It seems like nothing is easy with this bike. I looked at the connector to the sensor, and both ends looked pretty clean. I don't know about the ECM though. Hopefully, all of this isn't going outside my mechanical knowledge of motorcycles. It is limited

 

[hereami]

Maybe this helps somebody in 2013 ). Mine problem was with that white wire connected to ECM. The solution was to disconnect it from ECM (last time there was 5V output from ECM on the white wire, though there was alternating 5V signal from sensor before - neither way speedo was working with the ECM connected). Now have a spare instrument cluster and a speedo sensor... and a spare wire routed from sensor to speedo...
This is faulty ECM, but since everything else works fine, let it be...

 

[jetlee]

Blast's don't have an ECM.

 

[hereami]

Sorry! Have only bolts in mind, missed that )