Speedo/Tach Glass - Can it be cleaned?

[Chokse]

Hey everyone.  I've got quite a bit of condensation that has built up on the inside of my Speedo/Tach glass.  Does anyone know if it is possible to get at the inside of this glass to clean it?  I took the Speedo/Tach assembly apart but can find no obvious way to access the inside of the glass.  If anyone has done this I would really appreciate a walk-through of the process.  The chrome rings on my Speedo/Tach are also showing a bit of corrosion, and since I am going to be sending out a few parts for chroming in the next few weeks, it would be nice to add those to the pile if I can get them off.

[hootmon]

Well, I see a number of people have read this, but nobody has responded..
Has nobody done this???
It is something I would like to do..
If anyone has taken the tach/speedo apart, please respond..
Thanx

[lragan]

Well, I see from the shop manual on 3rd gens that one may remove the entire assembly from the bike by disconnecting the speedometer cable and removing two bolts. (Page 18-7)

The rear covers then come off with two screws apiece.  This gets you to the back of the devices to replace the bulbs. (Page 18-8)

It is not clear (no pun intended) whether this allows removal of the glass or not.  It should provide for chroming the "buckets" that they sit in, however.

[TLRam1]

I have not looked at the Magna, On vintage bikes we take small tools, screwdrivers, dental type tools to carefully lift the chrome ring to remove the innards in order to clean up and rebuild faceplates, needles, etc. Reassemble by crimping the chrome ring back down. I may have a How To on this and pictures of one being done, I will take a look. My last one I had was glued all over, dremeled the stuff out in various ways, looks great.

Whether this can be done with the Magna lens, don't know, I would give it a shot. 

[dgc67]

Well, I see a number of people have read this, but nobody has responded..

guess we were all hoping to find the answer!! 
Surely there is a way.  Yours is a 3rd gen isn't it?

[hootmon]

Well, I see a number of people have read this, but nobody has responded..

guess we were all hoping to find the answer!! 
Surely there is a way.  Yours is a 3rd gen isn't it?

Yes - '94
It's on my list, but I need to:
Finish the install of my saddlebags
Move my Backrest
I need to shim my Carbs - So Greg doesn't yell at me..
Replace my throttle cables - So Terry doesn't yell at me..
I'd like to drill a hole in the neck of my gas tank to let air out while filling
Clean the backside of the glass on Speedo and Tach..

Of course as other maintenance items come up, they will take precedence

[roboto65]

Hmmmmmmm I guess we are all in the same boat LOL mine has swirl marks where it looks like it was cleaned but if it fogs up which it does sometimes you can see the swirls LOL Or it could be the a#$d I did when I was younger 

[KTC]

Allen!!   

[dgc67]

Um, Hoot, we ALL know yours is a screaming yellow 3rd gen.  I was asking Chokse what HIS model is. 

LOL Or it could be the a#$d I did when I was younger

don't let KTC mess with you Allen.  As long as you can pass a piss test now you can admit to anything you want!   

[hootmon]

it could be the a#$d I did when I was younger  :

You could pull a Clinton.. "Hey, I put the a#$d on my tongue, but I never swallowed" 

[roboto65]

 

[Chokse]

Yep, mine is a 1995 3rd Gen.  I'm the one doing the CBR wheel and brake mod to mine.  By the way, I have updated the pictures of that with new pics showing the installed rear brake master cylinder and fluid cup.

I have the speedo and tach out of the cups and it is clear how one can change the bulbs, etc.  However, there is no clear way to remove the chrome rings to access the glass.  In my research, the best I could come up with for this process is here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8931487/Custom-Speed-of-Ace

This speedo's chrome ring looks to be attached exactly like the Magna's ring.  Apparently, the only way to do it is by cutting it with a Dremel tool and then attaching it back with some sort of glue.  I'm not sure it is worth that amount of work.  If there were an easier way, I would do it, but the speedo/tach is too expensive to make a mistake when cutting.

[lragan]

One thing occurs to me that you might try, if you just want to remove condensate from the inside of the unit without taking it apart, you may be able to bake it at low temperature (less than 150 F) in an oven for a few hours and drive out the moisture.

If you have access to a pressure vessel of some sort (like a paint pressure pot) and a vacuum pump as for air conditioners, you can pull a vacuum on the unit (slowly, so you don't break the glass!) for a day or so -- reduces the boiling temperature of the water so that it boils out.  Leaving the pot in the sun so it gets warm won't hurt, either.

I always save the silica gel packets that come in electronic gear and other stuff (the ones that tell you not to eat them-- duh!) to put in my welding rod case to keep the coatings dry.  If you have enough dessicant (you can probably buy it somewhere), you can merely place it in a closed container (like a big Mason jar) with the unit whilst you are working on other stuff for a few days.  You can drive the moisture out of used packets by baking in the oven at 150 F for a few hours.

Anyway, just a few ideas for your consideration...

[dgc67]

Some dang good ideas there Lawrence!  No wonder your an engineer!!   

[Charles S Otwell]

ENGINEER!! I sure hope it's electronics and not mechanical , I sure would hate to find that out about a friend ...