K-Bike Odometer fix FYI

[dorongrudo]

I bought an old Garmin GPS and velcroed it to the instrument panel. Now I get not only accurate speed but compass too, not to mention the maps.
Cost = $60

Doron

[marktrawick]

All lights work on the speedo unit, but not the odometer or spedometer. Saw a post about soldering jumpers???? Can you expand on this please?
Thanks,
Mark

[Carguz]

Is it usually the gears vs. the motor. Is it pretty easy to see? Any tricks on opening up the cluster.

Thanks!

[marktrawick]

Just be careful and take your time. That's the best trick I know.

My speedo started working the other day....did not do anything special, but the weahter was colder....go figure.

[staciebug2923]

Any suggestions on a cheap fix for an instrument panel? First is was the speedo, then the odometer, I am afraid everything will fail shortly. Sometimes it works when it is cold outside.

[Zagando]

There's a lot of good info over on the IBMWR tech pages (Google IBMWR and look for the K-bike pages) but basically it usually boils down to removing the instrument cluster or "pod, " opening it up and carefully cleaning the contacts inside.

The three wire contacts on the upper right side (as you have the pod laying face down once opened up) seem to be the main culprits for the intermittent speedo scenario; they get corroded and don't quite make contact.

Before you go tearing your fairing apart (unfortunately necessary on faired K75s and K100s) to remove the pod I suggest you first check two other possible causes for cluster failure/intermittent operation:

1) the rear drive sensor located on top of the rear drive needs cleaning (easy to pull out, inspect and clean)

2) the connector that is midway on the bike that runs from the sensor to the speedo; once you locate it, pull it apart and clean the contacts.

I recently did all three above fixes and now my speedo is working 100% of the time. Unfortunately, I still have a condensation problem on the inside of the pod, even though I reassembled it after it being in the oven (with only the pilot flame on) overnight. High humidity, rain and moisture gets into these things somehow and messes up the connections sooner or later.

Next time I have the fairing off I'm going at it again and will try to seal the pod glass carefully as I suspect that's how moisture is getting in in the first place.

As far as tools that are useful for cleaning and lubing the contacts I recommend going to Radio Shack and getting a small, pen-like contact-cleaning tool that has many tiny fiberglass rods that retract back inside it once you're done using it. The fiberglass makes tiny scratches that remove a lot of corrosion quickly.

Another item to have on hand is a tube of Ox-Guard, available at most large hardware stores. After you clean the contacts, dab a small amount of this dielectric grease onto them with a toothpick or cotton swab; it will keep the connection from getting corroded again and promote conductivity.

Hope you don't mind my long-winded reply; I just finished my second cup of coffee here on a cold and rainy morning here... (no riding for me today )

Btw, just saw your gorgeous blue K100RS over in the K-bike photo section; congratulations on acquiring your new Beemer!

Good luck with getting it all sorted and welcome to the MOA Forums, too.

[staciebug2923]

I don't mind long replies, I will have to try to fix my bike when spring rolls around, there is 3 feet of snow here and no heated garage in sight. The rear censor has been cleaned twice but i will try the other two suggestions. Thanks, Stacia

[Zagando]

OK, Stacia; Since you already cleaned the rear sensor then I would suspect the cluster itself needs attention. But it won't hurt to check and clean the connector beforehand just in case.

If the bike is subject to wet or damp conditions much of the time then all those connectors throughout the bike need periodic maintenance all the more. They often get overlooked.

Good luck with finding a heated garage in the meantime (wouldn't that be great?) and enjoy your new K when the riding season returns.

[58058D]

Stacia,
Not sure if you are still monitoring this exchange, but for your bike, the pod is mounted on the handlebar set up, not in the fairing like Jeff's K75S. You can remove the pod if you can get to your bike. It is attached in the back and has a wire loom connector and is sort of rubber monted. It has been a while since I had this style, but I believe it is two bolts or machine screws that hold it on. I believe there are other instructions in previous posts as well as the IBMWR link earlier. So, you can remove the pod and take it inside where it is warm.

[Zagando]

Thanks for the correction, Jim---it's been a long time since I had my K100RS---

Stacia, your instrument cluster should be a lot easier to get to than on my 75S as I forgot about this difference earlier.

[bmwdon75]

+1 to all this
Something else to look for.

There is a common ground under the fuel tank that I found to be snug but not tight, a 1/4 turn did the trick for me.

There's a lot of good info over on the IBMWR tech pages (Google IBMWR and look for the K-bike pages) but basically it usually boils down to removing the instrument cluster or "pod, " opening it up and carefully cleaning the contacts inside.

The three wire contacts on the upper right side (as you have the pod laying face down once opened up) seem to be the main culprits for the intermittent speedo scenario; they get corroded and don't quite make contact.

Before you go tearing your fairing apart (unfortunately necessary on faired K75s and K100s) to remove the pod I suggest you first check two other possible causes for cluster failure/intermittent operation:

1) the rear drive sensor located on top of the rear drive needs cleaning (easy to pull out, inspect and clean)

2) the connector that is midway on the bike that runs from the sensor to the speedo; once you locate it, pull it apart and clean the contacts.

I recently did all three above fixes and now my speedo is working 100% of the time. Unfortunately, I still have a condensation problem on the inside of the pod, even though I reassembled it after it being in the oven (with only the pilot flame on) overnight. High humidity, rain and moisture gets into these things somehow and messes up the connections sooner or later.

Next time I have the fairing off I'm going at it again and will try to seal the pod glass carefully as I suspect that's how moisture is getting in in the first place.

As far as tools that are useful for cleaning and lubing the contacts I recommend going to Radio Shack and getting a small, pen-like contact-cleaning tool that has many tiny fiberglass rods that retract back inside it once you're done using it. The fiberglass makes tiny scratches that remove a lot of corrosion quickly.

Another item to have on hand is a tube of Ox-Guard, available at most large hardware stores. After you clean the contacts, dab a small amount of this dielectric grease onto them with a toothpick or cotton swab; it will keep the connection from getting corroded again and promote conductivity.

Hope you don't mind my long-winded reply; I just finished my second cup of coffee here on a cold and rainy morning here... (no riding for me today )

Btw, just saw your gorgeous blue K100RS over in the K-bike photo section; congratulations on acquiring your new Beemer!

Good luck with getting it all sorted and welcome to the MOA Forums, too.

[Zagando]

Another good point, Don. I find that about 95 per cent of all electrical problems are due to poor connections.

[98lee]

If the speedometer works, but the odometer and trip odometer don't, it is almost always a broken gear in the odometer. Gears should be replaced in complete sets including the small pinion gear, otherwise you'll probably be in there shortly to replace one of the others.

The source for these gears is: Odometergears.com. They now offer a huge selection of gears for just about any application.