Snapped Speedo Needle

[Crass]

So the job is now done and here is the result

You can only see the join if you get right close up so this is good enough for me

I used Loctite All Plastics superglue, which worked great.  The needle wasn't stuck to the central rotating disc at the point where it snapped but it is now.  I roughened up the parts of the needle which were to be glued, and the corresponding place on the central disc, with the tip of a pin.  The Loctite comes with an activator, which you touch on the bonding surfaces first to prepare the plastic, then the glue.  Without the needle on the stop the central disc rotates anticlockwise beyond zero, so I moved it clockwise a short way and secured it with a bit of low tack masking tape.  Otherwise you're going to have to bend the needle to the right side of the stop when you've finished.  Needle glued both at the point where it broke plus to the central disc.

Once the superglue was well set after a few hours I mixed up a little epoxy and put a strengthening brace between the underside of the needle and the disc edge as here

Once all back together the clocks now fit snugly in the mount with no play up and down - they rattled like hell before.  You can see the rubber dampers - both of which I turned over - now lightly contact the metal mount to prevent movement.  So if you can pull your clocks up and down in the mount it's a sure sign your mount needs attention and if you don't sort it you'll be sorting your needles as well too in due course.  Which is a pain.

Hope that helps people.  I'm hoping this repair is strong and lasts, the underlying issue having been sorted as well.  Fingers crossed.

[Askamaskinservice]

Nice writeup

[Swiss Toni]

Bit of an ordeal, but you got there in the end! 

[wsn03]

That's great Crass thank you. I'm going to that mod next...my speedo has movement, wondered why.

[Crass]

Just a quick update after getting the bike out after winter.  At ther risk  of speaking too soon this repair seems to have worked in all respects.  Went for a 100+ miles run down the usual bumpy back roads out of Plod's way, the speedo no longer rattles about and the needle stayed intact.  Speedo is working fine again.  I'll update at the end of the year and if, fingers crossed, everything is still fine then anyone else suffering the same issue could try gluing too.

A big thanks to OSS for the advice on this one.  Left to my own devices I'd have tried to prise the needle off to replace it and likely buggered the thing up good and proper.

[wsn03]

My bike is an 85. Done v low miles, and spent all its life in a garage  since import in 1995. The foam seems to be perfect, as do the mounts. Is this because I've done hardly any miles on it in 24 yrs of owning it? And should I rebuild it anyway (ie does it just look ok but an accident waiting to happen)?

Edited April 26, 2019 by wsn03

[Crass]

My foam had visibly deteriorated and the clocks were loose in their mounting. The clock cases were contacting the metal mounting plate. If yours have none of these issues I would say you would be curing a problem which you don't have, leave it. I have a non-OSS bike I've owned from new since 94 which uses similar clock mounting and is in pretty much as new condition. I won't do that one until it needs it. Just keep an eye on it.

[wsn03]

14 hours ago, Crass said:

My foam had visibly deteriorated and the clocks were loose in their mounting. The clock cases were contacting the metal mounting plate. If yours have none of these issues I would say you would be curing a problem which you don't have, leave it. I have a non-OSS bike I've owned from new since 94 which uses similar clock mounting and is in pretty much as new condition. I won't do that one until it needs it. Just keep an eye on it.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep an eye on it. I will struggle to do more than 200 miles/ yr, so I don't expect things to change.