Ideas for repairing my speedo? (link to pics)

I crashed my trusty battle axe (1980 Suzuki GS8500) and while the cover
is intact, the internal plate shattered and the needle broke off.
The odometer still works; I just need to get the speedo working.

It's much easier to show a picture than try to describe:

http://www.oceandave.com/speedo.jpg

I would rather fix this one than try to find a replacement,
which wouldn't show the correct mileage. (41,000 original)

There's an aluminum cover which wraps around the glass:
(with the rubber seal pulled back)

http://www.oceandave.com/cover.jpg

I would like to try to remove the cover, glue the shattered plate back
together, and either glue the needle back on or simply replace it--if I
can find one. It looks like I could carefully pry around the back with a
sharp screwdriver or knife, and gain access to the inside.

Has anyone ever taken one of these to speedos apart?
Any suggestions?

Yes, I do have a lot of free time on my hands--and I'm trying to save $$.

Pigeon

 

r u a jewlery repair expert and have those type of fine tools and
vises and glues to straighten it out enough to glue / weld it

I ttook mine far enough apart [ 80 gs750 ] to see the sqaue hole
was stripped - I used to do some work on electronic meter movements.

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

 

So you were able to pry back the cover enough to lift it off?
How big a PITA was it? What tools did you use?

Is it a simple matter to swap or reset the odometer once the cover is
off?

Thanks for the info.

Pigeon

 

r u a jewlery repair expert and have those type of fine tools and
vises and glues to straighten it out enough to glue / weld it

I ttook mine far enough apart [ 80 gs750 ] to see the sqaue hole
was stripped - I used to do some work on electronic meter movements.

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

 

r u a jewlery repair expert and have those type of fine tools and
vises and glues to straighten it out enough to glue / weld it

I ttook mine far enough apart [ 80 gs750 ] to see the sqaue hole
was stripped - I used to do some work on electronic meter movements.

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

BUY ONE swap the odo or reset the one you bought

 

sorry I missed your post and my posts , so I sent it again
reader set up error on my part


no I don't' have a cover to pry back
mine is the model with the dashboard setup
I did take out the whole spedo instrument
not a big deal to me or a big problem on my model
I did not dissablme it further

that face plate with the numbers will scratch off very easily when
touching it.

 

Simple is relative to the person doing it. From what I recall
when I had mine apart yes I could have done either.
I suggest you try a odo removal and then you could try a reset to
numbers you
like on your Damaged spedo / odo before you play with the
replacement,
the replacement being a new one iif available or a useable spedo
from a junker.

 

I have no interest in resetting (as in lowering) the numbers on my
speedo; the fact that it's illegal (and sleazy) notwithstanding.
While I'm not implying that you're suggesting this, I want to make it
clear what my intentions are--and what they aren't.
The whole point is that I want the numbers to reflect the actual
miles on this ancient beast, mainly for maintenence.
And 41,000 miles is pretty damn low regardless on a 1980 bike anyway.

My main question is whether there's an easier way to get inside
the unit other than spending 1/2 hour or so very tediously prying
the edges of the cover up with a sharp tool--and I'm not even sure if
this will work. And getting the cover back the way it was will be even
more fun!

In any case thanks for the suggestions and ideas.
I think the junkyard might be my best bet for an affordable replacemant
if I'm not able to fix mine.

http://www.oceandave.com/cover.jpg

http://www.oceandave.com/speedo.jpg

Pigeon

 

I'm actually in the process of getting into both my speedo and tach on
a KZ900. It sounds as if it's different from your suzuki by looking at
the pics. On mine there's a ring that forms a seam about half way down
the speedo. Carefully prying the back-side of this ring (the side
facing down) 1/8-in at a time all the way around (took about 20 min
with a small & med screw driver), I was able to disassemble both the
speedo and tach. (did the same thing on my son's 600 Suzuki Bandit
last year to re-paint his tach dial) Maybe your suzuki has something
similar. My big question is. What is the safest way to remove the
actual dial from it's shaft? Does it pry up? Or simply twist off and
which way? I would be interested in hearing how your situation works
out and if you've tried it - or anyone else reading this? I plan to
make an exact duplication of my speedo and tach dial face-plate using
a reverse engraving technique - so that back-lighting actually shows
through the numbers. Goodluck!