how to adjust tach/speedo cluster position

hey guys, my xj650 tach/speedo cluster is a little bit off level. it seems like the speedo is a little bit more forward than the tach part. but if i look at the bolts that hold it on, they are just two bolts in a fixed hole, so it doesnt seem like that are meant to let them be adjusted. I'm not talking height-wise adjusting, but more bringing the one part back and the other part more forward. is there some method that i'm missing?

 

You are on the right track, no built in adjustments.

You have two options:
1. take the instruments out, unbolt the housing, unbolt the bracket.
Lay the bracket on a smooth surface and tweak it slightly until it is flat.
re-install in reverse order.

OR

2. Grab both instruments and twist until it sits level.

Personally, I'd choose option #1

 

thanks, I will try that. I guess they got bumped once or twie in the last 30 years

also, one more question, there is a screw on the bottom part of the speedo. it dangles out. I can't take it out and i cant push it in straight to screw it in. any advice on this. is there a nut on the other side and i have to tajke the speedo apart to fix it?

 

Not sure what screw you are referring to, a pic might help?

 

10-4. I will take one

 

if you look at the picture and the screw that i pointed out, you will see it's not tight. the black speedo lense doesn't appear to be tight onto the chrome housing. that screw/bolt is a bit slanted, and it won't straighten out to go into any hole, and it won't come out.

 

Not sure what you got there, maybe an invention by a PO?

There should be a dome nut on both sides of the housing, pull those off and unscrew the ODO cable so you can pull the ODO out of the housing and take a peek.

Also, there should be two rubber washers on each bolt, one on the outside, one on the inside of the housing itself. If these washers are missing, or the dome nuts aren't tight, that would cause your ODO to not be tight against the housing.

 

do you happen to have pictures of those dome nuts because i am lost for sure

 

Pull the Gauges
Remove the Mount.

The Mount should have equal angles on the opposing support arms and branch supports for the Instruments.

If the Mount is bent way out-of-shape, ... you have to do some of your own Black-Smithing.

Bend.
Straighten and correct.

Look at the Mount before you make an adjustment.
If there is evidence that the Metal have been bended close to fatigue (Stress lines) ... Heat the Bracket.

Heating it. Bending it. Priming and Painting it is something you'd rather do, ... several times ...

Than breaking it off, ... once.

 

Tell ya what, I don't really have anything better to do after work so I'll Snap some pics. Yours are looking more and more like non-stock, but if I snap some pics maybe it'll help you get yours figured out.

 

sweet, thanks for the help guys.

The guages are off angle a bit, but likely so little that it's only something that the owner would notice. I dont know now if it is worth ricking breaking it for that. I guess I will take a look


tskaz-thank man. Ya, i guess mine isn't stock, but there are no dome nuts anywhere from what I see

 

Darth, I must've had a brainfart or something. I just remembered you have a Maxim instead of a Seca.

The pic is of my Seca odo but the principal is the same:
Two fasteners holding each gauge into the housing, two fasteners holding the housings to the bracket, two fasteners holding the bracket to the forks.

(this is only on the Seca, and is used only for illustration of the concept)
The green circle is the nut to remove the odo from the housing
The red circle is the nut to remove the housing from the bracket
The blue circle is, of course, the odo cable

Now that I've looked at your pic a lot closer, you may have the stock gauges after all. Would need to see the top to tell for sure.

If yours is stock:
The maxim gauges had two screws holding the unit into the housing.
Looking at the back, one screw would be at about 8o'clock position, the other at about 2o'clock. Just about where I figure that screw on yours is.

Problem is, the stock cluster didn't have black, round head screws, and it didn't have washers for the screws.

What does that mean? It means that the PO probably had a problem with it and decided that he was "dun gonna fixeded it" by using the wrong fastener, because hey, it'll probably work.

Looks like you might have a couple of "tinker" jobs to do. Just remember, the devil is in the details.

If you tear into the housing and need some more help.......


EDIT - crap, it'd help if I added the stupid pic, huh? LOL

 

NOT really. The 650 Seca has "canned" instruments, attached to a frame that holds the idiot lights and stuff. The outer cans are cosmetic, but the instruments are in cans inside.

The 650 Maxim has "clustered" instruments, that only LOOK like "cans" but actually have a 2-part shell that comes apart more like the 550s (Seca and Max) have.

They don't come apart or mount the same.

The best place to find a disassembly diagram is to closely examine the exploded view in the fiche: http://www.yamahapartshouse.net/pages/O ... brand=YAM#

 

thanks for the help guys. ya the fact that the chrome base isn't attached to the top black part really annoys me.

 

Like I said, look in the fiche. It LOOKS like it's attached...

I actually like the "clusters" better, it makes access to the actual instruments much easier in case of a need for maintenance/intervention.

Plus you can do transplants like this: (No mo' 85mph nonsense)

 

It's the "Golden Screw" and hold's the entire bike together, Don't mess with it!!




Just kidding, resume the reg. sched. program =)