Tach or Speedo Cable???

[kwatts]

I have noticed lately that I am getting a noise from the front end of the bike. The only time I hear it is in the mornings when it is cold outside. I ride to work every day (which sadly will be coming to an end soon due to the changing seasons) and it is almost all highway travel. When I do slow down to exit the highway, I hear a noise that reminds me of the Pontiac Grand Prix I had in High School. When it got really cold outside, like 10 degrees or lower, then the speedo cable would make an awful racket until everything warmed up. This noise will abate as I do slow down more, and it goes away completely when the mph drops below 35. So...which cable is most likely to create such a noise? And what would be the best fix? Dry lube or grease?

[Guest]

Hi Kevin~ If you think it's the speedo cable (interstate) lubricate it with graphite (powder) for cylinder locks. Stay away from liquid lubricants. Folks have a tendancy to "over use" greases and oils, that will eventually find its way into the speedometer head. A "tight" speedometer head could be causing too much force on the cable/drive causing a noise. I broke two cables on my gl1000 before I replaced the head.
As for the tach cable.......correct voltage is recommended.

[kwatts]

Ah...thanks GL. I didn't realize the tach is electrical :oops: ! I just thought for some reason that it had a cable. Now I have to google tachometer to see the different types and applications. I suspect that the speedo cable is the culprit then. Thanks again.