Hey Guy's...Newbie to the site here. I hope all is well with everyone. I have a 06 883 Custom, yesterday when I got on it to come home from work, I noticed that the speedometer needle wasn't moving, the digital milage was still visible, but was not changing miles either. When I got home, I shut it off, restarted the thing, took off just to see what happens....and low & behold, it started working again. I called the local Harley Guru" and was told it could be 3 things.

1. The connections in the back of the actual speedometer unit could be loose.
2. The magnetic "sensor" that sends the signal from the transmission gears to the unit could have "trash" on it.
3. The speeometer unit itself.

Has anyone else had this issue? Help please.
Thanks

 

It could be any of the above, but it could also just be a just a random bad initialization of the computer (ICM) on power-up. I wouldn't worry about it unless it starts happening repeatedly.

Also, when you turn the key on, make sure that the "check engine" light has finished flashing before starting the motor. The flashing engine light is the computer initializing.

 

Those sensors DO go bad. Mine did, on my 99 883. Easy to replace, cost around $65 2 3 years ago for mine. Good luck, that is a PITA when it isn't working.

RD

 

I'd put my money on number 2. I had the same problem with my 01 RK, it started out intermittant and then the speedo completely quit working. The turn signals wouldn't self cancel either. Replaced the sensor and the problem was fixxed. Good luck.

 

Thanks guy's, I really appreciate ya'lls help. I rode it to work this morning and speedo worked fine. If it ever happens again, I'll check into replacing the sensor first. And thanks for the advice about the flashing engine, I never even thought about letting it quit flashing before starting her up. I will now. But it seems like one thing fixes itself then another problem happens, I think the bitch is haunted or cursed or both. I'll start another thread and tell ya'll what it did this morning.

 

That's why I ended up trading my RK for a Streetbob.

 

I also had this problem. It was #2 on your list. The speedo stopped working as well as the odometer.

 

Okay, my speedo bounces around even when I am stopped. This is a '96 1200..the milage is gone there are just some flashing that replaces the milage...tach works fine, no blinkers so I can not check that.
Does these mean I need a new speedo?

 

Those sensors are known for going bad,I actually pulled mine out and cleaned the build up off of it and it worked fine for a while but I eventually had to relplace it.

 

Hey guys,

I have a newbie question. Hope you folks don't mind.. But basically I'm experiencing the same problem where my needle tends to jump around a lot and has gotten progressively worse over time. So I definitely suspect there's just a ton of **** on my sensor. I'm not asking anyone to go into an elaborate step-by-step of how to get to the sensor; I'll get my hands on a Haynes manual somehow. But just wanted to know in advance is this something an amateur can pull off with minimal tools?

Jon