Front Engine guard & Speedo Cable

[Drift1]

LOL.......good point.....wouldn't have to worry about flipping it bacckwards that's for sure.

[pcarrell]

I think a wheelie on a Drifter would grind that rear fender down quick!

[Drift1]

PC...sir.....no wheelies from this guy.The Drifter is for strictly cruising enjoyment.Now the snow & dirt toys that's a whole nother subject....

[pcarrell]

This won't help when doing wheelies!

[Drift1]

That's a low blow...... ....Good observation guys,sometimes an extra set of hands or in this case eyes are a big help.Ratman there's a few extra bucks saved,huh.I myself would prefer to have a little more slack in the cable just to prevent mishaps.......

[CDNRatMan]

  oh shame me....lol......something so simple and I missed it......at least I did not put it down in its side.....lol......

[kw-retrorider]

Greenbarn - Good catch....Ratman, in your first picture, the bike is jacked up, you can see the lowers are extended in the photo. So now, put it on the ground and "foget about it".......

[CDNRatMan]

Can not remember if it was jacked up or not because I took the front jack out...now I'll set it on the ground and check it that way.....and still see the length of the cable.. Thanks for the mind set and reminder....like having a partner in the house to help out....

[greenbarn]

Something that occurred to me...  if your bike is jacked up, the cable will be a lot tighter - more slack when weight on the forks.  Not much chance, I would think, of having the shock all the way extended and at the same time having the handlebars all the way to the left - except on those motocross-type jumps....

[CDNRatMan]

104 cm seems to be the normal length of the cable.....now to measure mine in the morning.........and not to shame you I'll let the rest of your comment go.......

[greenbarn]

Best I can tell, my cable is 41 inches (104 cm) - prett sure it may stretch out to 42 in (106.7 cm) if I took it off and stretched it out.  Hope that helps you out.

[greenbarn]

My tank is currently off the bike, so it will be easy to do right now.  I'll let you know, but I can already tell you mine is probably longer than yours...

[CDNRatMan]

 if any one can check the length of their cable I am going to take mine off tomorrow and check the actual lenght of it and then i'll know for sure... thanks guys.....

[mmedur]

I would have to look but if I remember correctly I ran it over the bar because there was no slack whatsoever to Rurik it under. I got the bike all put together and took it for a ride the other day. That bar looks so nice that my friend and my brother in law didn't notice I had added it. Until I pointed it out.

On another note my next attempt at highway pegs are patiently waiting at the shop until I have he money to pick them up. Should be this week.

[greenbarn]

Ratman, I checked and mine is ran UNDER the crash bar.  However, it looks to me that it might be better off OVER the bar.  I have the tank off right now - interestingly, it had to be unhooked from the wheel to be able to be long enough to unhook the speedo.  Of course, it's jacked up so the shock is all the way out.

Anyway, I might re-route mine once I get the tank back on, I'll have to see how it looks.

I ran my wires to the fender light along with the speedo cable, so I decided to run it all in braided SS flex - I bought a braided fuel line kit, and took the cover off it. 

[David Baker]

Kw that's a great idea using fuel hose to avoid chaffing issues......hope your pics come through.
[/quote]

"Fuel Hose" The new Duct Tape!

[CDNRatMan]

  I found a bunch on ebayUK, and they have 6" extentions, not impressed with that idea. I am going to see if the 2002 has a longer cable or not. But for now I have gone over the top...lol... also I moved the speedo cable house on the front wheel to be pointing higher up then it was still not a lot of extra cable.

[kw-retrorider]

Ratman: I have to say, comparing your first picture with my picture....your cable looks shorter. Look at the bends in mine and where it hits the guide brackets around the reflector....much different than the way your cable runs. Know nothing about the history of my speedo cable, but the machine is 2002....can't believe there are different cables based on year of production, but stranger things have happened. Again, I am not experiencing any kinks, and and all it has to do is turn...so if its lubed, should be O.K......another indication of problems is if the speedo does not come up smooth with speed, or is jerky. Again, not experiencing any of that, but I think my cable looks longer.

BTW: Found a solution to my missing end cap.....expandable plugs with the end washer and nut painted black....works like a charm.

[Drift1]

Thanks for the pic KW....
Ratman if you happen to know what the item # is on eBay I'll order up one also.If not I'll also get to the shop this week sometime and see what they come up with.I'll keep you guys posted when I find something out

[kw-retrorider]

Here's a photo

[CDNRatMan]

was chatting with one of the lads off of DOGUK and there is a 6" longer cable out there and selling on ebay so I am going to order one up, lads over there said they have issues with theirs snapping every so often, mine is a 99 and still the original one on there, so not sure about that. But I'll try to order one that length through the shop here or see what they can tell me in the morning....

Thanks kw for the fuel hose idea again.....

[pcarrell]

The trick is the length and having the same ends on them.

[Drift1]

Think I heard somewhere a while back that a Nomad speedo cable was a couple inches longer then a 1500 Drifter cable.  Maybe one of the other 800 models would work in much the same way?  Chopper guys might have a solution too.

PC I wonder if a nomad cable would work on the 800?I'll have to stop by the shop sometime this week to pic up a few things so I'll check with them to see.
Kw that's a great idea using fuel hose to avoid chaffing issues......hope your pics come through.

[kw-retrorider]

Ratman: I left the speedo cable on top of the engine guard and have had no issues. I did split a piece of fuel hose as chafing gear.

Chief:  I tried twice to post a photo, but got thown off the website...?

[pcarrell]

Think I heard somewhere a while back that a Nomad speedo cable was a couple inches longer then a blackout 1500 Drifter cable.  Maybe one of the other 800 models would work in much the same way?  Chopper guys might have a solution too.