A dent was found in a prominent part of the meter! Let’s try sheet metal repair!

In the realm of motorcycle maintenance, it is almost untouchable, "Meter Repairworld". Even if functional repair is not possible, if the work is a step or two ahead of that, why not take on the challenge?!?It would be the Sunday mechanic who would want to take on the challenge. Repair speedometer rim with noticeable dents and dings.I did.

Actually, it can be disassembled with common hand tools + application!!

Various tools were needed to raise the caulking part of the meter rim and repair the sheet metal. The first step of making up the caulking part greatly determines the quality of the finished product. The screwdriver for removing the oil seal was easy to use. The fixture used to restore the caulking is the outer circumference of the bearing driver.

I prefer a band fixation that is easy to apply force.!!

This type of meter design can be found on many models from the 1970s. Regardless of the motorcycle manufacturer, many of the internal parts are shared with other parts made by Nippon Seiki. Disassembly of the meter rim begins with fixing the band. Use a hose band to lightly tighten the rim circumference. Be careful not to tighten the band too tightly, as doing so may cause scratches. If you are worried about scratching, wrap masking tape or vinyl tape around the rim twice. The band around the rim makes it easier to apply force and raise the rim. Be careful not to scratch the meter body. Although we did not wrap the body with protective tape, this can also be substituted with tape. It took about 10 minutes to caulk up the body.

Meter Lenses = split to avoid breaking glass

Loosen and remove the hose pand and further raise the caulked part and insert a flat-blade screwdriver. The stainless steel lens rim can be easily removed by turning the body back. Be careful not to break the glass lens during this operation. The outer rim, glass, damper gasket, and inner rim are assembled in this order. Many models differ only in the design of the dial.

Sheet Metal Work Practice with Ideas First!! If it works, we'll be lucky!!

First, in order to fix the warp in the caulked area, a bearing screwdriver is fixed to the rim and used as a metal plate for the sheet metal work. Just by lightly tapping the rim, the warp can be gently repaired, but be careful not to tap too hard, as the rim will be deformed if it is not tapped in accordance with the arc shape. The handle of the guesser was fixed to the work board with quick grips. Let's repair the yoke with sheet metal before caulking it up and caulking it back again. That way, the finish after restoration will be better. The rim was not deformed because the sheet metal was done in a circular arc.

If the lens rim is made of stainless steel, you can polish it with ease.

Finally, the repair of the dents in the dimples began. The workbench was used as a plate instead of a metal plate. The surface part is placed against the board, and the convex part is lightly tapped with a flat punch and a small hammer. The work progresses while checking the situation without striking all at once. The stainless steel, rust-free rim is a characteristic of Nippon Seiki meters of this era. By striking the concave part from the inside, we were able to restore almost the flat surface.

The concavity was at a sharper angle than I had imagined and caused a small crack. I guess I should have warmed it up before working on it.? I used No. 600 waterproof paper to remove the distortion of the concave area to make it flat, and then used No. 1000 and No. 1500 to finish it off. Since it is made of stainless steel, the original concave part will not be noticeable if it is shaved and polished. Metal polish was applied to a rag and polished with fingertips. Start with the part finished with paper. If the surface is smooth, it should shine easily. Then polish the entire surface to get the right texture. The damper and waterproof rubber set inside the rim was dirtier than expected, so I sprayed it with a cleaner such as My Pet and waited a while before wiping it off with a rag. The glass lens was also dirty, so I sprayed it with My Pet household detergent and scrubbed it clean with a toothbrush. The edges had anti-vibration rubber stuck to them, so I removed it thoroughly.

Assembly restoration begins after moisture is dispensed with.

Even if the stainless steel outer rim, rubber damper, and inner rim are clean, they should not be restored immediately. This is because any remaining moisture from the cleaning process will cause lens fogging. Here, we used a work light to dry the parts with the heat of soft light. After framing the glass lens on the damper rubber, set it on the outer rim and check to see if there are any stains or fingerprints left on the glass lens.

Wipe the dirt dry with a dry rag. It seems to be a good idea to "insert the meter into the inverted rim" instead of putting the rim over the meter itself. Place the meter upside down on the workbench board, and while clamping the board, use a large water pump briar to push in the caulking part and caulk it back up again. Finding a tool that is easy to use will enhance the work. After caulking to some extent, it is a good idea to wrap the hose band around the meter rim again and tighten it, adjusting the rim so that it is a perfect circle. Finish up by caulking more quickly.

By disassembling the speedometer at your own risk (in this case, we only disassembled the lens and rim) and greasing up a small amount in key internal areas, the noise and slight vibration generated by the meter itself can be reduced beyond your imagination. In other words, regular maintenance is essential for speedometers as well!!! Even though we know that simple greasing and oiling are effective, repairing packaged analog meters is difficult. The important thing is experience and practice. Whether you do it or not depends on the situation.