How far should a cable go into a Smith's instrument?

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I have a new tach drive cable that only protrudes under a half inch. My speedo cable sticks out about 5/8 of an inch. Does anyone know what a proper length should be? Unfortunately I threw away the old center cable I now wish I had to test with.
 
I think the recommended length is 7/16 inch beyond the housing. More than this and you risk damage to the instrument.
 
Thanks guys, I guess my cable length is OK. I've just ordered a replacement tach from Ebay. I'll have the old one rebuilt in the future.
 
Provided the depth of the cable slot in the instrument exceeds the amount the inner cable projects from the outer with the cable fitted at its lower end, then there shouldn't be a problem.
 
I changed the cable last winter as the original had broken. On a coastside drive in heavy traffic the tach started whining. By the time I could pull over it had quit. I imagine lack of lube got to it.
 
Having a selection of broken tach and speedo cables in my workshop to choose from, I can say with authourity that the inner lengths are all over the place. I've had one which lasted a half hour before spilling it's guts on the road and another where the inner doesn't come out far enough to actually drive my speedo. I was so pissed off a couple of weeks ago when my tacho AND speedo cables died on the same day that I'm now getting thr gear together to make my own super quality cables. Coated braided stainless outers with PTFE internal coating with stainless fittings. They will look a million dollars and should last forever. Don't know if they'll be a commercial proposition but, if not, the cables on my bike will be better and prettier than yours! The other problem with variable length inners is that if the inner protrudes too much it will damage the instrument. Terrific.

Just another example of the crap quality parts which are foisted on we Norton owners these days.
 
My concern was that perhaps the new cable did not drive the instrument properly. Now I think the sucker froze up and snapped the first one.
 
Fullauto said:
Having a selection of broken tach and speedo cables in my workshop to choose from, I can say with authourity that the inner lengths are all over the place. I've had one which lasted a half hour before spilling it's guts on the road and another where the inner doesn't come out far enough to actually drive my speedo. I was so pissed off a couple of weeks ago when my tacho AND speedo cables died on the same day that I'm now getting thr gear together to make my own super quality cables. Coated braided stainless outers with PTFE internal coating with stainless fittings. They will look a million dollars and should last forever. Don't know if they'll be a commercial proposition but, if not, the cables on my bike will be better and prettier than yours! The other problem with variable length inners is that if the inner protrudes too much it will damage the instrument. Terrific.

Just another example of the crap quality parts which are foisted on we Norton owners these days.
Click to expand...

Some proper speedo and tach cables for these old bikes would be a great contribution. Sign me up for a few of them when you get into production!!
 
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