How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

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Larry TN
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Larry TN »

So easy a redneck hillbilly can do it.
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by MadCow »

It looks great!!
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by YoDude »

I like the illumination and color. I'd prefer red though as red doesn't mess with your night vision, though I've never really noticed a problem with that anyway.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Jolsen »

I plan to do red speedo white idiot lights

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by rickww »

auto zone now has a drop in led bulb - the number is 940 only in white, however ------they make a great difference in lighting, but sort of salty at $9 a bulb.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by jonnycando »

I put blue LED's in my speedo too. It sort of made sense given the paint is the bluish teal and milky white.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Leckbass »

rickww wrote:auto zone now has a drop in led bulb - the number is 940 only in white, however ------they make a great difference in lighting, but sort of salty at $9 a bulb.
I can't seem to cross reference the 940 to anything? Any other number on it.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Pvt_Nemesis »

Hey guys - is the LED replacement for the idiot light cluster the same as the speedo backlight?
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by hillsy »

98VS1400 wrote:I put off this job for a while thinking it was going to be difficult or that I'd have a hard time figuring out which LED to use. The delay was unnecessary. as this is one of the easiest jobs to do. In fact, it will take longer to create this thread!

I ordered bulbs off eBay. 20 LED bulds for $8, shipped. Here is what I ordered off of eBay for cheap money.

Upon opening the package, I got these:

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This is a shot of my speedometer with no working backlight:

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I was under the impression that I had to drop the entire headlight bucket to get the speedometer out. I did not.
All you have to do, at least on my bike, is go to the back side of the speedometer housing and remove two screws which hold the unit in the bucket. By the way, I know that I did not have to remove the headlight because after taking it out, I realized it did nothing to help me! :lmao:

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After removing these screws, simply unscrew the speedometer cable and pull the unit up and out. Be careful because the light wires might get held up a little bit. They are the only remaining things holding the speedometer in the bucket.

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Pry the rubber boot out of the back of the speedometer and the unit will be free. In the picture below, you can see where the bulb goes.

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This is the bulb after you pull it out of the unit:

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Pull the bulb out of the holder and get ready to put the new bulb in. No harder than changing a bulb in a lamp.

Here are the two bulbs side by side for size comparison. The LED is a bit longer.

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After you plug it into the boot, be sure to turn your key on to make sure it is working. If you put it in the wrong direction, there will be no light. Mine (after flipping it over) worked! :bang:

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Put everything back together and see how it works. I really like the blue! :clap:

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That's it! Very easy. A few things worth mentioning... A member here told me the bulbs I ordered are cheap and will fail. He may be right, I will have to see. But, for 20 bulbs at $8, I'm willing to risk it. Should one go bad, I literally can replace it in 5 minutes. This job was that simple. Also, the screws that hold the speedometer in the housing are little. Be careful when you pull them out. They also have a rubber bushing behind them, so watch out for them falling. My bushings are no good. I can tell because when I screwed the speedometer back in place, there is wiggle in it. The whole unit does not tighten down like it should. I'm going to put a few washers under them to see if it helps tighten things up.

I don't know if all years are this easy or not. From the schematic for this bike, it appeared there would be two lights to replace. As you can see from the back of my speedometer, there is only one. Perhaps this changed in different years, I don't know.

Up next will be the idiot lights in the cluster. I think that job will be a little harder to do, especially since the turn signal will require a diode to make the LEDs work, or so I've been told. When I decide to do it, I will post it up too.

If your backlight on your speedometer is blown, don't wait to fix it. The job is cake. Any questions, leave a comment below. Thanks!
Updated to view pics.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Herb »

Good post.

The rubber bushings wore out on my speedo also. I used some small o-rings between the stock washers and the housing, 2 on each side. Tightened the housing up and it worked for a long time.
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Spacecoast »

Anyone know how to remove the top lens cover off the cluster? I've tried pulling it off, and even using a pry tool, but it seems impossible without causing damage to the plastic indicator cover. I can never see the turn-signal light (but it does work) and I'm thinking that perhaps the prior owner may have added another internal lens to reduce the light, making it impossible to see during the day. Has anyone worked on this?

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Herb »

Spacecoast wrote:Anyone know how to remove the top lens cover off the cluster? I've tried pulling it off, and even using a pry tool, but it seems impossible without causing damage to the plastic indicator cover. I can never see the turn-signal light (but it does work) and I'm thinking that perhaps the prior owner may have added another internal lens to reduce the light, making it impossible to see during the day. Has anyone worked on this?
Not sure about removing the cover, but unless you want to cut/break it out, it will probably require removing the housing. There are 2 different wattage bulbs in there, the highbeam bulb is a lower wattage and if placed in the T/S position could lead to this issue.
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Glen3 »

The turn-signal light is dim. You have to remove the head light bucket to get the cluster out. The cover does not come off from the top. It is best to look at the manual. It has been a few years since I pulled the cluster out, so I really don't remember how I took it apart. It's not hard to do, but like most things on our bikes you have to move two or three other things to get it out.

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Spacecoast »

Glen3 wrote:The turn-signal light is dim. You have to remove the head light bucket to get the cluster out. The cover does not come off from the top. It is best to look at the manual. It has been a few years since I pulled the cluster out, so I really don't remember how I took it apart. It's not hard to do, but like most things on our bikes you have to move two or three other things to get it out.
then I give up....because I don't want to mess with the headlight.
https://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oempart ... peedometer

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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Forge »

I may do this bulb change for the Speedometer. I like the blue. As far as using red for your night vision, aren't you already using your headlight?
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Herb »

Forge wrote:I may do this bulb change for the Speedometer. I like the blue. As far as using red for your night vision, aren't you already using your headlight?
Yeah, but too bright of a light between you and the headlight will screw up your night vision because it shines right into your eyes. BTW, blue is easier on the eyes than red.
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Re: How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Pvt_Nemesis »

Just a note for myself and others;
- T10 wedge lamps for speedo illumination
- T5 wedge lamps for idiot lights
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How To: Replace Speedometer Bulb with LED

Post by Dman7 »

Just did this on my 97 1400. Very nice!

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