Before you toss that Veglia

[marcmorrison]

I've been dealing with the "bouncing" Veglia tach issue for awhile....hooked up dedicated ground wires to both of the studs on the back of the tach housing as suggested....re-soldered the studs to the case for a solid connection.  Still bouncing, SO, I ordered a new white faceplate Veglia from TLM.  While waiting for the new one, my inquiring mind went to work on the old tach.  Took off the bezel (broke the glass and buggered up the faceplate in the process, both of which have now been fixed).  Looking at the point where the guts of the tach connect to the inside of the tach housing (three small screws into plastic mounting points), I could not see any metal-to-metal grounding that was apparent between the tach housing and the actual inards of the tach.  Looked as if the 3 plastic mounting points were deformed (??) to the point where there was no grounding that could occur...so, I took a small amount of plastic material off where there would be proper metal-to-metal contact, re-assembled, took out for a 50 mile ride and ERGO, the tach needle is steady as a rock.

I hope this will be the fix that cures this problem ....given the reliability record of Veglia, I am not optimistic it will hold indefinitely, but I have a backup anyway.  In the event this fix keeps working, I MAY have a brand new Veglia tach for sale.  Should have taken photos of the project, but not knowing what I was getting into I was not eager to document what could have turned out badly.  Anyway, all of this is just to throw out something else for your consideration if you are dealing with this problem.

[John A]

Thanks. Helps to know the trouble spots,  the hard part is getting the bezel ring off and on. I made a holder out of a pine board that the instrument sits in a circle depression face down for crimping it back on

[marcmorrison]

Yes, the bezel is a challenge to remove and replace.....in spite of my fumbling, I managed to salvage the bezel with a minimum of damage.  A local glass business cut a new piece of glass and by the generosity of a fellow MG'er, an exact faceplate was provided.  As much info as there has been about establishing a good ground on the two mounting studs, I've found nothing about checking for good ground on the INSIDE of the tach housing (no doubt because this requires either removing the bezel or slicing the tach housing in half to look at those internal ground points)....not the most serviceable invention by a long shot.

[nsmith]

But when the tach does nothing at all who do we turn to to get these things fixed?

[marcmorrison]

I don't have an answer for that question...I think Mr. Levine might have attempted a fix, but for more than the cost of a new one, I didn't think that was a reasonable alternative.

[sign216]

Marc,
Thanks for that essential bit of experience.

Now...to find a better way of getting inside the speedo.

Joe

[marcmorrison]

Joe...I think there might be only two ways you can accomplish this task, to-wit 1) remove the bezel by hand (or via a lathe) and if it's destroyed in the process, new ones are available (then you have the problem of securing the new one...lathe is preferable, but it can be done by hand if VERY patient) or 2) cut the tach housing in half with a dremel and if you can repair the problem inside, then JB weld and tape the housing back together.

Sorry, just now realized you were referencing a speedo, not the tach; haven't been there yet, but could be the same rules apply as well.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Some ideas: http://thisoldtractor.com/moto_guzzi_loopframe_gauge_trim_ring_removal_and_installation.html

[sign216]

Some ideas: http://thisoldtractor.com/moto_guzzi_loopframe_gauge_trim_ring_removal_and_installation.html

Charlie,
Nice link, it just looks like a ton of work.

Marc,
At first blush a dremel to the body sounds good, but I'm sure some unforeseen snag will present itself.  Given the age of these mechanical devices, sooner or later I'll be down that path.

I've heard there's no longer a repair shop in the US, but I wonder if there's one in Italy?  This has got to be right up their alley.

Joe 

[marcmorrison]

The dremel method has been discussed in this and other forums...seems to be the most direct path to get to the inside and as long as you're careful marking/making the cut, the two halves should go back together with some JB weld, maybe a big C clamp and finish off with some good tape.

Yes, there very well could be "Guido" in a small village in the Italian Alps, making pizzas during the day and repairing Veglia  gauges in his spare time.  Will let you know if I hear of him.

In the meantime, you may just have to improvise with what you got and/or can afford.  Good luck!!

[JJ]

My Veglia tach crapped out on my Centauro GT some time ago...

I sent it to a Speedo / Tach rebuild specialist in the UK to rebuild...Not cheap, but fixed and it works fine now...   I "hate" things on cars or bikes that don't work like they are supposed to...

This is the guy - "Peter"    http://www.guagerepairs.com/

[LowRyter]

I took the tach on my EV apart, broke the glass too, epoxied the weight back on.  Took a red marker to the needle.  It's been working for 7 or 8 years since but the needle is faded.

The speedo went out my Sport.  I sent it Joel Leven in in Georgia, still working.

Vegila stories, cue Ken Burns and the violins. 

[Gusable]

My tach and speedo work great but do bounce. Only at low speeds. Not looking forward to any repairs... 😪

[Vagrant]

my EV speedo bounced like a whore in heat for years. no amount of cable lube or replacement cabe helped. I took the chrome cover off and then the gear housing the cable goes into. both gears looked like new and it had plenty of what looked like lithium grease in there. with one gear out I cleaned out what grease I could and then filled it with the special Stihl brand grease made for hedge clipper gear boxes. {Not the stuff for the lower gearbox on brush cutters. it's more of a heavy duty 90#.] it is very thick and gummy. it's been as steady as can be ever since although that's only been 5000 miles. Now if only it had fixed the 10-12% too fast problem.

[sign216]

This shop in the Netherlands say they manufacture, repair, and restore Veglia gauges, to make them indistinguishable from factory new.  I'm sure they are costly, but it's an option.  Oh, and it looks like they are mainly automobile gauges, but cycle gauges might be possible.

http://saxonparts.com/veglia-gauges-ferrari/


Is Palo Alto no longer repairing Veglia?  Their website says they still are. 

Cycle Garden also says they are in contact w gauge repair guys, and can do the work.

The above options are probably all $$$, but I present them as an option for the well-heeled.  Like most Guzzi guys, I'd rather do the work myself, even if it's a little rustic.

Joe