How screwed am I?

[thebrawnyman_imp]

Took the bike out for a quick spin this past weekend due to some oddly-warm temps for a Midwest winter. I pulled over quickly to make a helmet adjustment and the kickstand did not bite enough causing the bike to fall to the left. In doing so, it scratched up a cover of the speedo/tach cluster. Not horrible so far but I also noticed that the whole cluster felt somewhat loose. Upon removing the headlight assembly and seeing the damage I found that the actual interior housing for the speedo/tach (white plastic that holds the electrical boards) has cracked and I am looking at around $600 for a replacement. The crack isn't any longer than 1-1/2 inches and I am wondering of trying either a JB weld job or bring it into work and have a guy try and plastic weld it up.

What do you all think? Would you just pitch it and pay the cash or try and repair it? I do not intend to ever sell this bike, especially to an unsuspecting person if I did not replace the part and patch it up.

Thanks,
thebrawnyman

 

[apex1_imp]

I would absolutely repair it. If you know someone who can weld plastic, ask him if that would be stronger than JB Weld. Me? I would use JB Weld because I know how strong it is. Even the quick set should do fine on that repair, and it sets up a lot faster than the regular stuff. They also make a putty that sets up very quickly.

 

[jedd_imp]

If the bike's a new 2017 EX or a low miles 2014 DLX, i would "consider" a new replacement.
But if it's a 2014 standard, I'd just JB weld that crack.
That's just me...others may not feel as nonchalant as i do with this issue...

 

[Rocky_imp]

Dang, that's tough luck! The 1100 is a heavy bike and doesn't sit well on a soft surface which is why I carry a plastic "puck" for the sidestand if the surface is iffy.
This is a tough one and really comes down to your own decision and how much you want to spend.
However, since you plan to keep the bike, why not try to repair it as best you can. You have nothing to lose.
If it works, fine. If not, then I guess you'll have to bite the bullet and go for new or used if you can find it.

I had the same thing happen to me years ago with another new Honda I had, but luckily I was standing right next to the bike and was able to grab it as it slowly sank to the left. Phew, that was a close one

 

[pekingduck]

If it were my bike, I certainly would repair it. Not only for the cost savings, but because the bikes actual mileage would be rolled back to zero, a problem if you have it serviced or when you do sell or trade it.

Strengthwise, either plastic welding or JB weld should be more than adequate. I would opt for the plastic weld because it may be cleaner looking, and because in the unlikely event the plastic weld should ever fail, you can always revert to the JB weld. (You couldn't do it the opposite way).

 

[LongRanger_imp]

If it were my wallet, I'd attempt the repair and live with the results.

 

[thebrawnyman_imp]

If the bike's a new 2017 EX or a low miles 2014 DLX, i would "consider" a new replacement.
But if it's a 2014 standard, I'd just JB weld that crack.
That's just me...others may not feel as nonchalant as i do with this issue...

Its a 2014 DLX with ~ 7500 miles.

If it were my bike, I certainly would repair it. Not only for the cost savings, but because the bikes actual mileage would be rolled back to zero, a problem if you have it serviced or when you do sell or trade it.

Strengthwise, either plastic welding or JB weld should be more than adequate. I would opt for the plastic weld because it may be cleaner looking, and because in the unlikely event the plastic weld should ever fail, you can always revert to the JB weld. (You couldn't do it the opposite way).

I was wondering about the speedo being reset to 0. I haven't consulted my service manual yet but I was really hoping the on-board computer and memory was not housed in the dash but elsewhere. If it was, I could swap it out without any resetting problems. I'm assuming from what you said that this will not be the case.

 

[Desert viper_imp]

Is the part # 37120-MGC-N41, meter Assy....? $587.15 at Babbitts....try COMEBACK10 code for a 10% discount in case you need to replace it. ($528)
That’s the part # for the standard....the deluxe is 37200-MGC-A71....$573.39 retail...$516 discounted
I think POWERDUBS has an even better discount code...

 

[pekingduck]

On all Honda motorcycles (with the possible exception of the new Gold Wing), the odometer reading is burned into a chip in the actual meter assembly and is not changeable. The tripmeter zeroes out when the key is shut off or power is disconnected.

 

[alprider]

i am a friend of original whole parts....

 

[thebrawnyman_imp]

On all Honda motorcycles (with the possible exception of the new Gold Wing), the odometer reading is burned into a chip in the actual meter assembly and is not changeable. The tripmeter zeroes out when the key is shut off or power is disconnected.

Interesting, makes sense to avoid tampering... and easy replacement...

 

[flynrider]

I fixed this on my '13 model last year (after a deer impact).

The '13 and '14 have different meters, but I think the procedure is basically the same.

On mine, both the outer cover and the inner (white) plastic mount were both badly cracked. Instead of buying new meters (which will reset your odometer), I opted to buy the plastic outer cover and plastic board mount separately. As I recall, the cost was less than $100 for both pieces. Here's a short post I made about it :

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3268&pid=205961#pid205961

If your outer plastic is intact and the inner (white) plastic piece just has a single crack, I'd definitely go with a JB weld or other epoxy fix.

BTW, that "loose" feeling on the meters is normal. They're rubber mounted and can easily be moved by hand.

 

[thebrawnyman_imp]

I fixed this on my '13 model last year (after a deer impact).

The '13 and '14 have different meters, but I think the procedure is basically the same.

On mine, both the outer cover and the inner (white) plastic mount were both badly cracked. Instead of buying new meters (which will reset your odometer), I opted to buy the plastic outer cover and plastic board mount separately. As I recall, the cost was less than $100 for both pieces. Here's a short post I made about it :

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3268&pid=205961#pid205961

If your outer plastic is intact and the inner (white) plastic piece just has a single crack, I'd definitely go with a JB weld or other epoxy fix.

BTW, that "loose" feeling on the meters is normal. They're rubber mounted and can easily be moved by hand.

Yea, the only piece cracked is the white plastic piece. The other piece has a small nick that I can live with. I looked at your post and I found it interesting when you talked about the amount of screws it took. When I disassembled mine last night, it took only seven screws to get to it.

 

[Cormanus]

On all Honda motorcycles (with the possible exception of the new Gold Wing), the odometer reading is burned into a chip in the actual meter assembly and is not changeable. The tripmeter zeroes out when the key is shut off or power is disconnected.

Do you mean the tripmeter resets when you switch off the ignition? Mine doesn’t.

 

[dave]

If you are going to repair it I suggest using an epoxy called Marine Tex. You can purchase it at a store that sells boats and accessories, and it is much better than JB weld. Comes in white and gery.

 

[flynrider]

I fixed this on my '13 model last year (after a deer impact).

The '13 and '14 have different meters, but I think the procedure is basically the same.

On mine, both the outer cover and the inner (white) plastic mount were both badly cracked. Instead of buying new meters (which will reset your odometer), I opted to buy the plastic outer cover and plastic board mount separately. As I recall, the cost was less than $100 for both pieces. Here's a short post I made about it :

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3268&pid=205961#pid205961

If your outer plastic is intact and the inner (white) plastic piece just has a single crack, I'd definitely go with a JB weld or other epoxy fix.

BTW, that "loose" feeling on the meters is normal. They're rubber mounted and can easily be moved by hand.

Yea, the only piece cracked is the white plastic piece. The other piece has a small nick that I can live with. I looked at your post and I found it interesting when you talked about the amount of screws it took. When I disassembled mine last night, it took only seven screws to get to it.

Did you remove the circuit boards from the white plastic piece? The majority of the screws were holding the circuit board to the white piece (at least on the '13 model). As I recall, there were about 8 screws per side and they were all in there very tight. Another good reason to do an epoxy repair if you can.

 

[pekingduck]

On all Honda motorcycles (with the possible exception of the new Gold Wing), the odometer reading is burned into a chip in the actual meter assembly and is not changeable. The tripmeter zeroes out when the key is shut off or power is disconnected.

Do you mean the tripmeter resets when you switch off the ignition? Mine doesn’t.

Do you mean the tripmeter resets when you switch off the ignition? Mine doesn’t.
Sorry Cormanus, you're right. I meant to say if battery disconnected or meter unplugged.

Tripmeters (and radio stations on factory radios) will retain their settings, and clocks will keep time if the ignition key is just switched off, but will reset if the battery or the meter assembly is disconnected.

On Hondas, there is a battery backup wire (red/green) that does not go through the key switch, and always maintains a small amount of current draw for the memory for tripmeters and clock (and radio stations on factory radio models).

 

[peterbaron]

Sorry to hear..if it were my bike, everything would be installed back to its previous condition by OEM parts. No substitute.
Good luck

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

If bike scars add character and the subassembly still works and does not allow ingress of rain water, fixing might be a practical choice. There are UV-cured bonding products that can be successfully used on heavy duty plastics. Maybe consider that option. But do check if they can withstand UV exposure (ironically) from the sun. Many traditional epoxies react to sun exposure.

 

[thebrawnyman_imp]

Update on this issue, I bought some two-part epoxy plastic weld and applied it the the cracked white housing along each fissure in the crack. Once it has dried it was rock solid and I bolted up everything to great success. Everything works and can handle any stress that is presented to it so far. I have put about 200 miles on it since the incident and the only way to tell it ever broke is a small 1/2 scrape on so plastic chrome. So everything turned out fine!

As another poster said, he would replace any part with new and I would love to have $700 to spend on a new speedo assembly but and then I'd have to deal with a malfunctioning speedo on the title which may cost me a grand in negotiating power if I were to ever sell the bike.

I performed all repairs myself with great help from the full service manual. The manual is a great $60-$80 investment that I highly recommend.