Hey guys,

Just bought my second wee (to own, not concurrent), 08 from a mate who needed rid of it. It has been parked up for 9 months but was well maintained before that with no issues. 17k miles so only getting going really


It has an issue with it's speedometer, the needle flails up and down randomly when the bike is turned on, engine not running.
This actually adds mileage to the speedometer, about a mile every minute and a half without the bike moving or started. Tried basic cleaning, check for snags or debris at cable etc. No luck.
What is going on here, is this a sensor or cluster issue. Anybody ever experience this before.

Any help appreciated

Sounds like you have a rare self driving bike!

Does the bike start and run fine other then that? Or does the needle still jump around and add mileage.

How was the bike stored for those 9 months?

Last time I read about someone with a speedo issue, the culprit was discovered under the seat. One battery cable had wiggled loose at the terminal and, lacking solid contact, sent the dash computer into hysterics when the ignition was switched on.

Take a gander at the big main plug for the cowl and see if any of the connections have burned/melted/corroded.

Last resort, pull the dash and check the computer for water, signs of a short, evidence the bike was hexed, etc.

what do you mean by "hexed"?

Where are you located? I have a spare cluster for an '04 Wee. It's not pretty (smashed through the lens, broken mounts), but fully functional when I replaced it. Certainly adequate for testing purposes.

My replacement went crazy with wild needle toward the end of a few hundred mile day with high speeds and heavy rain. Next day was dry and speedo is fine since. Maybe open yours up and let it dry out real good?

Look for a faulty electrical connection. This bikes needles both go to max and then back to zero when the key is turned on.

Disconnect the main wiring plug LH side of the steering head and check for corrosion, then every other plug you can find in the faring, and then as Bogfarth suggests the battery connections. Was it stored in a damp/cold shed?

So I got the bike back to mine, stripped all the fairing off, checked and cleaned connections/sensor plug on right hand side and at cluster, had a new chain, sprocket, front bearing, fork seals, service and checked valves, put it all back together and the problem is solved for now anyway.

The battery was new this week and I fitted it, so i don't think that was the issue in the first place, the bike was stored outside under a lean-to with a decent cover on in South London
So out of direct rain but exposed to atmosphere

None of the connections appeared corroded or had surface oxidation as far as I could tell.

So difficult to ascertain if it was a simple clean and reconnect of the system, or 48 hrs in a dry slightly warmer workshop(15 degrees C maybe) that has solved it.

Hopefully won't reappear, was a bizarre one.

Thanks for the spare cluster offer, hopefully not needed at the moment.

hexed = bad ju ju

pretty moist environment, and when stored for periods (inside/outside) mice can become a problem.

hopefully it was just an iffy connection.

Pagan symbology on the circuit board, frog toes behind the speedo, general witchcraft, etc. Ya know, hexed.