Did this quite some time ago and have since opened up the instrument panel several more times. First time was to “fix” the stock (2006) rev meter/RPM needle that had become off by a little at first, then gradually worked its way around the dial to the other side. Below are the pics and notes from cracking open the panel and what I found the first time. I’ve read about a number of other people having the same issue, but don’t know if it’s specific to certain years or models. Since then, months later, it started to roam again and ultimately the needle completely popped out and fell to the bottom (kinda funny). I opened it up again and popped it back on, set it to zero, and it’s working again but who knows for how long. It’s past warranty now so I’m just living with it until I find something cool to replace the stock unit, but FWIW I was told by a dealership mechanic afterwards that technically it’s a “problem” if I admit to doing this and then ask them to replace it under warranty, so keep quiet about it if you do stuff like this under warranty or at least don't mention it to the dealership.
Original write up...
Opened up the instrument panel to correct a rev counter gone rogue. It’s been working for 4 rides post fix, but am not certain what action actually fixed it, or if it will last. All I really did was to turn the needle back around to 0. Pretty technical eh?!
Rev counter needle started moving counter clockwise one day and ended up pointing straight down, and eventually 11 became the new 0. Not wanting to replace it and lose my mileage count, I figured I’d give surgery a try first. Cuz it's fun to DIY right?
First remove the two allen head screws(?) that mount the panel.
Next unplug the main wiring harness connector, circled on left. The other two items circled are the threaded parts from under the allen head screws(?) removed above. Sorry, not sure of the technical term for those dealios. BTW, I did this with the battery attached as normal, no key in ignition, no problems, no mileage count lost, no worries.
This frees the entire instrument panel. Next remove the middle part of the panel which is held on at the bottom by one small screw (circled), and at the top it snaps over two raised bits/tabs (for lack of tech terms here). When you put it back, you can hear the part SNAP/CLICK into place.
Screw at the bottom
With the middle cover off, you can now remove the screw in the middle. This was a torx bit actually.
Next remove one screw from each side on the back.
Next remove the top cover that holds the clear lens on each side, but note the two tabs (one on each side) next photo circled in yellow.
You can either use a screw driver to push in on each one to un-latch them, or you can just push inwards on one side at a time and lift up from side to side.
Now you’ve got this.
Note the rubber gasket around the edge. For me this gasket didn’t seem to be glued and I didn’t end up removing it by itself. Similar to the previous step, I pushed inwards on each side of the gasket and wiggled it out still attached to the inner part (whatever you call that).
So, note the yellow circled part in the previous pic. You can see the main white board and the surrounding tabs that hold it down. In my case, the circled part of the main board was popped out of the tab, so I had to push it back down. Did that correct anything, who knows? Maybe it put the needle back in contact with the rest of the board? Couldn’t see.
Here’s a pic of the base for kicks.
Here’s a pic of the back side.
Here is a close-up of the rev counter side. See the circled part marked L for left? That same bit of plastic on the right was broken off. When I first opened it all up, that piece fell out, and was the cause of the rattle when I first took off the entire unit. I have no idea what its function is though, or if it mattered.
Lastly, I moved the rev counter needle back to zero (I turned it counter clockwise for what it’s worth).
Put it all back together and plugged it back in and turned it on…MAGIC, it did the usual instrument check and went from 0 to 11 and back to dead on 0.
I’ve put a few hundred more miles on it and so far it’s still working fine. Have no idea what made it work again technically. Maybe I just released a few demons.
Hope this helps someone else.
-Brian
