Metal ring around speedo / rpm clock rd400

[rd400greenhorn]

Hi guys
So, how do I remove this ring?Its a Alloy ring, Black, around the speedo/odometer gauge
Any tips?

One is dented and thought if i could change and or fix Them up.

[Fredg411]

It is crimped on. You have to pry the bottom edge up all the way around. The underside looks really nasty after you crimp it back on ( unless you are more skilled than  I am. Happily it doesn't show. I used bondo to fix the dents in mine - no uncrimping. Satin black paint.

[pidjones]

There are several Youtube videos and web pages descibing how to open and close the cases. While in there, you might add a fraction of a drop of thin spray silicone lubricant to the needle bearing as the lubricant in them dries and hardens with time making response slow. Don't get any on the face, though! Also, cleaning the lens and applying your favorite anti-fog is warranted.

[rodneya]

I saw something a while back where a guy used a butter knife to work them open and managed to close them up after and they looked perfect. I know if I tried there is no way I would have the patience.

[OnlyCrimnson]

I don't know how different it is from the 350 tach, but I've done those a few times. Just carefully pry up the ring with a thin blade or piece of metal. I think it would be hard to make it look perfect afterwards, but maybe.

[Diablo007]

I've used a painter's church key to start lifting the edge.  You may need to file the curved tip of the key (the part that lifts the edge of the paint can lid) to get a nice clean purchase.  Then I use a thin blade screwdriver and carefully lift the rest of the lip.  I think I may have used small needle nose pliers to finish bending the lip back enough to be able to remove the ring.  To re-clamp I use a brass punch with a flat tip to carefully bend the lip back into place, tapping gently all the way around the edge to finish.  It takes a lot of patience, in the end it looks good.  I've never been able to do it without leaving 'witness' marks though.

I've also used rings cut from a 3.50/4.00 inner tube that had to be replaced in one of my Honda Z50A's and used them as the anti vibration gaskets.  I used one ring around the body of the speedo or tach, more as necessary to get a decent fit, then layers of tape under the last ring until I had a snug but not tight fit.  Gauges didn't vibrate crazily after that, or pop out.  The reproduction rings might be better for the gauge internals but I didn't want to wait to go riding and haven't made the time to install them as I started working on other projects.  I haven't had any problems though.

[1976RD400C]

Are new metal rings available or do you just have to try to fix what you got?

[pidjones]

I suspect that there is a source for the rings. But, the rebuilders keep that information to themselves.

[AAAltered]

I've opened the clocks several times.  I wanted to add - be careful when prying it off, a little too much torque one way or another can crack the glass.

[SoCal250]

There's a vintage bike restoration guy in my area who claims in his ads that he has the correct "factory tool to open gauges" for refurbishing, whatever that means.