Instrument Cluster Issues

[wanderlust kid]

I just recently bought a 87 K75S and it has been running like a dream mechanically, but I have recently run into some instrument cluster electrical problems.

I took it from Asheville NC to Atlanta and back this last weekend, it ran great, but on the way back the gear indicator started displaying the wrong gear or would flicker back forth between 4 and 5 while I was in 5th. After this happened for a while the neutral light started staying on or flickering while I was in 1st or 2nd.

Now the tachometer, the gear indicator, the neutral light and the hazard light (the entire right side of the unit) does not work.

The speedo still works fine as does the trip and mileage gauges.

Any ideas or places to start would be much appreciated. I'm pretty green when it comes to electrical work but would like to avoid buying a whole new unit.

Thanks.

[Scott_]

Sounds like you may have some dirty ground connections. There are multiple grounds for the cluster.
One of the main ground connection points is under the fuel tank just behind the head stock.

[JamesInCA]

The cluster is also notorious for problems with the connectors to the bike's wiring harness, on the back.

Pull the connectors, remove the cluster, and carefully clean the pins.

There are also connections within the cluster that may be at fault, but clean the easy ones first and see if that helps. People swear by both Stabilant 22 and DeOxit as contact cleaners/enhancers - they don't just get the grime off, they actively promote conduction when you put the connectors back together.

Lastly, the weirdness of the gear indicator and neutral light could also suggest problems with the gear position indicator switch, which is screwed into the back of the transmission. Since you're having a couple other, unrelated items in the cluster go out, that points more toward the cluster end of the wiring, but it's also possible there's more than one thing going on.