Hello everyone.
It's been a long time since I have sought your help. I have a 2004 VTX1300C. At lower revs the speedometer vibrates on its mounts and the plastic bezel rattles against the chromed plastic outer housing. It is loud enough to wake the dead or at least the sleepy. If you put your finger on the bezel it quiets right down. I have had it apart and added small strips of adhesive backed foam around the bezel. I think it helped for a while but it has gotten very loud as of late. The space between the two plastic parts is complex in shape so it is hard to get the strips just right. Here are the options I am considering
-- is there a factory cut gasket that has worn out and I should just order?
-- Or try to hand cut more foam strips to fill the void.
-- Adding spacers to the speedo mount to move the bezel away from the housing. I worry this will cause an interference below the speedo or look like crap.
-- injecting the space between the bezel and housing with clear silicone caulk/sealant. This will fill the complex shape but I'm concerned that it will be hard to do and not show. It may not work where the bezel is closest to the housing. Where the silicone Xsection is thin it may not damp the vibration or may wear through in short order.

I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this and found a fix.

many thanks.

 

Well I was going to suggest clear silicone but you thought of that,my suggestion would be to use small dabs around the connecting parts that way it wouldn't ooze out into view,or use a double stick panel tape 3M makes the best. Good luck and let's us know how you solved the problem.

 

I have fixed the rattle problem. I cut 3/16 thick slice of a cellulose kitchen sponge and placed it between the vertical wall on the bottom edge of the clear bezel and the vertical wall of the mating chrome housing. Will see how it works over time and in the rain.

After I did this I saw another post on the VTXCAFE forum. A fellow jammed a piece of black rubber spline used for assembling a window screen in the gap. I like this idea better. The material is black and doesn’t absorb water.

If my fix fix falls down over time I will move to the rubber slpine.

Thanks for your reply.