Gauge cleaning

[KarlM]

My new ride (71 CB 750 K1) has moisture on the inside of the glass after getting caught in a thunderstorm.
This bike has not been outside or ridden in 25 years.  I assume the speedo and tach weatherproofing is failing.  I am going to have them refinished/restored this winter.  In the meantime is there a way to clean the inside of the glass without making it an all day project.  I suspect the latter....
Thanks
Karl

[LukeM]

One thing to try:

Remove the speedometer.
Get a large ZipLoc type bag (freezer bags work best).
Put speedometer in the bag.
Add about 1-2 pounds of rice to the bag.
Seal up the bag.

About every hour or so, agitate the contents.

The rice will absorb some/most of the moisture in the speedo.  I've used this trick on cellphones that got wet, and it works more often than it doesn't. Once you get the moisture out, you can then diagnose how the water got in there.

Good luck, and let us know what happens.
Luke M

[shinyribs]

That trick actually works?! Cool,I've heard of it but never really considered it as a real deal. If Luke says it works i'll give it a go. I got a foggy tach myself

[seestheday]

Rice is basically a cheap and readily available desiccant.  If you can get a hold of a significant quantity of dry silica gel it would work much better/faster.  

Dry silica gel is the stuff that's in those packets in lots of packaged good that say "do not eat".

[LukeM]

Point taken, but I don't know where you could buy 3-4 kg of dry dessicant. :-)  Rice is locally available, cheaper, and biodegradable.

However, upon reflection, here in the US they do sell stuff you can put in your basement that will absorb moisture, and keep mold growth down.  It usually comes in a 2-3 lb tub, you take the lid off, and every other day or so, you drain off the water on top of the stuff.   Maybe that would work as well.

I have done the wet-cellphone-rice thing a couple of times, and it does dry up the phone pretty well. You have to be patient, and let it do its thing. I'd say give the rice thing a try.  At worst, you're out one ziploc-type freezer bag, and maybe $1-2 in rice...which you could cook later, if you didn't mind it tasting like cellphone.

Luke M

[seestheday]

Oh sorry, didn't mean any offense. The rice is a great idea. I've used it several times.

I haven't used a more potent dessicant in quite a while as I no longer have access to university chem/physics labs.

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

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From: "LukeM [via Honda CB750'S]" <[hidden email]>

Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 09:20:20 -0700 (PDT)

To: seestheday<[hidden email]>

Subject: Re: Gauge cleaning

Point taken, but I don't know where you could buy 3-4 kg of dry dessicant. :-)  Rice is locally available, cheaper, and biodegradable.

However, upon reflection, here in the US they do sell stuff you can put in your basement that will absorb moisture, and keep mold growth down.  It usually comes in a 2-3 lb tub, you take the lid off, and every other day or so, you drain off the water on top of the stuff.   Maybe that would work as well.

I have done the wet-cellphone-rice thing a couple of times, and it does dry up the phone pretty well. You have to be patient, and let it do its thing. I'd say give the rice thing a try.  At worst, you're out one ziploc-type freezer bag, and maybe $1-2 in rice...which you could cook later, if you didn't mind it tasting like cellphone.

Luke M

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[KarlM]

Thanks for the help.
Rice.......I 'll try it!
Seems I ask some strange questions and you guys come up with solutions...
Thanks again

[sgtslag]

I believe the dessicant can be purchased at hardware stores, if not Wal-Mart.  Great idea!  Thanks for sharing, Gentlemen!

[shinyribs]

Next time i have gauges apart I think im gonna glue a dessicant pack in there...or a few strategically placed kernels of rice.