New Speedo Cable Broke

[RSBob]

Last weekend, I replaced my old jumpin speedo cable - probably the original. One nice feature it had, was on the end where it inserted into the speedo. It had something like an elbow joint where it connected to the speedo, so the cable wasn't stressed.

The new OEM German cable didn't have the elbow, so I just inserted the new cable in the back of the speedo and motored on. About 5 miles down the freeway I heard a ticking sound and then bam the speedo dropped to zero - game over. The dam thing snapped in half about 1.5 inches where it inserted.

I know hundreds of cables have been replaced successfully.
Do you think it was a defective unit, or did I need to be far more careful in making a gradual angle to attach to the speedo? Or is there an elbow joint I can buy along with the new cable?