Dashboard wiring/ Speedo/Tach

I have an '83 GPZ 550 and an '81 GPZ 550 motor. The motor has a mechanical tach but the display is for electric. I probably could find an '81 dash fine, but I don't like the display a whole lot anyway. Does anybody know how to convert the mechanical tach to electrical or vise-virsa? How hard is it to home-made wire your own neutral light and such?

Thanks,
Nate

You have to plug the hole where the tach cable comes out of the head. If your gauges are stock, they should already be hooked up to the coil...

My tachometer suddenly quit working right when I was starting my '79KZ650SR a few weeks ago. Cable looks OK, no leaks, looseness, or attachment problems. Is there any way to fix this tachometer? Replacement costs $175--Ouch!

I have an extra tach for a 750B (maybe a different redline, otherwise the same), and possibly a 79 650SR tach from my nephews GPz750/650SR conversion. I don't know what teh redline is on a 650, but my 80 750 twin tach has a 9,500 rpm redline, while I think the 76-79 750 twins have an 8,500 rpm redline, and it's the same motor. I have not seen an accurate one yet, so I don't guess it makes any difference

Enough thread hijacking.

A neutral light has a positive wire going to it, and the switch grounds it out, same with the oil light, high beam indicator is different though.
And like guitargeek said, if you used the 83 coils and wiring, the tach should be working. I think the 83 GPz750 uses a wire from the igniter to drive the tach though, I'm not sure about the GPz550.

I bet Loudhvx will know

Steell's right on. The wire from the ignitor to one of the coils is branched off to the tach.

Alright I'll have to check to see if the coil is wired up to the tach, I just saw the opening for the tach cable on the engine and none on the display and I panicked.

I was getting weird noises from my valve cover, pulled it, and found the molded-in tach drive gear on the cam is about 60% chewed up. The gear on the pinion that goes out to the tach cable is ok, and the Tach itself appeared to be working fine...very strange.
Rather than replace the cam, I would like to put an electric tach, that reads off the coil neg wire. I've read that I can use a standard tach and wire it off either of the 2 coils. Has anyone else done this? Does anyone know of a replacement tach that won't be too hard to retrofit cosmetically?

Post edited by: Wild & KZ Guy, at: 2005/11/25 13:43

...doin' some more thinkin'..(coupla beers always helps); How about if I buy a new electrical tach, like a "Sun" or something, and replace the original mechanical tach guts with the Sun guts? Plug the pinion hole on the head, and "I be Tackin'"! Think about it..Intriguing, huh?