Tach... or no tach?

hocbj23 wrote:

Electronic tach,J bike..When u install Dyna S,u unplug the igniter as the Dyna powers the coils.When u unplug the igniter,u lose the tach. I even installed a seperate tach pickup and it does not seem to help.Tach is still beaucoup bonkers....

Black-wire from tach connects to coil primary black-wire.

Am uncertain why method of coil primary grounding and ungrounding would matter to the tach.

Good Fortune!

[Click on image to enlarge view.]

Me neither,but apparently the tach does.Tach pickup is on the black wire,and it registers all over the map.I called the folks that make the pickup and have tried all their suggestions to no avail.Last time I called,thetech rep said that the pickup reads "square wave" signals and the bike may be emiting some other type signal.I am not an electrician,so I wouldnt know a "square wave signal" if it bit me in the bohunkus.At least as long as it doesnt make me glow green in the dark.So there u are.bj

the tach is my most favorite intrument!!! i love it! it is so useful. When i got my 550, the cable was busted, and the first thing i did was buy a new cable. It is just really useful for me, as far as shifting, and just everything... if it has a tach, fix it!!! but thats just my opinion.

hocbj23 wrote:

Me neither,but apparently the tach does.Tach pickup is on the black wire,and it registers all over the map.I called the folks that make the pickup and have tried all their suggestions to no avail.Last time I called,thetech rep said that the pickup reads "square wave" signals and the bike may be emiting some other type signal.I am not an electrician,so I wouldnt know a "square wave signal" if it bit me in the bohunkus.At least as long as it doesnt make me glow green in the dark.So there u are.bj

Then that explains it, 'cause the coils are round. :laugh:

Unfortunately, I don't know squat about aftermarket tach pick-ups, and was envisioning simply a basic splice into the black-wire to coil primary.

Wonder if other J bike owners with Dyna-S are experiencing the same tach problem?

Good Fortune!

I look at my tach MUCH more frequently than my speedo.

And I have a Dyna S too. I try not to run it >9k

hocbj23 wrote:

Electronic tach,J bike..When u install Dyna S,u unplug the igniter as the Dyna powers the coils.When u unplug the igniter,u lose the tach. I even installed a seperate tach pickup and it does not seem to help.Tach is still beaucoup bonkers.I dont drive by tach,but if u do,something to consider.Engine sound is quite enough to decide if u r overdoing things or not.Lol.bj

The Dyna S uses a super-long dwell. This means the time that coils are not getting primary current is too short for the tach to acknowledge. Most electronic tachs are looking for a more reasonable ratio of "on" time to "off" time for the coils. With the Dyna S, the coils are "on" almost all of the time.

If the tach can take signals from just one coil of a two-coil KZ, then I would think the adapter circuit would be easy to make.

How did the seperate tach pickup attach?

Have you tried an adapter circuit of any kind?

If you know your bike, you know when to shift. It is like driving a stick shift in a car. If you need a dummy light you shoulden't be driving one. My kz1000 came with one that did not work either so I ditched it.

john8 wrote:

If you know your bike, you know when to shift. It is like driving a stick shift in a car. If you need a dummy light you shoulden't be driving one. My kz1000 came with one that did not work either so I ditched it.

So when you're running up through the gears at wide open throttle you can tell by the sound and feel of your bike when it hits 9000 RPM (or what ever the readline is on your machine)? I'm impressed. I've put more than 50,000 miles on my bike and I cannot do that. I'll need to write to the factory motorcycle racing teams and give them the good news - they no longer need tachs. I'll also pass the news along to NASCAR. Thanks for the tip.

I do like my tach, and I do use it. But when im cruising I dont rely on my tach to know when to shift. I know how my bike runs and sounds when its time to shift, especially if im really ripping, I keep my eyes on the road!

Id say its not completely neccisary if you have a feel for your bike and dont bounce it off redline much.

Ditch it or keep it, its up to you...Cables are usually cheap.

650ed wrote:

john8 wrote:

If you know your bike, you know when to shift. It is like driving a stick shift in a car. If you need a dummy light you shoulden't be driving one. My kz1000 came with one that did not work either so I ditched it.

So when you're running up through the gears at wide open throttle you can tell by the sound and feel of your bike when it hits 9000 RPM (or what ever the readline is on your machine)? I'm impressed. I've put more than 50,000 miles on my bike and I cannot do that. I'll need to write to the factory motorcycle racing teams and give them the good news - they no longer need tachs. I'll also pass the news along to NASCAR. Thanks for the tip.

shift when it quits pulling
most people will never have the balls to redline a 900/1000,or the ass to hold it down ! :woohoo:

PLUMMEN wrote: "shift when it quits pulling"

The problem is my bike is still pulling hard as it hits redline (9k) so my concern is that when it quits pulling it might quit running because it blew up. :laugh:

ive never seen a stock bike that would keep making power all the way to redline without some upgrades,theres a differance between being able to rev to 9000 and making actual hp at 9000. :laugh:
most 900s-1000s even with a pipe quit making power closer to 7000-7500,but will still rev past that point.
allthough i must admit banging a big kaw through the gears at 8500 at a stop sign is something i hope to never grow tired of! :woohoo: