This was not the original in my 77Flh. The tach is bottomed where it’s shown. It moves as if where it is, is 0 rpm. Speed is accurate. Thanks for any info you might have.

 

Looks like an aftermarket part.
Similar units in J & P catalog or from V Twin manufacturing, Drag Specialties.
Looks like no trip meter/odometer.

 

Thanks a lot. Now a follow up question. The tach bottoms at over 2500 rpm. Can this be reset? Also, I changed the points over to breakerless ignition but I don't recall whether the tach worked right before I made that change. Anything I can do with the tach?

 

The needle rides on a pin, most likely. You could check with a speedo shop (assuming there are some still around) to see if they can re-align the needle for you.

 

What does bottoms at 2500 RPM mean to you?
Motor running?
Motor OFF?
For example: If it is stuck at 2500 RPM with motor OFF then perhaps the needle is not set on pin correctly as instructed earlier.
If it starts at 2500 RPM with motor ON then you really need to find out what the actual RPM are on the bike...is bike reving really really high?
or perhaps the unit is getting twice the spark signal...like when the plugs are fired independently.

 

i doubt it is idling that high or he would have said. however, knowing who made the thing is important and yes some aftermarket ignition module have diff parameters when it come to the tach. if it is just hung there and does not move running or not, it probably is shot and removing the bezel is more trouble than it is worth. however, if it is broke then you cannot break it.

 

Thanks for writing men. 2500 means the location of the needle relative to the corresponding number. The needle will not go below 2500 when the engine is off. However when the engine is running the needle will move less than 2500. Down to about 2000 but the actual rpm is what I would describe as normal by my ear. When I twist the throttle it'll rev up over 4000 on the dial. I'm not sure what it really is but I doubt it's that much.
as far as twice the spark, I was wondering about that since I changed the points over to electronic ignition but it's been too long ago to remember what the tach read with points.
I kind of tossed that idea because it reads so high when the motor's off.
I guess I'll have to put another tach on it to compare #'s?

 

what ign did you install and what mode single or dual fire?
just being parked there probably is an indicator of it being bad. there should be a hair spring that returns it to zero and the unit probably uses a frequency to voltage output to swing the needle. one thing you can try is to pull the sensor and see if the tip has magnetic particles on it which will skew the output.
oops i think your model taps off the ign coil.

 

I'm going to have to dig through some old stuff to find the answers but I'm sure it taps off the coil. I have seen Drag Specialties combo speedo tachs advertised.