welp, i was wanting to clean up the tree area of the bike, and maybe get rid of the speedo.. i was wondering if there is any sort of tach that is similar to this one here that we can use... basically an electronic tach..
im guessing since we use a waste spark ignition, that a common electronic tach would read at twice the rpm's as it should due to the extra spark each rotation... still.. there has gotta be something out there that will work.. right?

 

well i learned that dual fire system is the same as waste spark.. so that tach will work. what i havent been able to gather is the advantage of using one or the other.. mechanical or electric..

a big reason why i want to change my tach is that it seems to be acting up. when i start the bike and leave it at idle, the tach doesnt do squat.. its not untill i rev er up to (what reads as) 2 or 3 grand that the tach actually jumps up to life. then it kind of seems to work, but there is a delay.. checked the cable, thats golden, i really think the tach is shot..

i read some reviews on the above tach and most people are saying its quite inaccurate.. so the search continues...

 

Both work well enough when they are in good condition. The advantages of an electric tach is that there is no drive cable to keep up and no drive gear on the cam cover (cone engines) or ignition ("distributer" engines) to leak oil. Because it is driven by a couple of wires, there are few restraints on mounting location. The disadvantages are that it doesn't work if you are having charging problems and it's usually expensive if it breaks.
The mechanical tach is simpler and a decent home mechanic can fix most things that go wrong. It works all the time, but you have to keep the drive cable lubed and in good order. Also, the need for a drive cable limits the mounting location.

 

awesome.good info.
part of the reason im leaning for electric is that my new s&s carb really pinches the tach cable, and the alternative which im using now is spacers on the carb, but that pushes it out farther than id like it. i think the electronic tach is gonna be my best bet. now to find one that has an appropriate style for an older bike.

 

Take a look at the Custom Chrome online catalog. They have a lot to chose from and they should all be setup for V twins.