There are two main options to add a tach:

1. You can purchase a tach/speedo unit from HD or Dakota Digital; or
2. You can get an aftermarket tach, e.g. from Ebay or Amazon.

If you buy an aftermarket tach, make sure it is suitable for two cylinder engines and has an inductive pick up.

 

If you just want a small tach, have a look at the Microtach from Speedway instruments.

 

Dakota Digital 3204......love mine. Gives you a bunch of other cool info too. You can pick one up on eBay for around $320. Plug and play

 

I also would love a tech the one I want is H-D factory tech. It's around. $ 285.00 plus tax. And I sure it's a PnP as well. But my question would be are they a useful add-on? I personally know when to shift. Or is it some else just to say " mine has a tech ". Just wondering.

 

I agree you don't need a tachometer since your bike already has a built in rev- limiter.

The only advantage I could see to adding a tach to my bike would be to let me know where to shift Before the rev-limiter kicks in which happens more than I like.
If i was able to bypass the limiter entirely then a tachometer would definately be needed.

 

My '01 1200 XLH came with the tach already installed. While HD doesn't show one for the 1200, it does have one for the 883. I'm pretty sure that's the unit that's on the bike.

I added the tach/speedo combo unit to my '07 XL1200C. In order to get it into the house, I had to remove the handle bars from the mount. The hardest part was installing the optional gas gauge. Also, there's no gear indicator. I think both of these features might be standard on the '08s and later, so you would only need to add the guage.

While I don't use my tach at every shift, there are times when I do look at and want that information. While I suppose that I could live without it, every bike that I've ever owned had a tach as standard equipment, so I've gotten used to having one.