Tachometer question

I'd like to install a tach on my RZ but I really don't want to install a gear driven tach on the bike. I also run the bike with a Motoplat ignition and two coils. My wiring harness consists of only 5 wires. 2 wires for each cylinder and a kill switch. What tach would you all recommend I install? I checked out LP's catalog and their digital tach is cheap, but led numbers may be hard to read. Their mini tach says it works with both 2 and 4 stroke bikes whatever that means? Please keep in mind that I don't have a charging system and I really don't want to add a battery onto the bike just to power a tach. Thanks for the help.
Joe
P.S. I am not the type of rider that needs to rely heavily on a tach. I establish my shift points on the track and follow my visual references. I would use the tach during practice to help establish my reference points and keep from over-revving the engine thus saving wear and tear on the components.

 

Tach

Joe
If you like an analogue tach, the Skitsu is is a good choice and not overly expensive:

£115.00 no tax. X about a 1.6 exchange rate = $184.00 usd. Delivered by air.


http://www.scitsu.co.uk/

I use one, it has its own internal battery, you charge it from a car battery so it is easy to charge up at the track, it will give you between 6 and 8 hours of operation (track time, their claim) of operation on a full charge. It includes a nice anti vibration mount and is easy to read.

It is an inductive pick up so all you have to do is mount it and zip tie the pickup wire to your plug leads.

Bob

 

The other good thing about the scitsu is that it will work, for sure, with your Motoplat. Some tachs are not compatible with the Motoplat, including the inductive pickups on some Dynojet dynos.

 

Scitsu's probably the best choice. Maybe they make fuel gauges too?

 

Ut oh, here we go.........

 

Is there an unpublished story here?

 

Yup!, but I think only Joe can tell it.

 

I've had very mixed results with Scitsu's. Unless they are fully charged, they can be wildly erratic. Some of them are simply unreliable regardless of their condition. They are, however, readily available and easy to use. The best tach I've found is a Krober. They are available from Triple Cycles in the UK (I don't have the number readily available but I will post it shortly), and they are only slightly more expensive than a Scitsu. They are reliable, vibration proof, the needle does not swing randomly like Scitsu's are wont to do . . . all in all, exactly what you want in a tach.

 

Triple Cycles, 228 Henley Road, Ilford, Essex 1G1 2TW
0181 478 4807 phone & fax

 

Thanks for the info guys. Decision time now...

 

OK. I might as well get it out in the open now since maybe some people will forget by the time the 2003 season starts. Let me first say that I'm an idiot. Now, onto the story.

After having a great race with Lance on his Ducati 750ss in Clubman earlier in the day, I was really looking forward to the Formula 2-stroke race. I felt great, the bike felt great, and everything seemed to be going along superb. I prepped the bike about an hour before the race making sure tire pressure, chain slack, and gas was all set. Jon Jarvais even let me borrow his tire warmers with the hope that the extra heat will give me a slight edge the first lap. Since it was a cool day, I decided I better make sure the bike was properly heated up. Right before second call, we took the tire warmers off and I bump started the bike. Just after I get the bike started, there was a crash in T12 from the race before ours. Wendi (Jon's girlfriend) suggests I ride the bike around the pits trying to keep heat in the tires. I think that's a good idea so I start doing this. After a good 5 minutes or so, the helicopter comes over signalling that they need to transport the rider who went down in T12. So, I shut the bike down at this point. I'm thinking the gas situation should be fine since I put a little extra in. Besides I don't have any more mixed up anyway. Well, the red flag period takes much longer than expected due to repairs needed to the airfence. When we are finally ready to go, I need to warm the bike up again but not as long this time (so much for the tire warmers). Race time now. Mark gets his usual great launch off the line. Chris Spargo also launches great and is in second. I go up the hill in third with Tommy D. trying to pass me before T3. I shut the door on Tommy into T3. I then decide I have to get to Mark as soon as possible. I pass Chris on the right hander before the esses taking a sort of block pass manuever but I felt OK about it because the door was left wide open and I decided to trust my tires even though they had cooled down from being off the tire warmers. I close a little bit on Mark into T5 and get a good drive toward T6. Mark breaks early for T6 so I pass him there. I leave T7 wide open, hoping for a good drive out. Mark dives under me into T7 killing both our drives out. However, I've got motor on Mark. I finish the first lap in first place. The next 5 laps were great fun. Mark would show me a wheel or even pass me, but I always had a answer. Tommy got by me on the back straight twice I think, but I was always able to outbrake him into T10. I had heavily practiced late braking into T10 during the lightweight modern bikes practice earlier in the day. So, I led every lap across the finish line until the next to last lap. On that lap, I charge up the hill after T1 and just hold the gear instead of shifting. I normally don't do this, but I was running 1 less tooth on the back sprocket than ealier in the season, and it seemed to really save me some time in the T2/T3 transition. Well, as I created the hill, the bike hesitated for a brief moment. I immediately thought "damn, she's starting to seize.". Nobody passes me yet, so I use 7/8 throttle down through the esses. She pulls good out of T5, but I decide to shift a little bit earlier. I rail into T6 with no problem and through T7. Just as I pick the throttle up at the apex of T7 I get the power loss again. Then, I decide it's not worth risking a crash or taking out Mark, Tommy, or Chris with me since they were right on my back wheel. I immediately stay to the left and throw up my hand. I start cruising down the back straight at 1/4 throttle with visions of metal pieces bouncing around the combustion chamber. Well, I give the engine a few blips after letting it load up on gas and oil and she seems OK. So, instead of pulling into the pits with a DNF, I decide to stay out there and cruise around for the last lap so I can get the points and who know, maybe Tommy and Mark will take each other out - stranger things have happened. Well, that doesn't happen and Mark finished second and Tommy takes third place. I'm able to putt around and collect fifth. Initially, I'm really bummed because I felt that I had an answer for anything Mark, Tommy, or Chris threw at me. But, I then looked back on my first season and realized it was GREAT. I learned a lot and had a fantastic time. So, what really happened you ask? Well, it took me a few weekends to dig into the engine. As I pulled the cylinders off, the pistons and cylinders looked absolutely friggin perfect. The crank looked perfect, etc. My first suspicion was when I pulled the gas tank off. Hmmm, it sure does feel light. Not much liquid sloshing around in there. Tearing the top end off confirmed it. I was running out of gas!!!! Banked over for T1, T6, and T7 caused the gas to stray away from the petcock causing the hesitation which I thought was the start of an engine seizure. So, the good news is that I don't have to replace a bunch of engine parts or split cases. The bad news is that I lost a potential national championship over a lack of fuel on my part. Maybe if the race before hadn't been red flagged.........

 

..........maybe if the race before it wasn't red flagged.........

Or maybe if you ran with a full tank of gas!
For crying out loud you must be 130 pounds soaking wet.
Let's see, if I were on a screamer like yours you could add an extra 9 gallons of fuel and still motor on me..............oh wait............your gas tank is not that big is it....

Ok...................2 extra gallons of fuel
6 pack of beer (imported)...cans, as long as you safety wire them.
medium pizza deep dish..........2 toppings
Sony Palm Camcorder.....to get the great shots of you passing me.
Stadium cushion, because that seat can not be that comfortable
Backpack full of all the trophies you won all year long.
Tool kit..........you know those vintage guys can fix anything out on the track!

Hey, what do I know..............I am a midpacker novice.

Have a beer or three Joe.............eat a cheeseburger....make it a double.



You don't need no stinking tach! Think of the extra weight!

As long as everyone is having fun...............do what you want. Excuse me waitress, can I get a refill on my draft!



Just messing with you Joe...........don't run me off the track!

 

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha


ive get a hawk tach that might can be wired the glass is cracked
let me know if you wana get and see what happens

 

People Eating Tasty Animals; right?

 

only if you run over them first
ive never understood how you can hurt humans to
protect animals.

 

All in good fun. I guess this was one way to keep me motivated in the off season, eh?

 

let me know if you want me to bring the tach to bailys the next time we come

 

Yea, might as well bring it. Can't hurt to check it out.

 

Because there are humans that are less intelligent than animals.

 

Cool story!

A friend of mine used to race an RD350. He had dual petcocks on his tank...one on each side of the tank. Anyone here remember him...Paul Passarella???