Another Tachometer Question - Dangling brown wire...

[Guest]

Greetings All:

I spent a bunch of time searching other postings looking for an answer. But I've yet to find just the right posting with just the right piece of information. So I'm giving this a try. I'm betting it's pretty simple for someone out there to answer.

SO...

'83 GS1100ES. Electronic tach. I'm pretty sure the '83 GS1100E/ES always had an electronic tach and not the mechanical type? I had to rebuild my electrical system which meant a new wiring harness. Also had to piece together an instrument cluster from the original unit and one from (I think) a GS1150. The actual tach's are the same. Both have the same three wires, orange(ish), black(ish) and brown. Based on other posts, orange is power, black is ground and brown should be the signal.

The big question... where does the brown wire connect to something? Back of the tach, the brown wire is short with a connector. I can't figure out what that brown wire should connect to. Not on the new wiring harness. Not on the old wiring harness. Not on the wiring harness from my '83 GS1100E parts bike. Mind you, both the old harness and one from the parts bike were in pretty sad shape. Can anyone tell me what the brown wire actually connects to and maybe even a picture showing where the connection is?

The rest of the electrical is all connected, everything seems to work, and the bike actually runs. I just can't figure out what to do with the darned brown wire on the tach?

Thanks...

[posplayr]

It will go to the negative side of the tach; where the ignitor hooks up. Y/b and W if I recall. O/w is for sure not it.
either side 1-4 or 2-3 but not both.

[GSX1000E]

Are you referring to the HOT brown wire that most of these models have for an accessory?

[Sandy]

Actually it is for the front park light on european models and is common with the rear taillight. Works either with key in the park light position or with the lights on. And yes, very handy to use for accessories.

Are you referring to the HOT brown wire that most of these models have for an accessory?

[GSX1000E]

Yes, used for running lights on models so equipped. '82-up, right?

[63ronin]

I'm referring to the actual tachometer - within the instrument cluster. There are three wires off the tachometer. I thought orange was 12V. Black was ground. Brown was the signal that drives the tach. The brown wire goes from the back of the tachometer to...? And what type of connection is at the far end of the wire (not the tachometer side).

[posplayr]

If you have the GS1100E manual , the GS1100SD has a electronic tach and might provide a clue. (see pg 16-21).

Obviously nothing else is.

[eil]

Over in this thread, I talk about converting my '81 750E from mechanical to electronic tach: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ach-conversion

Here is how I wired it up:

• Orange: +12V, I crimped an eyelet terminal onto this wire and bolted it onto the +12V terminal on the fuel gauge (also orange, I believe).
• White: Ground, spliced a male bullet connector onto this one and stuck it into a free four-wire bullet connector on a ground wire in the headlight bucket.
• Brown: Signal, ran a wire back to the Black/Yellow wire on the #2 coil and made a solder splice there.

I'm pretty sure you can connect the signal wire to either coil, but I went with #2 mainly because that's what Suzuki did on the '83 750E, which is where my tach came from.

Hope this helps.

[63ronin]

Over in this thread, I talk about converting my '81 750E from mechanical to electronic tach: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ach-conversion

Here is how I wired it up:

• Brown: Signal, ran a wire back to the Black/Yellow wire on the #2 coil and made a solder splice there.

I'm pretty sure you can connect the signal wire to either coil, but I went with #2 mainly because that's what Suzuki did on the '83 750E, which is where my tach came from.

Hope this helps.

OMG... That's the piece of info I was looking for! You had to do a solder splice to get the signal from the coil to the tach. See, I'm pretty sure the '83 GS1100E/ES wiring harness had a connector for this. But the new wiring harness I got might not exactly fit the ES. And the old wiring harness were either too burnt or spliced/botched for me to tell where the signal came from. SO... seems I might have to wire in a similar splice.

Thanks for the info.