Tachometer issue

[Guest]

1983 GS 1100 ES. I am having issues with my tach being very slow to respond and inaccurate. I have never messed with the tach on this bike but always assumed it had a tach cable. I was looking for the cable this morning but it appears the only cable entering the instrument cluster is the speedo cable which goes to the front wheel. I was looking on bikecliffs manuals for info on the tach but had a hard time finding the correct section. I see in the engine section of the manual that is says to 'remove the tachometer cable from engine side' but I cant make out in the pictures what they are referring to. Can anyone tell me how the tach works on this bike and where I might look to correct the issue? Where is that signal coming from/going to?

Thanks!

[dorkburger]

I’m pretty certain that the ES tach is electronic. I curious to what the cause is. My 1150 tach will ,on occasion, fluctuate a couple thousand rpm during steady cruising.

[GregT]

Usually - at least in my experience - problems with the electronic tachs are related to the electrical connections.
Pull the plug(s) for the instrument cluster and give them a squirt of contact cleaner.
Worth checking the harness where it rubs around the steering head too.

[last337]

Do you know which wire in the harness it is and where it gets the signal from?

[GregT]

Do you know which wire in the harness it is and where it gets the signal from?

Without looking at a wiring diagram (hint) not specifically which wire, no. But the signal will come from one of the coils usually.

[last337]

I have been over all the wiring diagrams for various years and cannot find one that shows the tachometer lead to the coil. The '83 ES is an oddball so it is hard to find which one is accurate. I see several 'tachometer light' references but nothing else. Any assistance is appreciated.

[Gorminrider]

You could goto BassCiffs site and download the VX800's manual. It is a totally different bike but the wiring diagram has an electronic tach that might give you a clue.
Suzuki commonly use the same system across many bikes...actually all makers share a lot.

Otherwise, from my Honda and that VX 800, look for a wire from your tach that taps the wire to the primary circuit of a coil...that is it taps the supply from the ignition box to the coil...

BikeCliff's Website

you might also look HERE: they have some diagrams and manuals...you want to look at newer bikes than the general run of our early 80s types...
Manuals!

[Skinner]

On my 82 Katana the black/yellow wire from the igniter to the coils provides the signal. This is in the harness that connects to the tachometer. Within the harness connector there is also a black/white wire (ground) and an orange/green wire. When you open up the tach the black/yellow wire corresponds to brown, black/white corresponds to white, and the orange/green will be either orange or orange/yellow.

My tach was inaccurate, jumped around, etc., and the only repairs I read about involved lubricating the mechanism and replacing some capacitors on the circuit board, both of which did not work for me. This was after cleaning all the connections, etc. I ended up getting a tach from a 95 GSX750 and using the internals to replace those on my Katana. I had to play with it a bit to make things fit, but my tach now works perfectly.