Tach needle jumping around...

[JonnyO]

Ok. With the key on the B/Br give me a reading of 11.22.
With the bike running I get 12.7 with the white wire. No reading at all not running.
What say you guys?

[motoman]

JonnyO, being not sure where your at with the electrical system, A very common issue is the STOP/RUN switch which completes the running circuit. Due to exposure to weather elements, internally the contacts will cause a voltage drop. Unplug from harness wire, remove switch from handle bars and drop it in a cup of Evapo=Rust for a couple hours then remove it and wash it out with water in your house sink. Blow it out dry with an air hose. Re-attach it all to handle bars and this will eliminate any unknown voltage drop.[ Doing this will also brighten up the red insert of the switch]. BTDT, so give that a go.

[DEEBS11]

Ok. With the key on the B/Br give me a reading of 11.22.
With the bike running I get 12.7 with the white wire. No reading at all not running.
What say you guys?

When you check the white wire to ground with the engine running your meter should be on AC and not DC. It's an analog signal not a direct current signal. It only works when the engine is running and generating AC voltage (before it is rectified in the regulator). I am going to guess that this signal is OK. My point was more pointed in the direction of checking to make sure the connections were clean. Especially the two ground connections on one of the screws holding down the regulator under the gas tank.

[JonnyO]

Awe hell! I just spent 20 minutes writing out a reply and wiped it out with one push of a button.
Anyway, I'll check the regulator screws. Thank you!

[cajun31]

Awe hell! I just spent 20 minutes writing out a reply and wiped it out with one push of a button.
Anyway, I'll check the regulator screws. Thank you!

I would not discard what Motoman (Brant) suggested. Those welds in these old controls can break loose over the years. Might want to take a look in there, While you are at it you might want to check the left hand controls too. I am thinking at this point that your problem lies in dirty connections or a voltage regulator/rectifier slowly going bad.

[JonnyO]

I would not discard what Motoman (Brant) suggested. Those welds in these old controls can break loose over the years. Might want to take a look in there, While you are it you might want to check the left hand controls too. I am thinking at this point that your problem lies in dirty connections or a voltage regulator/rectifier slowly going bad.

OK thanks. Appreciate you seconding his suggestion. Guess that's next as I've still the faulty tach reading. Now to figure out how to do that.
Funny. I found a box with new start/off and headlight switches. Might be for a 650 I had though. Thanks again.

[JonnyO]

JonnyO, being not sure where your at with the electrical system, A very common issue is the STOP/RUN switch which completes the running circuit. Due to exposure to weather elements, internally the contacts will cause a voltage drop. Unplug from harness wire, remove switch from handle bars and drop it in a cup of Evapo=Rust for a couple hours then remove it and wash it out with water in your house sink. Blow it out dry with an air hose. Re-attach it all to handle bars and this will eliminate any unknown voltage drop.[ Doing this will also brighten up the red insert of the switch]. BTDT, so give that a go.

Is there anything else I can use to clean it or another method? I can get it off but don't have the Evapo stuff.

[JonnyO]

Is there anything else I can use to clean it or another method? I can get it off but don't have the Evapo stuff.

I was wrong. I can't get it off. The philips heads on the switch-I used a good screwdriver head but they won't budge. I've used a tool in the past, some type of impact driver but don't have it now. So there's the idea to clean out the switch out the window.

[JonnyO]

I was wrong. I can't get it off. The philips heads on the switch-I used a good screwdriver head but they won't budge. I've used a tool in the past, some type of impact driver but don't have it now. So there's the idea to clean out the switch out the window.

I can feel the metal giving way as I try to turn them.

[cajun31]

I can feel the metal giving way as I try to turn them.

If you are going to continue to own any Japanese bike you would be well served to invest in a good set of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screwdrivers and an impact wrench with JIS bits. If you round out the heads on those screws you will be drilling and tapping them. You can still get the screws from most hardware stores. They are all metric of course. Once you get in them you can decide how you want to clean them. Evaporust is available at Harbor Freight Tools. Shows you have one in Surprise if not in Sun City West.

[DEEBS11]

[JonnyO]

Well, I'll get this later today. chinee made ( and surely pure junk ) and not a quality Jap product but if it can get the job done today or tomorrow it'll be worth it as it will let me "git 'er done" as opposed to waiting for 4 weeks for shipping from Japan. And of course Cajun's right about getting a quality made tool but I'll obsess OCD over the wait time.

[JonnyO]

If you are going to continue to own any Japanese bike you would be well served to invest in a good set of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screwdrivers and an impact wrench with JIS bits. If you round out the heads on those screws you will be drilling and tapping them. You can still get the screws from most hardware stores. They are all metric of course. Once you get in them you can decide how you want to clean them. Evaporust is available at Harbor Freight Tools. Shows you have one in Surprise if not in Sun City West.

Thank you for the excellent advice. I'll hit HF later as there's one real close to me in SCW.

[JonnyO]

[QUOTE=DEEBS11;n882642]

When you check the white wire to ground with the engine running your meter should be on AC and not DC. It's an analog signal not a direct current signal. It only works when the engine is running and generating AC voltage (before it is rectified in the regulator). I am going to guess that this signal is OK. My point was more pointed in the direction of checking to make sure the connections were clean. Especially the two ground connections on one of the screws holding down the regulator under the gas tank.

Thanks. That's what I had done. My mechanic buddy had instructed me to do the same as I'd no idea, honestly, but will try to find out how to use the tool properly.

[JonnyO]

So I was in the checkout line at HF and thought, " Hey, maybe they have an impact driver!". lol $10 bucks. Did the job. :-)
As you can see, the heads on the screws weren't really too badly "stretched" from me trying to get 'em loose before using the impact wrench so I'll just use a little blue Loctite on 'em when I put 'em back. I presume dunking the whole unit in the Evapo without unscrewing it all apart was ok? I just left it attached ( though unplugged, as I sprayed the separated plugs with contact spray last night ) and put a glass on my compressor and dropped the whole switch in the glass and filled it up with Evapo. Moto said leave it for a couple hours...Is 3 good enough/too long?