Which Multimeter?

[ardvark1]

In the process of getting me SF back from a 6 year sleep and I've come to the conclusion my current multimeter needs to go.

It was ok in the 70's and 80's but I think it's time to update?

I'm asking members of suggestions of one that will cover all motorcycle needs that I may come across.

ALL suggestions will be gratefully received.

Al

[dbeardslee]

I've a digital mm from Radio Shack that does what I need it to. I have thought about picking one up that reads rpm's though. I figured if I can find one that's accurate enough it might be helpful in tuning carbs.

Something like this is what I'm thinking about...

[Prothec]

I've a digital mm from Radio Shack that does what I need it to. I have thought about picking one up that reads rpm's though. I figured if I can find one that's accurate enough it might be helpful in tuning carbs.

Something like this is what I'm thinking about...

Wow, that does look nice with the tach for ~$85 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/ESI-585K-Delux.../dp/B000JFHMR0

This is the multi-meter I've had for a few years:

Innova 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter
http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Au.../dp/B000EVYGZA

[dbeardslee]

Wow, that does look nice with the tach for ~$85 on Amazon.

Beat you to it. I ordered one from Amazon right after I made the last post. This thread got me thinking about it again, and the next thing I knew....

[BowlingSS]

I would like one with a tach. That would help when tuning the carbs. How is it hooked up?

Bill

[BowlingSS]

I would like one with a tach. That would help when tuning the carbs. How is it hooked up?

Bill

I see how it is hooked up. This guy is on my list.

Bill

[dbeardslee]

I've read where some guys adjust their mixture with a tach. They adjust the screws for maximum rpms, but it takes a tach with pretty good resolution. The one on the ESI 585K is supposed to read from 0-3200 rpms, so I'm hoping that will work. I'm also expecting it to read twice the actual rpms since we've got waste spark coils. But that shouldn't matter for what I'm planning to do with it. The guys who do it say it works better than a colortune, and I can't wait to find out if they're right.

And one other thing I liked about the ESI 585K - it's got a five position sensitivity setting on the inductive clip, so hopefully it will allow for adjustment to pick up the pulses accurately. Although I never have any trouble picking up those pulses when I inadvertently touch one of those wires.

[BowlingSS]

I've read where some guys adjust their mixture with a tach. They adjust the screws for maximum rpms, but it takes a tach with pretty good resolution. The one on the ESI 585K is supposed to read from 0-3200 rpms, so I'm hoping that will work. I'm also expecting it to read twice the actual rpms since we've got waste spark coils. But that shouldn't matter for what I'm planning to do with it. The guys who do it say it works better than a colortune, and I can't wait to find out if they're right.

And one other thing I liked about the ESI 585K - it's got a five position sensitivity setting on the inductive probe, so hopefully it will allow for adjustment to pickup the pulses accurately.

Let everyone know how it works. I want one if it works as planned.

Bill

[dbeardslee]

Let everyone know how it works. I want one if it works as planned.

Bill

That can be arranged. I should have it around the middle of next week, and as soon as I get it in my hot little hands I'll test it out. I can never resist playing with new toys.

[MaximPhil]

In the process of getting me SF back from a 6 year sleep and I've come to the conclusion my current multimeter needs to go.

It was ok in the 70's and 80's but I think it's time to update?

I'm asking members of suggestions of one that will cover all motorcycle needs that I may come across.

ALL suggestions will be gratefully received.

Al

Hi Ardvark,
While the modern digital multi meter looks nice an old analog meter can still be accurate enough for our purposes. If you just want a new one then by all means get one but just because it is old does not make it bad.
Ohms and a 25 DC volt scale so 12.7 shows up in the middle(most accurate) of the range.
Phil

[IanDMacDonald]

In the process of getting me SF back from a 6 year sleep and I've come to the conclusion my current multimeter needs to go.

It was ok in the 70's and 80's but I think it's time to update?

I'm asking members of suggestions of one that will cover all motorcycle needs that I may come across.

ALL suggestions will be gratefully received.

Al

Depends on your budget. You can go cheap or expensive, or in-between. However, what about "used" & "good"? I don't recommend anything other than what I use: Fluke & BK Precision. You might find used Flukes on eBay/Craigslist for cheap.

[dbeardslee]

ESI 585K came in today. I hooked it up to plug #1 and it was bouncing around a lot. I put in a fresh battery and it settled down considerably. Still some bounce, but since the engine doesn't idle at a perfectly constant rpm, I guess that's to be expected. Probably why motorcycle tachometers bounce a bit rather than having the needle dead still. I diddled around with the mixture screw on #1 a little as I can tell by the pipes it's running a little rich. I turned it in about 1/8th turn, and sure enough the rpms went up a tad.

I think there's probably about as much art as science to using a tach to adjust carbs, and I'm going to have to get serious with some tuning before I'll really know how well this works. One thing I did discover - it's got settings for 2 stroke, 4 stroke, and DIS, and if you set it to 2 stroke it will actually give you an accurate rpm reading with our waste spark ignitions. I also found that the inductive probe has to be clipped on in the right direction. I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, so naturally I put it on the wrong way first and didn't get any reading. Turned it around and it worked fine.

It's a lot bigger than my other multi-meters, and the carrying case is downright huge in comparison - about the size of a bible. It's also a much nicer case than my others have - considering they're in blister packs and this thing is made out of nylon. The DMM itself has a rubber outer case with two different size "kick stands" built into it. And if you take the rubber case off, there's a third kick stand on the back of the unit. I actually kind of like those - not sure I need three though. The rubber outer case also has clips for your test leads, and I kind of like that. And all the test leads have protective covers on both ends which I also like.

Seems well made, and it looks like it will do what I need it to. But as I said, the jury is still out on how well the tach will work for carb tuning. One way to find out, and I'll be getting to that in the next few days.