Tach Mod

[1ofnone]

Thanks alot ;D
I lowered the Tach's mount alittle and it looks a bit better...

1

[scooterman]

How accurate is it ? I just bought one for my up in coming ruckus and was wondering how it performs ? (bought it to make sure i get a ruckus LOL) should be in the mail today......grrr

[chanito]

;D It is the BEST ANALOG TACH for a single cyl engine waste spark ign. the info is extremely accurate and is the same signal the ECM uses

[rc62]

Hi,
Just bought my 2006 Ruckus yesterday (8/19). One thing I think is essential is knowing the RPMs I'm very glad to see these instructions posted as I have just ordered a Jr Dragster Tach. A couple of questions come to mind, is the wiring the same on the 2006 Ruckus as shown here? Is there any reason not to use "vampire" taps instead of skinning and soldering the wires?

[chanito]

Skining and soldering the wires is just to make sure a couple of years from now the wiring will not give you problems due to a bad connection, as moisture and vibration can create havoc on taps, but you can get by with just taping

[rc62]

Cool. I think once the tach arrives I'll install it with taps for now. Since the scooter is new I want to be careful and not make any mods that might void the warranty.
Thanks for the response. The information is appreciated.

[rc62]

Hi,
I need a bit of help. I got my Jr Dragster Tach today from JEG's. I am trying to follow the posted pics and instructions but I'll be darned if I can find the right wires to tap into. I have a 2006 Ruckus and I am thinking there are some differences in the wiring from the pictures posted.
Here is a pic of my wiring. The only Blue/Green wire I see is the one leading to the red connector (tagged in the photo). Is this the right wire for connecting the tach green wire to? I can not see where the black wire is that I need to tap the tach red & white wires to either. I can not quite orient myself with the instructions.
Any help on where the correct wires are would be appreciated.

[chanito]

;D Good that is your signal wire, there are 4 wires on your tach, one is ground (just attach it to the batt negative post) one is power and another is light, twist them both together and attach them to some wire that only gets power with the ignition on (there should be a red/black wire on the relays on the top right of your picture), and the other is your signal wire wich you will attach it to the connector in your pic ;D
Hope this helps

[rc62]

Thanks Chanito. This does help a lot.
For the power, are you refering to the wiring going into the 2 black squares (labeled OMRON) and just under the ignition switch in the pics? I do see a red wire with a black stripe coming into them from the bottom. Is that correct?. Sorry to be dense, I am trying to learn the right way to set this up without frying the tach or damaging the Ruckus.
Your help is greatly appreciated.

[chanito]

Yes you are correct, those two black cubes are known as relays, one is the power relay and the other is the load cut relay, congrats on the tach, is the most informative mod ;D ;D

[rc62]

Great! Thanks again for the help.
If it would be helpful to anybody else, I'll post pics after I get it all installed. ;D

[rc62]

Got the tach installed and it is working great. Thanks again Chanito, once I was sure where the wires went the rest was easy.
I took pics of the install..if anyone is interested I'll post them.

[jedisabre7]

Heck Yeah! Post pics, add details, and where and how much your tack was.

[ZOOMER46]

thats rite , do it ,cos i want to fit a tacho soon also,

cos honda were too bloody lazy to do it for us
unlike just about every other scooter manufacturer. the tight wads....

[rc62]

Here you go...

I purchased a 2 5/8" Jr. Dragster Tach from JEGs (part# 105-6652 - aka AutoMeter Pro Comp Jr. Tach ) for $114.98 including "handling". Same one as in the pictures Chanito and 1ofnone posted.

As I mentioned in the previous posts, I could not find all the correct wires on my 2006 Ruckus. I am assuming the wiring is a bit different. Once Chanito pointed out the right connections to me the job was relatively easy. Chanito, thanks once again for the help!

Here is what I did and pictures of the wiring hookups. With the rest of the "how to" information already available here I hope it can help others.

First thing to note, I am a bit lazy. I couldn't find any "U-Bolts" or any thing else on hand to connect the tach bracket to my handlebar. I did not feel like running to the hardware store (I said I was lazy) so, I looked around for an alternative method of attaching the tach to the bike.

What I decided to do was attach the bracket to the speedometer using a standard hose clamp (the kind you screw down to tighten). The bracket already has slots on the side that fit perfectly. Initially I attached the clamp and bracket to the speedometer as it was and it looked absolutely horrible. The clamp put some fine scratches on the speedometer too!

Well then another idea hit me. I took some heat shrink tubing and slid it over the clamp leaving a bit of the end exposed to screw down. I later used a permanent marker (Sharpie) to "paint" the uncovered end black. I took another small piece of tubing and slid it over the screw portion of the clamp. I then shrank the tubing tight over the clamp carefully using a blow torch (I shouldn't have to say this but don't use a torch or high heat source anywhere near your bike or any gasoline). Note here, screw in the end of the clamp a bit before shrinking the tubing or you will have to cut out a piece to insert the end of the clamp for assembly.

Once the tubing is tight on the clamp you can slide on the tach bracket. I placed a bit of double sided tape, the padded kind, between the tach and speedometer just to add some cushioning. I left the paper on the speedometer side of the tape so it does not stick. I assembled the hose clamp & bracket with the tach clamp loosely bolted to the bracket. Then assembled it all onto the speedometer. I then put the tach into the clamp and adjusted and tightened everything down. One unexpected but good thing happened upon tightening the hose clamp. The "loose" end found it's way under the shrink tubing on the other side of the screw holder and slipped underneath perfectly. This left the install looking very "clean".

While the position left of the speedometer is not as aesthetically pleasing as having the tach centered with the speedometer on the bike, it doesn't look too bad (IMHO). I thought it might put too much strain on the speedometer but it actually seemed to stabilize it a bit. If needed, I can add a wire strap from the tach to the handlebar to help secure it. I don't think it is necessary though.

Next I routed the tach wires into the battery cover area and cut them to length leaving a few inches extra just in case. I attached the red & white tach wires to one end of the fuse holder (I got lucky and had one on hand but I only had a 2.5 amp fast blow fuse so will use it temporarily. I need to get a 1 amp according to the tach instructions). I then attached a female vampire tap to the blue/green signal wire & one female tap on the red/black power wire. I attached the male tap conectors to the red fuse holder wire & the green signal wire from the tach. Then put a "U" connector on the black tach wire and attached it to the ground on the battery. I hooked up the vampire tap connections and turned on the ignition and got power to the tach. I cranked the engine and she appeared to be working fine. Next, I disconnected the tach wires and routed them a little better. I coiled up the extra wire and put a wire wrap around them and stuck the coiled wire up out of the way. I then reconnected all the hookups and added just a touch of silicone sealer / adhesive to the vampire taps to help prevent water getting in or them slipping apart.

Put the cover back on and took her for a test drive. Yippie! It all works!

The pictures below show the wiring and completed installation.










The white stuff on the connections is the silicone adhesive sealer to help keep the taps together and dry. It will turn clear when cured.

[ZOOMER46]

thats just the most awesome posting,well done fella,!!

great work,the pics are super clear and the write up
comprehensive and easy to understand, you rock ;D ;D

[rc62]

Thanks. I hope it will be helpful...

[chanito]

Thanks Rc great how-to, judging from your pics you can maybe turn the bracket for the tach holder 180 degrees and have the tach on the right of the speedo, making it look neater. But the install looks super neat better than it sounds ;D ;D
If you guys keep this up, i can retire from the tech posting ;D

[rc62]

I thought about putting it on the right as it would look much better. Unfortunately the turn signal bracket and the throttle cable are kind of in the way. It seemed like it might interfere with the cable or turn signal too much. There was more room on the left.

[chanito]

Yes it will be harder to do it, but the tach will look more integrated with the speedo, anyway you did a great job and thanks again for a wonderful how-to ;D ;D