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Posted by Jobi
- July 04, 2016, 10:17:33 AMYou've inspired me to buy my own tach now 
Will report with results!
Posted by Tfrank59
- July 02, 2016, 01:12:20 AMhttp://m.ebay.com/itm/221908212828?_mwBanner=1
I got it on eBay. I had one on my dual sport some years ago and it worked good so I thought I would try it on the Drifter. Search YouTube for a Trail Tech hour meter tachometer and you can see the install procedure which is 10 minutes tops. I mounted it right on my handlebars down near the clamps
Posted by CDNRatMan
- July 01, 2016, 23:12:24 PMok so where did you get this wee little gauge and how did you mount it and what did I miss......
Posted by Tfrank59
- July 01, 2016, 09:01:43 AMYep, I have stock gearing and will post those figures for everybody.
One thing I can say I've learned since I put the tach on there, and I really had no clue previously, is that she seems to perform best (power band) between 2500 and 3500 rpm's. The other thing the little electronic tach does is it posts your max rpm's for that event momentarily after you kill the bike. I don't like seeing a number larger than 4500, in fact I have not. I believe I read in previous thread someone mentioned the redline is 6500 or is it 7000?
Posted by kw-retrorider
- July 01, 2016, 06:29:51 AMTFrank59: Assume you have stock gearing/sprockets. Since you have a tach.....always wondered what the engine was turning when I shifted at 20, 30, 40 and 50 mph and then what the engine is doing at 60 mph on the highway.
If you can remember sometime when you're out...how about some rpm numbers for the sake of the greater good? Thanks.
Posted by Tfrank59
- June 30, 2016, 20:22:10 PMOK correction, I was just out with it and when cold she was idling at about 950 (not 700) and then it warmed up and was idling at 1050, so I think we're pretty good like that. I think once the weather turns cold again in the fall it'll be more cold natured and idle at a lower RPM when cold, and that's why last fall I had to rejet my carb.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- June 30, 2016, 18:57:03 PM I have only made the following changes on my bike, had a Roadhouse exhaust when I bought it, I got rid of the stock air filter, and put a K&N air filter in its place.
Since I have had the bike it has been cold blooded, every morning I need to choke it a bit to get it to start and idle nice, about 2 mins and it is running at correct idle and speed. Never need to choke the rest of the day.
That being said on cold days in the lower 50*F range and if left for a long time then yes I might need to choke it, but never for long and that is no different than my H-D when i had it. Just seems the Drifter is a tad colder hearted. Otherwise it runs like a really smooth swiss watch.
Posted by Tfrank59
- June 30, 2016, 18:51:02 PMwell now that we're in the full swing of Summer I have played with the idle and got it right around a thousand RPMs when hot. after what you said about guys who lower their idle I'm a little worried when it's cold and it wants to run at about 700 till she warms up - what I do there is keep the choke/enricher on longer. definitely don't want to starve her of oil
Posted by CDNRatMan
- June 22, 2016, 20:07:56 PM Interesting question and something the local mechanic told me and I trust him with his work. He told me the rpm's should be as the book said 1000+/- 50, and he said that the fools that idle down their bikes to sound like a H-D and have that patato/patato, sound will ruin their engines, in that the engine cannot get oil up to the top of the engine. The Kawasaki engine needs to run at the correct idle to work properly.
As for the idle acting erratically as you said not sure.
Posted by Tfrank59
- June 22, 2016, 17:37:23 PMNow that I have a little electronic tach on my bike I can see RPMs. the manual says it should idle between 950-1050 (~1000), unless it's a California bike and then it should be 1250-1350. My bike was a Cali bike but I desmogged it; should I now go for 1000 Rs for my idle speed? My other question, if your idle sort of creeps up over say a few days (of course after it's fully warmed up), is that a sign of a vacuum leak or something? for the past couple of weeks it's been idling around 1200 but today it wouldn't come down from 1300-1350, so at a red light I ended up reaching down there and lowering it. It wasn't the throttle cable or anything like that, so don't know what's up with that. Thanks.