where did you get your timing light?

[cros36]

did a search, blah blah, need one with a tach. there are so many options out there, cheap to expensive. i know the 2 cyl. 4 stroke wasted spark 360 deg. cycle. where did you get yours? does it have a tach? i was thinking something from sears, they have some 50-75 dollar range with a tach, seems ok to me, but ive never purchased one before....whats your thoughts guys?

 

[jayel]

sears about 40 years ago... if it ain't broke don't fix it

 

[DogBunny]

I got mine from the auto parts store, but actually, the best deal out there is from MikesXS. MikesXS has very good tool prices. They also have the best deal on a compression tester.

Whatever you do, do not buy the Harbor Freight timing light. I bought it, it was complete junk.

And yeah, if you don't use a tach, then a timing light with a tach sounds like a good idea. Or, buy a small electronic tach and mount it on your bike. You are probably going minimalist, but an electronic tach just has two small wires, no bulky cable, is very small, and is pretty useful.

 

[cros36]

I got mine from the auto parts store, but actually, the best deal out there is from MikesXS. MikesXS has very good tool prices. They also have the best deal on a compression tester.

Whatever you do, do not buy the Harbor Freight timing light. I bought it, it was complete junk.

And yeah, if you don't use a tach, then a timing light with a tach sounds like a good idea. Or, buy a small electronic tach and mount it on your bike. You are probably going minimalist, but an electronic tach just has two small wires, no bulky cable, is very small, and is pretty useful.

yeah, harbor freight is completely out. mikes is out no tach.
http://www.trisco.com/TL-2000-122_eng.html

dont see much of a point in installing a tach, been thinking of maybe a small speedo but.

 

[oldbiker]

hi guys,,, i always wanted 1 but never in the right place,,,, until last year at the local kaniva auction its big ,,i walked around and sitting amongst a pile of junk was a 20-30 year old complete tune up set with the seperate rev and dwell and the good timing light with the better coloured globe ,,,all i had to do was buy a clamp for it which cost $5 and the set cost $7 i,ve used it to do both my gs1000e and my yam... and an old commorode i used to have ,,,regards oldbiker

 

[XSLeo]

If you still have the tach drive in the right side cover just hook a cable and tach to it for testing purposes and remove it when your done. Most any timing light will work fine for the XS. No need for the adjustable advance stuff either.
Leo

 

[cros36]

the tach housing got broke when i first got my bike when my 'machanic' friend was helping me put my engine back together(he had a torque wrench). he took pipe wrench to it trying to get it out without realizing that there was a bolt that held it in place. split it into two pieces. ive since gotten a torque wrench of my own and there are very few people that i would EVER let near my engine again. besides hugh doing a rephase someday.

and the adjustable advance stuff just seems like it would add complication to a fairly easy process.

 

[DogBunny]

cros36, I looked at your link... if you have points, and you can get one of those units that includes a 2-cylinder dwell meter, get it. Most people nowadays don't understand dwell, but it is a much better way to adjust points than feeler gauges. I'll confess that I don't have a dwell meter, but I wish I did. I think mine got busted during a move a long time ago. I'm just waiting for one to fall in my lap like happened to oldbiker.

As for a tach... well, for one thing it allows you to buy a normal, cheap parts-store timing light. A tach has other uses too, but if it's not for you, that's cool too.