dwell tachometer tester?

how would you hook up a dwell/tach tester on a 82 xj550....i just been using tech on bike to set idle and by sound seems happy just alittle over 1 on the bikes tach gauge..the tester i have is basic with 2 leads wires red & black has a swicth for 8 or 6 cyl so speed would be off anyways right...dont even know if i should hook the thing up..i just picked it up for a dollar at a garage sale....bike is starts and pulls good and stops on a dime

 

black to - side of coils, + to a hot + wire someplace.
if you unplug the coils and turn the key on one of the wires from the tci will be + the other - or nothing, that's the one you want.
1000 on the bikes tach may only be 500 on your meter but try it anyhow

 

A dwell meter is only used on engines with breaker point type ignition. Our XJs have electronic ignition. Dwell is the angle in degrees the points are open. Don't know if the tach on that meter will work. Older tach meters use the pulsing on the coil to calculate rpm. I would be reluctant to try it. Just use the tach on the bike or get a timing light with a built in tach.

 

good point mlew didnt think of that...yea i'll stick to tach on bike and sound..thanks to all!!!