[Ducati] 998 tachometer probelms

[pjdemoga at aol.com]

Hi Folks:

I don't know if it just started or if it'd been screwed up since?I bought it 500 miles ago (with only 3700 miles on it), but the tach on my 998s works fine on startup, then while riding, the needle fluctuates wildly then drops dead. I've been too scared to look at the speedo or tach until lately, so I don't know if the problem existed since I bought it. 

The Haynes manual says it could be the ecu, the tach, or (hopefully) the battery.? How do we check short of buying a new battery? This bike came with Termis (half system) and cams (Ducati Performance?) and a chip. I'm about ready to store it for the winter,?and I'd love to sort the problem before then.
I've read that a subpar battery could lead to fried electrics.
Any wisdom on this?
Paul D
2002 998s Bayliss
2000 853

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