C&T Publications REVOLUTIONS II - April 2015

What usually fails? When contact points or coils start to fail most riders believe the spark plugs fouled or the carburetors need adjusting. During normal use your mechanical points become dirty, poorly adjusted, and wear out from use. Coils can short out internally from age, vibration, or cracking of the coil body. Many times these failures cannot be detected without complicated and expensive equipment. "Not all ignition failures cause your engine to stop running." Have you ever tried bending an old spark plug wire and noticed how stiff it is, or sometimes how gooey the insulation inside the wire has become? There is no way for the spark plug cap to securely thread onto that wire. You are better off replacing the wires but many motorcycle coils have the wires bonded into them. Poor electrical connections lead to ignition failures! 1) How to test for a bad coil? Coils are made of tiny wires neatly wrapped around a metal beam thousands of times. Each layer is typically covered with thin paper to protect against short circuits. The protective coating on the wires can crack from age, vibration, or excess heat. Most service manuals give resistance test for coils. If a coil tests bad you are lucky. More often the coil starts to lose voltage causing difficult cold starting, rough idling, or loss of power and mileage. This type of failure doesn't always show up when testing a coil. Replacing the defective coil is often the only guarantee that you've solved the problem. 2) How to tell if your points are bad? You can clean and adjust the point gap, verify dwell is correct, and make sure the cover is secure so they stay dry. As you ride your motorcycle you will need to clean and adjust the points to keep your engine running smoothly. Modern engines have electronic ignition control for more reliable operation and improved performance. Electronic ignition sensors use a magnet or set of magnets to trigger your coils. They are more accurate, never need to be cleaned or adjusted, and are relatively inexpensive. Modern cars and cycles use them and you can purchase upgrades for your classic cycle as well. What options exist to replace or upgrade your ignition? Factory replacement coils are seldom available. You can purchase used coils from a junk yard or internet seller. Most aftermarket coils use basic paper wrapped coils that still use 1960's technology. For best results choose a replacement coil that uses Section Bobbin construction. They are much stronger and virtually eliminate internal short circuits. Use a "multi-sparking" coil for improved cold starts, smoother engine idle, and increased efficiency. When upgrading your factory ignition, just about any electronic system will be an improvement. Most electronic ignitions use Hall Effect (magnetic) sensors to trigger the coils because they never need to be adjusted. For the best upgrade, use the new optical reader ignition which is far more accurate and is capable of superior timing and dwell control, and provides a more stable spark at all rpm ranges. Paul Crowe is the president of C5 Performance Inc. They specialize in optically controlled multi-spark ignition systems for motorcycle, automotive, and marine applications. C5 Performance offers ignition products and electrical supplies worldwide. Further information can be found at the following: http://www.c5ignitions.com or http://www.c5performance.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_W_Crowe 53

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