Replace Points with Electronic Ignition

nokitov

Does anyone know if I can switch my point ignition system on my '75 to a modern electronic ignition system?

royfisk

650 central. boyer ignition. but why?

nokitov

Thanks for the lead.
Why? Several reasons: I've never been very good at setting twin points and they've always pitted out too quickly in my opinion, on engines that vibrate a lot the set screws either vibrate loose or strip out. If the price of converting is reasonable I'd rather do it once and forget it.
Nokitov

royfisk

so switch to mikes dual lobe cam and run one set of points. As for pitting etc. I have seen many bikes with excess of 15000 miles on them and the owners didn't even know they had points. But for $17.00 the cam will eliminate one set of points, or have a back-up set all installed and ready to go. as for the vibration thing sounds to me like kids playing in there with improper tools, I have been working on these, harleys, and british bikes for 30 plus years and thats always the case I have seen. The threads absolutely do not strip out due to vibration. The Phillips heads get buggered up from using the wrong size screw driver. But guess what even with the boyer electronic they use the same point of attachment as the points backing plate. You can stop or eliminate premature point failure by cleaning the points with electric motor cleaner when you are totally done installing a set of points. I personally like the stock 80 and up electronic ignition, but will not by any of the after market stuff. Points work and work good at a fraction of the cost.

DougK109

I bought my bike (74) as a non runner, one coil was bad. I put electronic ignition on it and have never looked back. One kick, start, awesome!!!

beys

I'm running the dual lobe cam with a "helotronik"
www.helotronik.de then click "kontaktgesteuerte Zündungen"

It's a points-commanded electronic ignition.
Advantage: a cheap system ( € 50,-- ~ $75,--), easily to install, nearly forgetable (points check any 30k miles)and in case it lets you down (will not happen), it takes a minute to restart on the points.

Retiredgentleman

I agree with royfisk; Unless you like spending lots of money stay with points ignition. I rode a Yami XS500 back in the 70's and 80's and it never needed any adjustment of the points. My present bike 78SE runs and starts perfect on points ignition. Best value for reliable ignition. Buy the dual lobe cam, use just one set of points,get a dual output single coil with about 4 ohms primary resistance. Another excellent way to go...........go over to 650garage site and read about "pamcopete" 's universal ignition. It does away with points,replaces them with aluminum disc "hall effect". Electronic ignition's...........yes they are "state of the art" but why spend on them, put your money into other upgrades for your bike.
Use allen head cap screws on points plates.

royfisk

there all one kick bikes EVERY TIME . electronic ignition didn't do that. As long as your carb's are right and the timing is right, and not out of season cold then they may take a couple.

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

My '79 was always a two-kicker: With the key OFF, choke it and kick it once. Then turn the key ON and kick it again -- VROOOOM!

I spent twelve years on that bike and for the first nine of those years (college & grad school), I never had a car. I could go outside when it was 15 or 20 degrees and it started the same as if the temp was 60 degrees. It always had dual-point ignition. And it never saw a garage, either. It sat out in the weather 24/365.

It was a beautiful thing. I should never have sold it.

jimmer

Check out this thread on another board for a nice inexpensive electronic ignition:

xs650temp.proboards29....hread=7890

NateDogg

I think for me the issue isn't so much the points, but the advance mechanism

Retiredgentleman

Advance mechanism is simple and reliable. Centrifugal force guaranteed to work everytime. Lubrication of shaft bushings and fly-weights is all thats required.

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

I think mechanical advance units get a bad rap. They're simple, reliable assemblies that rarely give any problems if routinely maintained. There's the rub ...... problems arise, the units actually wear out, all due to owner neglect. It was obvious the advance rod on mine had never been serviced when I pulled it out - it was bone dry in there.

Another neat and simple mod is to shim the end-play out of the advance rod. This smooths the advance curve and made my bike run noticeably smoother.

Retiredgentleman

5twins; Hey thats a good tip, I'll be checking my advancer rod end play.

dpmphoto

electronic ignition is always an essential upgrade, points suck I dont know why anyone would tell you to keep them.

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

Why keep a breaker-point system? Because they work perfectly well, and they're cheap. The only people who have problems with points are people who don't understand electricity. CDI systems are much harder to troubleshoot alongside the road, in the dark, in the middle of the night, in the rain (things never go wrong in daylight, in good weather). CDI systems are impossible to fix when they break anyway.

Good luck finding parts for a Boyer unit when you're broke down along Interstate 80 somewhere in Nevada on a Sunday afternoon.

xs1961

...A bit like saying a keep your scrubbing board 'cos easier to fix than a washing machine ......
..Or use a horse & cart cos they dont get blow-outs...:twisted:

xsjohn

Gas will be $7.50 here a gallon soon.......horse and cart may be closer than we think........may see scrubbing boards a Walmart too.......nice mother's day present......won't help the labeto though.......xsjohn

KYLEPRESTON

IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE CHINA HEAR SOON JOHN WE ARE GOING TO BE RIDING BIKES EVERYWHERE.

jimmythetrucker · Full Member Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283

My '81 came with CDI on it. I plan to run it -- at least until it lets me down. We'll see, then, what it costs to replace it and take that into account. Because I grew up with breaker-point ignition and I'm perfectly at ease with it knowing, as I do, that it works just as well as CDI.

I'm a road rider who almost always travels alone. I carry two clean T-shirts, two pair of skivvies, two pair of sox, one pair of clean jeans, a pop-tent, a sleeping bag, a canteen, a small tool kit, spare points, spare condensers, spare plugs, spare brushes, one can of fix-a-flat, some fuses, and an extra masterlink.

I know I'm gonna have to change my luggage to accommodate the CDI system (Yam stock) but aside from leaving the points and condensers home, I don't yet know what to carry because I don't know which part of the CDI is prone to break most often. EVERYTHING breaks once in a while.

xsjohn

There is no possible way that cam chain driven ignitions can work as good as crankshaft driven ignitions.........xsjohn

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

But ..... they work well enough for our purposes. We're not driving the space shuttle here Very Happy

Retiredgentleman

I think there is good and bad for both types of ignition. If you have a working TCI system then stay with it................if you have a working points sytem, also stay with it. For the average guy ( read that as not an electronic guy) the points system can be worked on and repaired with simple tools. If the TCI fails you're done like dinner unless you have a spare, which seems to be hard to come by. If these bikes were only 5 to 10 years old then the TCI system would win, but with 25 years or more of vibration/heat the points sytem probably wins out for reliability.

xsjohn

So far I have never even thought of mine......but like everything else that can change at any moment......carry an extra that is a one minute plug in..wrapped in foam in the fairing above the speedo and tack.......they used to be cheap till everyone wanted a xs.....good thing I was attentive before all the interest in these things....tripple of everything plus........xsjohn

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