Topic: Idle curiosity

[medic09]

Did these things work?

Patent was filed in '76, granted in '78.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CB-750-KZ-900-1000-GS-850-550-Point-Ignition-Condenser_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35594QQihZ015QQitemZ250076357502QQrdZ1

This is way more fun than critiquing design elements of quantitative studies.  Only one more year of this excrement (which contributes nothing to my patient care)...

[cafe75-550]

Interesting. Although I'd be hard pressed to give up a Dyna for that thing...

[Einyodeler]

Interesting. Although I'd be hard pressed to give up a Dyna for that thing...

I totally agree.
 Buy it Now price of $89.95 and for only $30 more you can get the Dyna from Jeff at Z1 Enterprises and never touch it again.

[medic09]

I'm just wondering if, in it's time, it was an improvement or not.

[TwoTired]

I'm just wondering if, in it's time, it was an improvement or not.

No.  The patent is for adding a small stobe light or perhaps an ordinary light bulb to an ordinary points set.  All the rest of the claimed benefits seem to be very wordy and wildly optomistic, eggagerated, and misleading marketing hype.

Okay, it's pretty convenient for the road side ignition tuneup.  But, I think I'd rather limp home to use my strobe.  Or better yet, solder two leads and alligator clips to a small 12 v light bulb and throw it in your tool kit for the roadside timing adjustment urges.

If you like gimmicks to display as curios in your den, it's can be quite a conversation piece to put next the fuel line magnets that enhance power and fuel economy, and the carburetor airflow turbines that double your fuel mileage.

My god, you CAN sell anything on Ebay... PT Barnum would be proud.

Cheers,

[medic09]

I thought PT Barnum INVENTED Ebay!  I've got a plaque that I bought pretty cheap that says so... .

Fuel line magnets, ooooooohh.  I'll have to try those.....  .

[Einyodeler]

Wonder if there`s any way to hook up one of these to the stock airbox or maybe just buy 4 of them and run velocity stacks.
Just think , if 1 gives you 30 extra horses then 4 would give my bike 170 BHP total 

http://www.turbonator.com/index.html?id=adWordsGasMileage

[BobbyR]

Wonder if there`s any way to hook up one of these to the stock airbox or maybe just buy 4 of them and run velocity stacks.
Just think , if 1 gives you 30 extra horses then 4 would give my bike 170 BHP total 

http://www.turbonator.com/index.html?id=adWordsGasMileage

Once you have bought it. I have an even better deal for you:

[doobiebro]

I have a Maxi-Dwell unit on my 1977 750K and am very pleased with it.  One was on the motorcycle when I bought it used in 1978.  I did replace it once many years ago, but I cannot remember why.  I like the ease of timing the spark that this gives.  Also, you can time at various rpm levels to "dial in" the timing to your particular riding habits.  Furthermore, I am not sure about the Honda OEM points, but with this unit you can adjust the points individually.  Additionally, using standard Chevy points provides many more purchase options than just the Honda dealer; but then the Chevy points will probably last much longer than the motorcycle does and may never need replacing.  I could go on sounding like a commercial, but I will spare you.  My point is that it is a good unit that does what is promised in the sales literature.

[TwoTired]

but then the Chevy points will probably last much longer than the motorcycle does and may never need replacing.  I could go on sounding like a commercial, but I will spare you. 

Thank you.  If the points never need replacing, what value is the common availability of Chevy points?  With "definitive" product testing like this, you will sound exactly like a commercial.  Really now, how convincing is "probably", anyway.  Probably, as convincing as me suggesting that the unit will probably chase deer from your path so you won't have to worry about deer strikes or injuring Bambi. 
Contacts are rated by current capability vs. heating.  Care to share definitive electrical term reference numbers used by knowledgeable engineers for design criteria?  Numbers such as these offer definitive, quantitative proof.  All this unit's advertising specifically evades definitive values that can be used in a quantitative analysis.  It is however, chock full of innuendo and unsupported bravado lauding dubious, at best, claims.  All of which are carefully chosen so as to evade any possibility of a fraud accusation.

Is their even one shred of evidence that the cam rubbing block wears one whit longer than the stock Honda points?  And if so, does it wear out the point cam instead?

Please do explain how it achieves the dialing in of the timing, given it still relies on the stock mechanical centrifugal advance.  The stock points are completely adjustable for dwell (To ensure fully charging the coils at high RPM) as well as timing for either of the coils.

If the unit does what is promised in the sales lit., it is because it doesn't really promise anything quantifiable (besides a fixed amount of wallet drain) which is what keeps them out of court and jail.

The whole point bounce issue is a red herring as that is not an issue with this ignition.  It is the point float at high RPM that is an issue.  This is easily handled by double springing the stock points, IF you need RPM capability over 11 thousand RPM.  However, increased spring pressure will also increase the point rubbing block wear and the point cam wear.  I can only guess how important cam wear was for the salesmen of the Nazi-Dwell.

 It proports to fix a problem that doesn't exist by selling a product you don't need.  I can take their entire sales pitch apart line by line and render it irrelevant.   However, anyone who still thinks it is a good, beneficial product is welcome to buy all the want.  It's what capitalism is all about.

Best of luck to you all.

[medic09]

Lloyd,

Your points (hey, that's a pun!  ) are well taken.  I, like many here, have true admiration for good engineering (despite my present distaste for any form of quantitative analysis, but that's a side-effect of school  ).  And your strident tone is, to me, simply the emphatic speech of someone who insists on straightforward, verifiable terms in communication.

So why the rhetoric "Nazi-Dwell"?  Granted, I'm just really sensitive to the misuse of the name of real evil.  There's nothing Nazi in this; just crass commercialism.  Your rhetoric detracted a bit from the respectability of an otherwise well-reasoned, well-stated protest.

Ya know, a guy like you would be brutal in the classroom; but your students would know to make sure they know what they're talking about!   

[TwoTired]

So why the rhetoric "Nazi-Dwell"?  Granted, I'm just really sensitive to the misuse of the name of real evil.  There's nothing Nazi in this; just crass commercialism.  Your rhetoric detracted a bit from the respectability of an otherwise well-reasoned, well-stated protest.

Yeah, you're right.  Started out as an accident, misspelled it as Mazi.  Then I thought is was too cute not to correct it wrong.  Impulsive, I suppose.  But, if they can dish out sour granola, they should be able to swallow it, too. 
Then again, missleading advertising IS a form of lying and taking advantage of those gullible and not attune to the intricacies of the product and sort of "cheats" them out of money they wouldn't have ordinarily spent.  I take a dim view of liars as that IS an evil function in my view.  Further, their advertising denigrates the standard points qualities (Un-justly in my view) in order to make their own position/product appear superior.  Do such propaganda techniques seem familiar?

In the old days, people who were sold potions as medicine (and later found out the potion was worthless) treated the sellers quite harshly.  Whole towns were intent on eliminating the boisterous salesmen with prejudice.  What makes today's populace more tolerant of a disingenuous position, I wonder?  Is it more acceptable when bad or shady things happen to someone else?

I'm sincerely sorry if your sensibilities were bruised.  Feel free to buy the product in protest of unfair criticism.

Best regards,

[eldar]

so tt, tell how are they misleading a person? If it works and does what they say, even if it is not in an everyday application, isnt that still telling the truth. You sure like to come down on this product even though you have never used it. How do you know it is junk? Here we have a person saying they have one and it works very well for him. yet you still degrade the product. Why? because he does not have 2000 posts? Cause he is new to the forum? Cause he does not have scientific evidence stating it does everything it says, even though YOU have none that shows it does not deliver?

Sorry tt but the stock points set up IS limited, thats why people move to the Dyna-s or 2000. Cause those products ARE better IN FACT. So maybe their ad is over the top. Maybe it is overly glowing with praise for a product not many people have, but that does not make it junk.  So you would rather limp home and use your timing light, this has a little light on it so you have a BETTER chance of limping home.

You know what, buy one and test it and then say how bad it is OR just not worry about it and let a person who DOES use it, say he has no trouble with it and that it works for him.  Do you think you could do that? Or do you just have to crap on peoples opinions on a product you know nothing about?

[medic09]

TT, like I said, I think the protest itself was well-enough stated (I'll leave it between you and Eldar as to whether it was wise... .

I did not take the misused rhetoric personally.  But I do think there are distinctions to be made between crass commerciallism and murderous evil.  When we use the same labels, we blur or do away with the distinctions.

Just my pet peeve...thanks for responding.