Topic: Electronic Ignition

[martini]

Any reason not to switch my 750k0 to an electronic ignition system (aside from keeping everything original)?

[ProTeal55]

I am about to be in the market to switch to a fully electronic ignition on my CB.
Curious to hear the pros/cons on this........

[eldar]

Well The pros have benn listed as easier to start. Smoother running, some claim a bit more power. Low maintenance, set it and forget it as the infomercials say. Wider range of available coils to use.

Main con is that if it dies, you have to replace the whole thing unlike just replacing a point or condenser. Supposedly though they do not die too often.

Dyna seems to be the brand of choice and neutronics I guess is junk, dont know about the boyer-branson.

[Buffo]

there is no con to putting an electronic ignition on a bike. If you are worried about keeping it "stock" you can always save the antique stuff.

never again set pionts
never again replace points and condensors
easy starting
great reliability
no problems with water or moisture
easy to put on
replaceable plug wires
you can practicly write off ignition problems when trouble shooting
easy to time (took me like 30 seconds)

I got a Dyna S, 3 ohm Dyna coils and dw800 Dyna wires for about $350.

I really cant think of a downfall for upgrading yo0ur ignition...unless you have a bike that you enter in concourse shows...but who the hell does that

[ProTeal55]

Dyna is def. the brand to deal with when it comes to Motorcycle electronics.
Def. gonna invest in a new system over the winter...

[TwoTired]

For me, the main con has been the price to get one.  It just hasn't been worth saving 5 min at tuneup time to check/adjust points and timing.
The other con is that it does consume more power from the bike's electrical system, particularly if you go with the 3 ohm coils.  Why should I care?

Well, except for the 650s which I know little about, the SOHC4 charging system doesn't have enough omph to power the electical load and charge the battery at idle speeds.  So, increasing the electrical load means you deplete the battery faster at those RPMs and you have to rev your engine higher to overcome the load and begin charging the battery.  Operationally, if you spend most of your time in cruise or at RPMS above 3000, there is only the decrease in battery longevity to notice.  If, however, you are in slow city traffic, and stopped at lights idling most of your operational time, the battery can steadily run down.  This shortens battery life considerably, as the more time the battery spends at less than full charge, the shorter it's life.  I do mostly city driving and it is hard enough to keep the battery peaked without adding more electrical load.

I'll let others list the pros, as I have never owned an electronic ignition for the SOHC4.
Cheers,

[Hondamatic]

About two weeks ago I installed the Dyna DS1-2 ignition module, DC1-1 Coils, and new plug wires on my 1977 cb750A Hondamatic. The bike runs great and starts up readily. I am having a problem though which I detailed in the thread "Fuse Box Melted". After riding for two weeks at night, commuting about 45 miles round trip to work. The Main 15amp fuse blew on me. I guess there is too much current draw on the old corroded bikes harness? I replaced the fuse (which had the end cap solder melted off) and rode several more miles home without it blowing again. The above mentioned thread explains how the stock fuse clips can be corroded and cause this type of problem. The next morning I looked over the bike and sure enough found one end of my Main Fuse melting the fuse box and was very hot to touch when bike was running. It was nasty (as is the rest of the wiring) so I replaced the fusebox with modern Blade type Fuses and bike runs fine but noticed wiring harness at white fuse box harness connector gets hot when bike is running. Warm at idle and almost too hot to touch at 3500 rpm. I checked charging system and found 12.2 volts at idle and 13.6 volts at 3500 rpm. Current draw when measured thru main fuse block is approx. 8amps at idle and 13.5amps at 3500 rpm. The Tech Support Guy at Dyna said the ignition shouldn't draw more that 5amps? Didn't ask if that was just the module he was talking about or that included the coils?  If I'm unable to find any obvious problems with the wiring/connectors, might have to power the coils from the starter relay or battery using a relay. This procedure was also described in an earlier thread.

[chippyfive50]

Hey Hondamatic,  part of your problem may be that you have the 3 ohm DYNA  coils(green)on there. I believe all SOHCs came with 5ohm coils(DYNA# DC7-1). I know the  lower impedence sometimes yeilds the drained battery problem.. Have you checked the greenspun thread?? The voltage regulator is adjustable as well, It may  need some tweaking due to the lower resistance.  I have the DYNA S/coils/wires on my CB550, and it is amazingly stable. 

[Terry in Australia]

Hey Hondamatic,  part of your problem may be that you have the 3 ohm DYNA  coils(green)on there. I believe all SOHCs came with 5ohm coils(DYNA# DC7-1). I know the  lower impedence sometimes yeilds the drained battery problem.. Have you checked the greenspun thread?? The voltage regulator is adjustable as well, It may  need some tweaking due to the lower resistance.  I have the DYNA S/coils/wires on my CB550, and it is amazingly stable. 

Dyna actually recommends the 3 Ohm coils with the Dyna S ignition, and the 5 ohm coils only with OEM points ignitions. For more info, see: http://www.dynaonline.com/english/index.htm Cheers, Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

For me, the main con has been the price to get one.  It just hasn't been worth saving 5 min at tuneup time to check/adjust points and timing.
The other con is that it does consume more power from the bike's electrical system, particularly if you go with the 3 ohm coils.  Why should I care?

Well, except for the 650s which I know little about, the SOHC4 charging system doesn't have enough omph to power the electical load and charge the battery at idle speeds.  So, increasing the electrical load means you deplete the battery faster at those RPMs and you have to rev your engine higher to overcome the load and begin charging the battery.  Operationally, if you spend most of your time in cruise or at RPMS above 3000, there is only the decrease in battery longevity to notice.  If, however, you are in slow city traffic, and stopped at lights idling most of your operational time, the battery can steadily run down.  This shortens battery life considerably, as the more time the battery spends at less than full charge, the shorter it's life.  I do mostly city driving and it is hard enough to keep the battery peaked without adding more electrical load.

I'll let others list the pros, as I have never owned an electronic ignition for the SOHC4.
Cheers,

I guess it's that "Theory vs Reality" thing, over the last 20 years I've had several CB750's and Suzuki GS1000's fitted with electronic ignitions (mostly Dyna's and Marteks, but the Suzy has a 24 year old OEM ignition with 24 year old OEM coils) and have never had one fail, nor have I had any charging problems. The recommended Yuasa battery in my Suzy is 6 years old, and still going strong, even though it sits in the bike for long periods of inactivity. If your electrical system is within specs, it'll easily handle a Dyna S and Dyna 3 Ohm coils. Cheers, Terry.    

[jotor]

no problems with water or moisture

Well...........almost no problem.  I had a Kaw 500 tripple with first generation electronic ignition.  Every time I washed it I had to go in and dry out the ignition befor it would start. 

 

Having said that, I'm a firm believer in upgrading to electronic ignition for the same reasons given here.

[trism18]

At http://www.z1enterprises.com, you can purchase a Dyna S DS1-2, 3 ohm coils, and ignition wires for about $275 plus about $10 shipping.

[ofreen]

Nuthin wrong with repeating ourselves, but check out this recent thread -

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=3191.0

[fergie]

I was thinking of electronic ignition too. however I like to plug my bike in to a battery tender when Im not on it and I've heard that I would no longer be able to do this.Bad for the ignition or something .Has anyone else heard that. Fergie.

[Terry in Australia]

Dunno Fergie, can you use one on a modern bike? Every bike built since the early 1980's has an EI, so that theory is doubtful. If you're unsure though, disconnect the power wire to your ignition, and you should be ok. Cheers, Terry.

[jotor]

disconnect the power wire to your ignition, and you should be ok. Cheers, Terry.

Uh, that's called the ignition switch...

[Chris Liston]

I was thinking of electronic ignition too. however I like to plug my bike in to a battery tender when Im not on it and I've heard that I would no longer be able to do this.Bad for the ignition or something .Has anyone else heard that. Fergie.

My brothers V-Rod has the battery tender connection stock on the bike.  They said when storing over winter to just plug the connection onto the tender.  No need to unhook the battery's positive connection.   You should be fine.

[Kevin]

I have Dyna Ignition / Coils on four of my SOHC's and I use a batttry tender with no problems at all.

Dyna is the way to go. I use the 3 Ohm coils and never seem to have battery problems, even with halogen headlamps installed.

[Buffo]

I have the full Dyna set up and I use a tender with no problems

[eldar]

The only time you should need a battery tender is during storage of 1 month or longer. The only reason to store is winter time and then you should pull the battery anyways and store it in the house. These batteries will freeze and no tender will bring back a battery that has been frozen for months. I have left my battery in my bike for 2 -3 months with no problem and no shortage of life, I just disconnect the positive wire.

[Terry in Australia]

disconnect the power wire to your ignition, and you should be ok. Cheers, Terry.

Uh, that's called the ignition switch...

Nah, I mean isolate your electronic ignition completely from your wiring harness, so as not to inadvertantly fry it. Switching off your ignition doesn't actually isolate it from your harness. It's always best to disconnect your battery when charging, but I know those little battery tenders are very low amperage, so I guess they're fine. Cheers, Terry.

[kaysystems]

I use the Boyer-Bransden module with stock coils. No problems at all

David

[jbailey]

Hey Terry,

In your earlier post you said Dyna doesn't recommend using stock coils, and you had a link.  The link doesn't seem to take me to a page that says that.  Upon further investigation I found that the installation manual says it is designed to be used with stock coils, however it may be used with other coils that have at least three ohms.  Here's a link to the manual:  http://www.dynaonline.com/english/instruct/DS1-1_1-2.pdf

Can you point me to the original link since I am planning on installing a Dyna S over the winter, but would like to keep the stock coils since new coils are more bucks than I (actually my wife) want to spend.

[Terry in Australia]

G'Day mate, Dyna recommends Dyna 3 Ohm coils with the Dyna "S" ignition, but stock coils should be fine, even though they're rated at 5 Ohms.

If you decide to buy Dyna coils, (a good idea when you can afford them) buy the DC1-1 3 Ohm green coils, which Dyna recommends for all non-Harley Dyna "S" applications. Cheers, Terry.

"DYNA S (non-Harley): Recommended - DC1-1. Use coil with 3.0 ohms primary resistance."

http://www.dynaonline.com/english/sportbike_coils.htm

[MRieck]

I've used 3 OHM coils, Dyna S and Dyna3's for well over 20 years with no problems. I use a Dyna 2000 unit now which is digital and it works very well especially if you increase compression etc.. Points are OK if you want some type of concours CB.....that's it.