bsa a65 ignition

[phildev]

hello everybody ! first time on here - owned repaired bikes for over 40 years now and still dont know it all ! ( wife sez i do...... ) anyway owned a 71 bsa a65 now for a few months fitted with pazon smart fire ignition system wich has failed so bought a new sure fire system - fitted it and it started first kick ran for a few minutes and switched off , turned my back for a few seconds and turned round just in time to see the brand spanking new ignition module going up in smoke ! ! needless to say it is now ruined . after much research I found the smart fire ignition coil is NOT to be used with the sure fire , hence £100 plus down the drain ( sob ..) the pazon fitting instructions show standard coils being used but I thought Ah !I have a pazon coil ill use that - Obviously big mistake ! only found out on pazons website the coil wasnt compatible - anyone think I have a claim under their 71/2 year warranty . ps the pazon smart fire coil was not the cause of the first failure ! I have emailed pazon in NZ but so far no response ( what customer service ? ) thanks . ( going back to points now .)

[L.A.B.]

the pazon fitting instructions show standard coils being used but I thought Ah !I have a pazon coil ill use that - Obviously big mistake ! only found out on pazons website the coil wasnt compatible - anyone think I have a claim under their 71/2 year warranty .

An unfortunate mistake, but the mistake is definitey yours as the Sure-Fire instructions clearly states the following:  "CDI type and some electronic ignition coils are incompatible with this system; for suitability check the primary resistance is 3 ohms or more (measure across the + and — terminals with a multimeter)."

I'm sorry to say this, but, anyone with even a basic undersanding of electronic ignition systems should know that "digital" coils are not compatible with analogue ignition systems (or digital systems designed to use the OEM "points" ignition coils).


Under the circumstances I wouldn't seriously expect Pazon to replace it free of charge under warranty or even expect them to offer you a discount on a new unit as a goodwill gesture, but you never know.     

[phildev]

Hmm ... yes should have checked if it was a digital coil - but didnt. and yes it is my fault ( Grrr ) Lesson - NEVER assume anything ! thanks for your reply . just read an article on running a65 on one set of points using twin lead coil - any knowledge of this ?

[L.A.B.]

just read an article on running a65 on one set of points using twin lead coil - any knowledge of this ?

It can be done, the points cam needs to have a double-lobe profile to run a single set of points. I know 70's BMW flat twins and some Japanese vertical twin cylinder engines used that arrangement unless this article mentions an alternative way of doing it?



     

[phildev]

hello , found this article  under the heading "tech 19 " google it and it should come up. just waiting for all my bits to come to change back to coil ignition - a backwards step maybe but a bit wary of electronic ignition now  -although have fitted a few in the past with no bother.( must have been awake then ) Never had any real problems with standard points type ignition systems over the years , just set them up right and keep on top of them . Still no reply from Pazon ( even if its just to say " idiot ") ! cheers .

[L.A.B.]

hello , found this article  under the heading "tech 19 " google it and it should come up.

I Googled "tech 19" (also "tech 19 BSA", "tech 19 A65" "tech 19 ignition") and didn't find anything.

Can you paste the address to the web page?

[phildev]

hi , I cant find it now ! will investigate further and let you know - I came across it whilst looking for something else , cheers , Phil .

[phildev]

tech19





piled-arms.com/tech19.html       try this !

[L.A.B.]

OK Here we are:

http://piled-arms.com/tech19.html

Why two ignition coils; two sets of points?

ANS: Lucas was trying to eliminate the distributor used on earlier
bikes. In fact, one set of points can be used with a double ended
“Harley” style coil, which will fire both plugs at once: one at the
correct time and the other during the exhaust cycle, doing nothing
good or bad. Using two coils on one set of points works but will burn
the points sooner reducing their life."



But... without a double lobe cam it wouldn't work, (unless the points cam runs at engine speed) as the standard A65 points cam (like most 360 degree crank 4-stroke vertical twin engines) has a single lobe for double points, and a single lobe cam with a single set of points will only open once every two crank revolutions which is no good for a 4 stroke vertical twin engine where one of the two cylinders will alternately require a spark every crank revolution.

Why this burning desire to use a dual output coil as there's nothing much to be gained over two good single coils except that it takes up less space.?  A double lobe points cam can also wear unevenly, if so, then it becomes impossible to maintain the correct ignition timing on both cylinders unless the cam error is corrected .       

[phildev]

" burning desire " pun intended ? back to standard set up now .