• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

80 gs450: convert to points?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mlc216
  • Start date Start date
M

mlc216

Guest
Igniter has gone bad on my gs, and I've read a lot about them going bad... It's always a gamble scoring a used one cheap on eGay that it might be bad or go bad soon.... so I'm thinking I could go to points and then it would be serviceable or I could at least carry extra parts around so I wouldn't get stranded? Yes, I know points can be a little difficult to set up, but once they are set it should run great for a long long time.

Also:

I'm not interested in buying a ~$400 new replacement igniter.

I'm not interested in converting to a dyna S setup.


Ideas? :)
 
Hi,

This question has been asked before. You may search for details if you like. But I seem to recall that "downgrading" to points is nearly impossible because of the mechanical advance. There's not a convenient way to install one on a newer bike. A new or used ignitor, or a Dyna-S are about your only options. There is a thread around here somewhere about building your own ignitor. Try this: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=157250


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Basscliff,

I thought the points system operated with a mechanical advance? Also, I've read about using the Dyna S, but could not find anywhere to actually purchase it?

I read through Pete's thread about the HEI conversion and I still don't think he or anyone else has had good results on the 450's?
 
mlc216 said:
Basscliff,

I thought the points system operated with a mechanical advance? Also, I've read about using the Dyna S, but could not find anywhere to actually purchase it?

I read through Pete's thread about the HEI conversion and I still don't think he or anyone else has had good results on the 450's?
Click to expand...

Pete's results looked great to me... Though I'd definitely wait until he has a chance to test it throughout the rev range before going out and building one.
 
Dang maybe that's the thread that I didn't finish reading haha. I've been through way too much information and a few late nights this weekend that have me a bit scrambled...
 
Also, I've seen several dyna ignition setups for the 550's and up, but nothing for a 450....

I have searched and not found any information on using a dyna S ignitions specifically on the two cylinder bikes... Maybe I just suck at the search function?
 
Your bike has mechanical advance, I have never tried it but I would suspect a points assembly and advance mechanicals from a earlier GS400 or such should fit.. Dyna did not make much for the 2 cyl bikes. I would look for Petronics ? brand or something like that from the UK
 
Last edited:
Yeah I'm actually watching that one... but I'm trying to figure out if the advance mechanism is the same or what from the points to electronic ignition models....
 
I'm not sure on converting back to points, although I will admit to having considered it at one point...

My ignitor replacement was successful at idle, but I couldn't get it past idle due to other factors, so the circuit's far from proven.

If you wanted to make it as is and try it for yourself, then go for your life. I can't see me getting further testing done for a while yet as my build is basically stalled until I can get funds and time again.

The thread link is in my sig. below if you want to peruse... If you wanted to try it, the modules were $AU 9.95 each on eBay and the other electronic bits and pieces were less than $AU 30.00 including the heatsink which may or may not be required.

Usually you guys in the US have stupidly cheaper prices than us, so I suspect you'd be in for $30 or less depending on the cost of the modules.
 
Pete,
I've enlisted in the help of someone I consider a wiring/electrical guru. He has come up with several great ideas for xs650's, and one of those using an HEI module for ignition. I sent him an email asking a few questions and gave him a link to your HEI thread, so hopefully he'll chime in with some ideas that might help us both!
 
Cool, that'd be great if he can offer some advice to you and on to me also as I'm in no position to test any further at the moment unfortunately.

I have emailed Lou who is the "guru" on the HEI modules by the looks and he's waiting on me to test further also. He's on a Kawasaki forum so doesn't get to see the stuff on here, but he's helped Matchless out before and seems to be a very knowledgeable and helpful guy.
 
I guess it's possible that Lou and Mr. Riggs are the same person? haha maybe not. But that would be pretty weird. Mr. Riggs has done a lot in the yamaha XS650 world, but I don't know if he is involved with kawasaki's or not?
 
Nah definitely not, Lou's last name starts with a D and he's definitely a Kwaka boy :)
 
Still no word from Mr. Riggs.

But, I can kind of sum up what he did on the xs650 HEI system...

He modified a pickup and reluctor from a toyota distributor to send a signal to the HEI module which then fired a chevy dual output coil. Massive sparks can be made with chevy coils!

On my xs650 I went from two single output coils to one dual output coil... it just fired both cylinders at the same time since the pistons move up and down at the same time. How is a gs450 phased? Vibrations aren't nearly as bad as my xs650, so I'm guessing both pistons do not go up at the same time?
 
mlc216 said:
Still no word from Mr. Riggs.

But, I can kind of sum up what he did on the xs650 HEI system...

He modified a pickup and reluctor from a toyota distributor to send a signal to the HEI module which then fired a chevy dual output coil. Massive sparks can be made with chevy coils!

On my xs650 I went from two single output coils to one dual output coil... it just fired both cylinders at the same time since the pistons move up and down at the same time. How is a gs450 phased? Vibrations aren't nearly as bad as my xs650, so I'm guessing both pistons do not go up at the same time?
Click to expand...

Aaaah I see. Was the XS650 points though? What I'm trying to achieve with the HEI modules is to avoid changing anything from stock and use the OEM pickup coils.

The 450 is a 180 degree crank, and if you look behind your timing cover on the right you'll see the two pickup coils are opposite each other and that the magnet is only embedded into one side of the governor.
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
Points advance and igniter advance units are different!!
Click to expand...

They certainly are! Fortunately both of ours are mechanical advance units, so no dramas there and it's the only reason the HEI modules have a chance of working :)
 
So wouldn't a single pickup with a dual pole reluctor do the same thing as two pickups at 180 deg with a one pole reluctor?

I guess my biggest question is why do you have to wire in the circuit of resistors, etc. with two separate HEI modules when the xs650 setup can run off one HEI module and a dual output coil?
 
Last edited:
Also, pete the xs650 setup used a points plate without the points to mount the pickup and then the reluctor was modified to fit on the advance shaft. The setup is orignally used on a four cylinder car, so two of the poles on the reluctor were ground off leaving two at 180 degrees.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top