Sachse (German made) digital ignitions

A buddy of mine is now distributing Sachse custom mapped digital ignition setups for a whole bunch of vintage bikes from the extremely obscure (NSU, anyone?), to the ubiquitous and lovable (CB's, XS' etc) and everything in-between (Ducati bevels, round-cases, singles, etc). Yes, this is a shameless plug because this is a good guy, a supporter of the vintage bike community, and he performed a miracle resurrection on one of my bikes recently so I feel like I need to help him get his name out there.

Linky: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sachse-Digital-Ignition-ZDG3-Yamaha-XS650-/271046708309?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item3f1ba48c55#ht_881wt_952

I would like to hear from someone using this ignition!

So would I, the full advance happens in ranges the XS won't see?
Full advance at 6200 you are almost out of omph and most don't ride at 6200+rpm.

Not a problem, weekender, you choose the advance curve. Have a look at the charts; some of the options come to full advance long before others. There's more bang for the buck there than Boyer delivers--looks like the timing plate is pretty robust and sits down in the ignition housing with good support, with the rotor riding outboard--a much better setup than the Boyer, with its flimsy timing plate, wonky pickup posts, and inboard rotor. I also like the way the curve is selected by choosing which pins on the box to hook up to--a much better idea than making the user try to fiddle with microswitches while the bike is running, as with some other adjustable systems. Looks like a lot of bang for the buck to me. The only thing I'd question is whether the timing plate allows an adequate adjustment range.

Thanks for the heads-up, ThrottleJock.

It has been several months could we get a updated product review from someone.
Itrguy, ThrottleJock, anyone?

NSU was an East German motorcycle manufacturer (remember the Cold War?) But every time I see it, I think Non-Specific Urethritis! NSU was a grand prix motorcycle racing participant before WWII, and built scores of bikes behind the iron curtain. Digital ignition started coming alon over there around the same time as here, just in lessor numbers, due to the lack of a free market.

See below for clarification of who is making this system.

Much rather wait for Pamcopetes advance system

JD750- incorrect...Sachse Electronics is a very small, family owned company started by an extremely talented German engineer...

650skull- although Pamcos ignition is finally hall effect, and is inexpensive, some would prefer adaptability for personal modifications, the Pamaco unit has one curve pre set. Sachse offers 9 selectable curves (factory set or your own curves if preferred) 2 rev limits (up to 16 if you like or need so for different tracks/bikes) and also has better dwell to protect coils, pull less energy, and create more consistent spark, auto shut off to protect coils, 2 channel rather than 1 so each cylinder has its own map, and can use coils of primary resistance of 3-8 ohms for use with a larger selection of coils.

Sorry I have just now gotten on the forum! My name is Nate with 2Topia Cycles. I am the U.S. supplier for Sachse systems and can answer any questions you might have!

Check out the systems on our Ebay page and let me know if I can help!

2Topia, I wasn't knocking your product. I think pamcopete is still developing, (maybe finished), the advance unit for the Xs, and i was thinking of the cost difference between yours and pamco's projected price of about $160.00 for the ignition and advance set up.

I am guessing yours would suite a racing environment where it can be changed to suite the different type of racing or even carb setup

No worries! No offense taken! I really believe in this product and have had nothing but satisfied customers, but it is not for everyone...have not heard bad about Pamco either!

Welcome to the site and thanks for the response Nate.
The rev limiter this will keep you from getting past a preset rpm?
And would you explain what I'm seeing on the charts on the e-bay ad.

Yes Weekendrider, the control unit begins to cut ignition until it drops below the selected rpm. The factory settings are 7900 and 9800, but can be changed at time of order for your liking. More can be added as well if need be.

The graphs you are seeing are a representation of the the advance curve vs. RPM.
The bottom scale is RPM while the vertical scale is the advance in degrees.. so for example:

Advance setting 3(pink) starts at 2 degrees BTDC and stays there until around 900 rpm, then advances steeply to 11 degrees of advance by 1500 rpm. It then moves at a quick and steady pace up to around 28 degrees of advance by 3000 RPM, then steadily climbing to its max of 32 degrees and staying there.

This curve would be good for an engine that has a mild camshaft with more duration than stock, an engine with more compression than stock, or even ported cylinder heads as the more advanced timing at lower RPM will allow more time for the larger air/fuel charge to burn.

This is just one example as there are so many factors involved in creating the correct ignition curve to get the most power out of your modifications. It is also useful to remember that even without modifications, different curves can help you achieve better economy and power as well. Factory systems are often set to achieve many goals while not being a master of any (i.e. decent power, decent economy, good emissions...etc).

The more curves available, the closer you can come to achieving your goals for your engine operation. We can also program custom curves that you create (by using the graph) for your purposes at the time of order. I hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions!