Man! I love the look of that. Really nice custom work there Jim!
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Jim's 1980 SG Miss September
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
You do awesome work ! It is very nice to hear of the braking power improvement on top of that beautiful DD front end
Thanks guys... 
Calendar Award!!!..... and we're done.
Wow... what a difference. Front brake is now a 1 or 2 finger affair.... I can actually lock the front tire now.
For a total investment well under a hundred bucks, I couldn't be happier.
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Looks very nice indeed Jim!
Do you happen to recall what length of upper and lower hoses you had ordered and what fittings you specified?
Pete
Do you happen to recall what length of upper and lower hoses you had ordered and what fittings you specified?
Pete
... and as if on cue, tuning forks from Thailand arrived in the mail just now.
I got them from here Pete. You'll need to measure specific to your bike for sizing.
Oh, now you’re just rubbing it in! 
I’m looking at your front end , then I look at my front end........
My OCD is starting to tingle something fierce. It looks like I’ve got a new fall project starting to form in the back of my mind! I just realized you just stripped and polished your caliper carriers?
I just gave my 77D a re fresh and it’s already looking sad. That’ll never do!
I’m looking at your front end , then I look at my front end........My OCD is starting to tingle something fierce. It looks like I’ve got a new fall project starting to form in the back of my mind! I just realized you just stripped and polished your caliper carriers?
I just gave my 77D a re fresh and it’s already looking sad. That’ll never do!
Looking forward to reading all about it.
Honda MP08 Iggy Coil.
Rode the SG to the dentist today and there and back she was breaking up when I pushed her. To be honest, it felt like carbs.... but as a wise old man once told me..."never underestimate the ignition systems ability to fool you into blaming the carbs." I've already picked up a couple of MP08 coils on Ebay 'cause I suspect my original TCI coil is nearing the end. So... off we go...
So first off... I'm not a fan of the original location. It's hard to access... tanks gotta come off. And two things electrics hate are heat and vibration. Hard mounted to the frame... a paint shaker frame at that. Plus it's sittin' just over the head, so it gets a pretty good heat soak every time you park it. Having said all that.... yeah, I know access ain't that big a deal. I mean.. how often do ya have to change it? Still....
And yeah... it's a 40yr old coil. The proofs in the puddin'. It's done alright for itself in it current location. Despite all that, I don't like it there.
There's room on the front of the battery box. The MP08 is nice and compact... and sits nicely between the foam air filters. That gets it away from the engine heat, the battery box is rubber isolated, and pullin' the right cover and filter gives easy access to it. There ya go... 3 birds with one stone.
Not wanting to remove the battery box (
) , I used this to drill the stud holes....
In my airplane days I had a drawer full of 45 and 90deg.... offsets, nutplate... 'bout every drill you can imagine. When I retired I sold 'em all.... but for some odd reason I kept this little guy.
Drilled the first hole at the bottom of the batt. box and used the original MP mount as a pattern for the second hole.
Got into my airplane parts bins and found 2 NAS 10-32 screws long enough and 2 aluminum standoffs and put it all together with a good slather of JB weld....
The coil fits in there nicely....
So... now I gotta pull the tank anyway to run the coil wiring down to the new location. But.... that'll be the last time I'll have to pull it for the coil.
Rode the SG to the dentist today and there and back she was breaking up when I pushed her. To be honest, it felt like carbs.... but as a wise old man once told me..."never underestimate the ignition systems ability to fool you into blaming the carbs." I've already picked up a couple of MP08 coils on Ebay 'cause I suspect my original TCI coil is nearing the end. So... off we go...
So first off... I'm not a fan of the original location. It's hard to access... tanks gotta come off. And two things electrics hate are heat and vibration. Hard mounted to the frame... a paint shaker frame at that. Plus it's sittin' just over the head, so it gets a pretty good heat soak every time you park it. Having said all that.... yeah, I know access ain't that big a deal. I mean.. how often do ya have to change it? Still....
And yeah... it's a 40yr old coil. The proofs in the puddin'. It's done alright for itself in it current location. Despite all that, I don't like it there.
There's room on the front of the battery box. The MP08 is nice and compact... and sits nicely between the foam air filters. That gets it away from the engine heat, the battery box is rubber isolated, and pullin' the right cover and filter gives easy access to it. There ya go... 3 birds with one stone.
Not wanting to remove the battery box (
) , I used this to drill the stud holes....In my airplane days I had a drawer full of 45 and 90deg.... offsets, nutplate... 'bout every drill you can imagine. When I retired I sold 'em all.... but for some odd reason I kept this little guy.
Drilled the first hole at the bottom of the batt. box and used the original MP mount as a pattern for the second hole.
Got into my airplane parts bins and found 2 NAS 10-32 screws long enough and 2 aluminum standoffs and put it all together with a good slather of JB weld....
The coil fits in there nicely....
So... now I gotta pull the tank anyway to run the coil wiring down to the new location.
But.... that'll be the last time I'll have to pull it for the coil. 
Shweet solution to a knotty problem Jim!
Way to think outside of the box Jim! You’ve created such a clean electrical system on your bike. It’s a shame it’s all hidden. It almost looks like aircraft wiring!
Yeah... no.It almost looks like aircraft wiring!
Work order sez.... "No power to NAV1/2 swap relay." Pops head up into the E&E Bay....
Very interesting solution Jim.
I didn’t like the crowded and hot under-tank area either but the stock air box / carb region is also a mess. I hadn’t realized you went to foamy filters. That certainly makes things much easier to fit into place.
I may just have to purloin that idea....
I didn’t like the crowded and hot under-tank area either but the stock air box / carb region is also a mess. I hadn’t realized you went to foamy filters. That certainly makes things much easier to fit into place.
I may just have to purloin that idea....
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I found your comments about placing ignition components in the hot area directly above the head, and your worries about the heat causing premature failure interesting. I bought a 2007 Triumph Bonneville America new, and the factory placed the CDI unit under the gas tank , just inches above the head. After running the bike for about three years ( past warranty ) the $800 unit failed ! A Triumph forum at the time reported a number of people having the same issue and they attributed it to heat from the motor. So maybe you’re onto something there eh?
Honda Coil Transplant... cont.
Out with the old....
Used a stainless allen to reattach the grounds.....
Pretty impressive size difference.
Cut the power wires off the old coil and soldered up a new harness. Left the existing wires intact on the bike so it can always be reverted back to original.
Installed new 7mm solid core HT leads...
Also .... since the power leads sit on the bottom where water can run down into them, I smeared a little dielectric grease on 'em. Not a big fan of the grease, but in this case I figured it's better to use it than not.
Installed the coil....
New 5K NKG plug caps. Also took the protective sheathing from the old coil and installed it on the new HT leads.
And finally.... here it is nestled snugly between the filters. There's about 1/8" to 1/4" clearance on both filters....
As expected... motor fired right up. Went for a ride and the missing under load is still there... crap
Well.... at least now I know it ain't the coil breaking down.
Overall... it's a win. I'm still convinced the 40yr old coil was near the end. This Honda coil only has about 20yrs on it and... for the 20 bucks to Ebay I got this one and a spare. If it ever does go bad, swapping it out will be a piece of cake.
I guess now it's on to investigate the carbs.... sigh.
Out with the old....
Used a stainless allen to reattach the grounds.....
Pretty impressive size difference.
Cut the power wires off the old coil and soldered up a new harness. Left the existing wires intact on the bike so it can always be reverted back to original.
Installed new 7mm solid core HT leads...
Also .... since the power leads sit on the bottom where water can run down into them, I smeared a little dielectric grease on 'em. Not a big fan of the grease, but in this case I figured it's better to use it than not.
Installed the coil....
New 5K NKG plug caps. Also took the protective sheathing from the old coil and installed it on the new HT leads.
And finally.... here it is nestled snugly between the filters. There's about 1/8" to 1/4" clearance on both filters....
As expected... motor fired right up. Went for a ride and the missing under load is still there... crap
Well.... at least now I know it ain't the coil breaking down.
Overall... it's a win. I'm still convinced the 40yr old coil was near the end. This Honda coil only has about 20yrs on it and... for the 20 bucks to Ebay I got this one and a spare. If it ever does go bad, swapping it out will be a piece of cake.
I guess now it's on to investigate the carbs.... sigh.
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Nice neat work Jim, I’m with you, still a good retro fit. You’ll find your miss soon I’m sure.
fishandchips
XS650 Enthusiast
Could you give the rough dimensions of the mp08 coils Jim please.
Hi Jim. What is the primary resistance on those coils? Thanks.Honda Coil Transplant... cont.
Out with the old....
View attachment 148538
Used a stainless allen to reattach the grounds.....
View attachment 148539
Pretty impressive size difference.
View attachment 148540
Cut the power wires off the old coil and soldered up a new harness. Left the existing wires intact on the bike so it can always be reverted back to original.
Installed new 7mm solid core HT leads...
Also .... since the power leads sit on the bottom where water can run down into them, I smeared a little dielectric grease on 'em. Not a big fan of the grease, but in this case I figured it's better to use it than not.
View attachment 148541
Installed the coil....
View attachment 148542
New 5K NKG plug caps. Also took the protective sheathing from the old coil and installed it on the new HT leads.
View attachment 148543
And finally.... here it is nestled snugly between the filters. There's about 1/8" to 1/4" clearance on both filters....
View attachment 148544
As expected... motor fired right up. Went for a ride and the missing under load is still there... crap
Well.... at least now I know it ain't the coil breaking down.
Overall... it's a win. I'm still convinced the 40yr old coil was near the end. This Honda coil only has about 20yrs on it and... for the 20 bucks to Ebay I got this one and a spare. If it ever does go bad, swapping it out will be a piece of cake.
I guess now it's on to investigate the carbs.... sigh.
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