Mailmans XS2 , the rebuild.......again

Bob, I am really looking forward to your installation documentation and road testing! :popcorn: :popcorn:
It is always top-notch.
I predict that the vintage Dyna II ignition on my '76 will not last forever, and the Boyer will likely be my go-to replacement.
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Thanks Jeff, I’ll be sure to report my findings! ;)
 
Bob
Couple of things you should know about Boyers. The coil is a current coil. Has very low resistance. Usually around 0.6 Ohms. The blue box limits the current going to it. It never sends 12 volts to it. Never hook the coil up straight to 12 volts. It will overheat very quickly.
As I mentioned to you in a PM Boyers time backwards from "normal" they are static timed at full advance.
I've got well over 11,000 smiles on mine in all kinds of weather and it has preformed perfectly. I had 40 miles on my PAMCO when it started causing trouble.
 
Bob
Couple of things you should know about Boyers. The coil is a current coil. Has very low resistance. Usually around 0.6 Ohms. The blue box limits the current going to it. It never sends 12 volts to it. Never hook the coil up straight to 12 volts. It will overheat very quickly.
As I mentioned to you in a PM Boyers time backwards from "normal" they are static timed at full advance.
I've got well over 11,000 smiles on mine in all kinds of weather and it has preformed perfectly. I had 40 miles on my PAMCO when it started causing trouble.

Roger that! I’ll be very careful.
They’ve been making Boyers for over 50 years now and I can’t even imagine how many they’ve sold. Their track record is exemplary, and should a component fail, all of the individual parts are available separately. They are well known for their customer service and you can always , and I mean always get a speedy response from them. When I was shopping for one, I even sent an email to them on a Sunday afternoon to ask what the cost would be to have one shipped to my house directly from them. The very next morning I had a very polite response waiting for me. To my surprise the cost with international shipping included was the same as the lowest cost I could find here. However they were out of stock at the time and they were waiting for a critical component that was delayed in shipping, it would be about 3-4 weeks. They suggested trying their U.S. importer / distributor.
 
I'm sure I've said this elsewhere but I've had Boyer on a Norton Commando, Kawasaki Z1-B, Triumph TR6 and the XS650. All those bikes came to me with the Boyer already fitted. Ran the Z1 for seventeen years and gawd knows how many miles. No problems with the ignition timing on any of those bikes, they really are set and forget.

Plenty of other problems mind . . .
 
I know it has been said already, but I am really looking forward to your post on the install process Mailman, I know it will be worthy of being pinned in the tech section. I am looking to update my XS2 to the same ignition, and I will be sure to have the laptop with your post(s) open to follow along to. All the best with the install! Eagerly waiting :popcorn:
 
Getting started on installing my new Boyer ignition……….

I didn’t have my new ignition yet, but I figured I’d get started prepping the bike. Out with the old……..
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Then , just as I was wrapping up for the day, the mail man pulled up with a surprise early delivery! Yay!
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Before I packed it in for the day, I decided to do one more thing. Pull my battery out so I wouldn’t accidentally spark anything. Imagine my surprise when I grabbed onto a wet battery!
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Unbelievable! This is the new replacement battery for the new one that leaked before! :banghead: Fortunately the overflow seemed to all be caught in the tray.
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I’ve already got my money back but I’m not giving any more of my money to this company. So this is going to cause a brief delay, and I need to get a couple of new spark plugs too. So it won’t be too long now.
Later- Bob
 
Instead of e-bay specials find a bike shop locally that sells Parts Plus products. I've had very good luck with their house batteries. I'm sure the price will be more than e-bay but they should last longer.
 
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Instead of e-bay specials find a bike shop locally that sells Parts Plus products. I've had very good luck with their batteries. I'm sure the price will be more than e-bay but they should last longer.
I’m not sure what’s available for an XS-2, but I run with Deka or Yuasa batteries made in USA. I get a lot of years out of them.
 
I think batteries fall into the same category as tires, chains, spark plugs and a few other parts. It's great to price shop if you are getting a quality part.
Tires are a good example. You didn't think twice about getting Dunlops. You could have got these for a lot less money. Price is right, looks are right.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-XS6...165194&hash=item56932c823f:g:hnwAAOSwvflZSGSi
To be honest I may try them on my survivor. Or maybe not.
 
Cheap battery or not, a gel battery shouldn't be leaking like that. Check your charging voltage once you get it running.
 
Grimly has it there
Thinking out loud here
Cooked battery and semi fried Ignition ... Is the charging Voltage right because the Boyer can protest on that
also. Are we talking the stock relay " Flintstone " type regulator here ?? ????
 
I just bought a new Diehard battery for my '77 from Auto Zone...I'm thinking it was ~$50. The only problem was it needed a 14 hour charge with my 1 amp trickle charger. Working great and I didn't have to wait for the postman...er 'mailman'
 
He's got a voltmeter on his handlebars. Pretty sure that, like the rest of us, he looks at it from time to time.

Iirc... the first battery was leaking in the shipping box. It never made it into the bike.
 
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