No spark especially after replacing the ignition rotor - Fixed.

[srinath]

This kicked my butt for 6 months off and on, and for the last 3 weeks full time kicking of my butt.
I replaced the alternator rotor and lost spark, the new rotor seemed to have the pickup magnet in the right spot, was even a bit stronger than the old one, the coil resistance etc etc was great. So what was the problem.
Its a little short left to right as it sits in the bike. Just about 6/100th of an inch. I am one of the fortunate few who have another rotor sitting round cos I have 2 motors
I am going to be contacting the "rotor rebuilder" I bought it from. If they dont make good on the thing I'm plastering them on this post.

The rotor being short left to right puts the pickup's too far away from the magnet on the rotor and the thing never sparks. I could easily get it to spark by taking off the pickup and whipping a magnet in my hand past it. The thing is diabolical to say the least. It took me nearly 2 weeks of working every chance I got, @ shop rates of say 60 bucks/hr and I'm an easy 15 hours into it. So I spent 900 bucks on a 100 buck rotor.

Cool.
Srinath.

 

[xjwmx]

Give us a hint. Is the rewinder located in the state where you come from with a banjo on your knee?

 

[srinath]

So, what makes you think that ?

Your own Experience ?

If it was experience, did you email him ? How did he react, the problem took me 6 months split by winter to diagnose just because its so unusual. I emailed him, but if he isn't going to make good I will post about this in over a dozen forums, some of which I am a administrator in. It will never go away, I can make it a sticky and make it sit @ the top of google for months. The whole thing, ebay address, store name everything is going on the open web. Anyone googling xs650 rotor rebuild will see it.

Cool.
Srinath.

 

[xjwmx]

No, not experience, just the only one I know of; the famous one. I've never read anything but good about them so I expect they'll make good on it.

There used to be a local auto electric shop that would rewind alternators, etc. I don't know if shops like that are still around.

 

[gggGary]

That's pretty easy to do, isn't it? the halves can be pulled apart if you try to remove it with a gear puller. And they may be taking a skim cut to clean up ugly slip rings. or doing the same in the taper. I have seen posts where guys were gluing magnets on top of the factory magnet to increase the pulse. what is the factory clearance from the magnet to the pickup?

 

[xjwmx]

Yeah, 3/50 of an inch doesn't seem like it would be much to the magnet. Maybe they sent you back one with a weak magnet? They could easily test magnets with a gauss meter. I did it all day once...

 

[srinath]

gggGary - I'm guessing the factory gap is under 5/100ths of an inch. The one I have on the bike now is over 12/100th's.

xjwmx - Good to know you found only good stuff about them, hope they get mine sorted.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[srinath]

The magnet seems fine, maybe polarity matters ? Didn't think so, I can ge tit to spark by flashing a magnet by hand across the pickups.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[xjwmx]

I haven't researched them, but everybody says ohhh send it there. Keep us updated.

maybe polarity matters ?

I don't think so. But they wouldn't have changed the polarity. You could use the hand magnet to see if the two are the same.

 

[gggGary]

Story time; Last month I replaced a bad rotor with a different one and then the motor wouldn't start, it lost spark it took me a good half hour to figure out I had put in a no magnet rotor, the non magnet ones have a similar area that could be a magnet to a casual look...... I guess I owe myself $30.00 Hmm, Mabye I'd take a check? Have you checked say 10 or 15 rotors of various years? Were they all the same dimension FROM THE FACTORY? It's also rather easy for dirt and corrosion to prevent the stator from seating all the way home.

 

[srinath]

It sparked on both poles of the test magnet.
Anyway tim parrott contacted me responding to my email. Its apparently a mikesxs rotor. Now where does he make them, random crap thrown together. The rubber parts he sold me crumbled to dust in 6 months, I was gonna buy electrical stuff like the fuse box etc from him, but now definetly I am not. Anyway Tim Parrott (yes from alabama) offered to send me an original rebuild. I didn't send him a core cos I wasn't able to get mine out then, so he sent me a mikesxs one.

He offered to swap this for a rebuilt one. Stand up guy. Its comming up on a year since I ordered it. Anyway my problem is, I am making a trade/sale of this in under a week, I wont even get the tool found till early next week, its not enough to get the thing done, I'm asking the buyer if he wants to swap it, or I can mill the carrier and get it closer ... I'm waiting for his reply.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[srinath]

BTW Now that I am comparing it side by side with the stock one, its got a few extra threads showing in the center, its obviously shorter.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[srinath]

I glued a tiny dot of a n50 magnet I had with high temp epoxy and it fires up like its new.
Now the shorter rotor presents an opportunity IMHO.

You want to advance it - put a smaller diameter magnet. A tiny magnet can be glued to the edge of the old magnet too making it a degree or 2 static advance. Out in a larger magnet and it will advance more gradually, aka retard. Put it further higher in the stroke and you get a degree or 2 static retard.
In fact you can get a bar magnet that is a shade longer than the diameter of the original dot.
Anyway, I am attempting to sell this bike or trade it with it still apart so I can get on with building my rephase 650 and not bother with this one.
Cool, thanks much everyone.
Srinath.

 

[gggGary]

XSjohn was a proponent of retarding the timing for smoothness. I haven't looked but slotted mounts for the pick ups might be a more elegant solution to changeable timing that could be easily adjusted. Glad you have spark again. Some electrical whiz should come up with what htose pick up really are then we could replace them with separate units and adjust both low and high speed spark independently.

 

[member3480]

I have got rebuilds from him and all were good but i always sent a core.
Do you have another to compair?
Something doesn't seem right and they seem nice people that stand behind there product. Send it back and see whats up.
There are alot of rotors that are the same and fit in different bikes. I have found so many inter changeable parts over the years that really came from the same factory and fit on different bikes like they were made for it. Back in the 60's and 70's and 80's Parts were parts and when you put two side by side they were the same. So maybe it was just a mistake on there part.

 

[srinath]

I measured it against the one I pulled off the other xs motor I have.
Yes 6-7 100th off, and is there was a decrease in magnetism - cant be sure, but they felt close. Yea he mentioned he sent me an mike's xs rotor. Anyway I would now defer to the new owner, the bike sold just ~1 hr ago.
I still am working on the rephased one though.
Cool.
Srinath.

 

[XSLeo]

The guy most reccomended is not Tim Parrot. It's Gary at Custom Rewinds. They are both in Alabama. Not the same deal. Ones cheap and ones good. Take your pic.
I once contacted Tim Parrot and asked some questions on stator windings, He told me the test in the book didn't mean anything.
I asked how the windings were done and how they were connected to the yellow wire, he didn't know, A rewinder that doesn't know how they are wired isn't much of a rewinder.

 

[ReycleBill]

I had Gary at Custom Rewind do mine with no regrets. Can't say that I've ever heard of Tim Parrot until just now.

 

[srinath]

See I didn't send in a core, I ended up buying one and it was a mikesxs one.

Anyway, water under the bridge, he's going to points, and the bike is getting made into a bobber.

Cool.
Srinath.

 

[xjwmx]

Glad that got straightened out since it's two different places.