I just wanted to post some of the highlights of my Boyer installation on my XS2. This is the Boyer Micro Power kit for the XS650 that includes a micro coil , spark plug leads, and caps.
I purchased this to replace my Pamco ignition with built in advance, that was failing. I did a lot of chasing my tail before finally diagnosing the Pamco as faulty. That’s all contained in my other thread,
http://www.xs650.com/threads/mailmans-xs2-the-rebuild-again.59075/page-28#post-711220
So after stripping the Pamco system out of my bike I began the Boyer installation.
Assemble and install the magnetic rotor,
On the other end of the all thread that holds the magnetic rotor, goes a bushing that fits in the end of the cam and a couple of washers and a nut.
Then install the stator plate……..and we hit the first snag. There are metal straps securing two pick up coils to the stator board, they are soldered in place on the back side of the board. Except three of the four solder spots were missing,
I contacted Boyer ( and this is what I love about them ) , they immediately apologized for the inconvenience and dropped a new one in the mail for me. They did not want the old one back, so I felt free at that point to attempt a repair. I ran to the hardware store and picked up some electronic solder,
And soldered the remaining three spots. ( Still waiting for the other board to arrive from the U.K.)
Next it’s time to mount the board, which brings me to my next modification, credit for this idea goes to @Paul Sutton. The mounting posts for the stator board are unsupported under half of the post.
What Paul did here was to machine some longer supports with a notch on one half. What I did was ,look around the shop for something I already had. I started going through my fender washers with a caliper until I found one that was exactly 2.5 mm thick, then I layed out a couple of supports. A little work with a hack saw and file and I had these.
Which I then stuck on with some JB Weld and painted, and installed.
Now the electrical, @grizld1 has installed a lot of Boyers, and I know he’s not the biggest fan. He has some valid criticisms of Boyer, mostly concerning not building a more robust unit. And honestly I kinda agree with that, it hasn’t changed or been redesigned since they started making them. Anyways, I went back through all the Boyer threads I could find where The Griz weighed in and one nugget I took and ran with was the Boyers need for a good clean supply of power. It is sensitive to low voltage. So I took his suggestion and brought power straight from the battery to the Boyer by way of a relay. I picked up power from the battery, to a relay, through a 10 amp inline fuse and straight to the Boyer. I used the red/white wire ( the key on hot wire) that comes out of the wiring harness ( from the kill switch ) up by the coil and used it only for a trigger wire for the relay. ( Note to protect the relay from vibration it is mounted on a thick rubber washer, bolted to the rear fender which is also rubber mounted. )
The coil mounting and blue box placement. The coil placement idea I again poached from Paul Sutton, who by the way wrote an excellent Boyer thread right here on this very forum. And the blue box placement I borrowed from @GLJ , at first I placed it inside the little space behind the steering head and packed styrofoam around it, thinking I was insulating it from vibration. It was tucked in nice. Then I found out that it needs air circulation around it for heat dissipation, so I re did it.
I took care to route the Boyer control wires away from the alternator wiring harness and spark plug leads , as per Boyer, because it is susceptible to electronic interference. Next up the spark plug wires. They had a copper clip / plug that goes into the coil, that I’ve never seen before. I soldered it on just for good measure.
Boyer also included some very nice red NGK suppressed spark plug caps, which I chose not to use. I am buying suppressed spark plugs these days because they are easier to find. I contacted Boyer about this and they said it didn’t matter which was suppressed.
So everything together, and time to fire it up, I hooked up my timing light and started the bike, I quickly got it adjusted and it ran very well. Whew!
I am running the timing at 5 degrees retarded, so that my full advance is now at 35 degrees. As per @TwoManyXS1Bs post about running his bike at a retarded setting,
http://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-ignition-timing-revisited-are-we-too-advanced.45197/
this was also one of XSJohns mods. Makes the bike run a little cooler and easier on the starter.
Nothing left to do but go for a spin!
Baby I’m back! Thanks to Grizld1 for all he has written on the subject, Paul Sutton for his excellent Boyer article which I found very helpful, GLJ ( Greg) for his helpful input and suggestions, and Jim as always for being the patient teacher and putting up with my seemingly endless questions. 
Later, Bob
I purchased this to replace my Pamco ignition with built in advance, that was failing. I did a lot of chasing my tail before finally diagnosing the Pamco as faulty. That’s all contained in my other thread,
http://www.xs650.com/threads/mailmans-xs2-the-rebuild-again.59075/page-28#post-711220
So after stripping the Pamco system out of my bike I began the Boyer installation.
Assemble and install the magnetic rotor,
On the other end of the all thread that holds the magnetic rotor, goes a bushing that fits in the end of the cam and a couple of washers and a nut.
Then install the stator plate……..and we hit the first snag. There are metal straps securing two pick up coils to the stator board, they are soldered in place on the back side of the board. Except three of the four solder spots were missing,
I contacted Boyer ( and this is what I love about them ) , they immediately apologized for the inconvenience and dropped a new one in the mail for me. They did not want the old one back, so I felt free at that point to attempt a repair. I ran to the hardware store and picked up some electronic solder,
And soldered the remaining three spots. ( Still waiting for the other board to arrive from the U.K.)
Next it’s time to mount the board, which brings me to my next modification, credit for this idea goes to @Paul Sutton. The mounting posts for the stator board are unsupported under half of the post.
What Paul did here was to machine some longer supports with a notch on one half. What I did was ,look around the shop for something I already had. I started going through my fender washers with a caliper until I found one that was exactly 2.5 mm thick, then I layed out a couple of supports. A little work with a hack saw and file and I had these.
Which I then stuck on with some JB Weld and painted, and installed.
Now the electrical, @grizld1 has installed a lot of Boyers, and I know he’s not the biggest fan. He has some valid criticisms of Boyer, mostly concerning not building a more robust unit. And honestly I kinda agree with that, it hasn’t changed or been redesigned since they started making them. Anyways, I went back through all the Boyer threads I could find where The Griz weighed in and one nugget I took and ran with was the Boyers need for a good clean supply of power. It is sensitive to low voltage. So I took his suggestion and brought power straight from the battery to the Boyer by way of a relay. I picked up power from the battery, to a relay, through a 10 amp inline fuse and straight to the Boyer. I used the red/white wire ( the key on hot wire) that comes out of the wiring harness ( from the kill switch ) up by the coil and used it only for a trigger wire for the relay. ( Note to protect the relay from vibration it is mounted on a thick rubber washer, bolted to the rear fender which is also rubber mounted. )
The coil mounting and blue box placement. The coil placement idea I again poached from Paul Sutton, who by the way wrote an excellent Boyer thread right here on this very forum. And the blue box placement I borrowed from @GLJ , at first I placed it inside the little space behind the steering head and packed styrofoam around it, thinking I was insulating it from vibration. It was tucked in nice. Then I found out that it needs air circulation around it for heat dissipation, so I re did it.
I took care to route the Boyer control wires away from the alternator wiring harness and spark plug leads , as per Boyer, because it is susceptible to electronic interference. Next up the spark plug wires. They had a copper clip / plug that goes into the coil, that I’ve never seen before. I soldered it on just for good measure.
Boyer also included some very nice red NGK suppressed spark plug caps, which I chose not to use. I am buying suppressed spark plugs these days because they are easier to find. I contacted Boyer about this and they said it didn’t matter which was suppressed.
So everything together, and time to fire it up, I hooked up my timing light and started the bike, I quickly got it adjusted and it ran very well. Whew!
I am running the timing at 5 degrees retarded, so that my full advance is now at 35 degrees. As per @TwoManyXS1Bs post about running his bike at a retarded setting,http://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-ignition-timing-revisited-are-we-too-advanced.45197/
this was also one of XSJohns mods. Makes the bike run a little cooler and easier on the starter.
Nothing left to do but go for a spin!
Baby I’m back! Thanks to Grizld1 for all he has written on the subject, Paul Sutton for his excellent Boyer article which I found very helpful, GLJ ( Greg) for his helpful input and suggestions, and Jim as always for being the patient teacher and putting up with my seemingly endless questions. Later, Bob
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