Electronic Ignition Fail.

[realgone]

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

About a week ago I bought a 78 xs standard which had been 'restored' some time back. It has a red boyer igniter box that says triumph/bsa on it.

right after buying the bike I put some lower bars on it. that's all. other than that, it seemed to run well, though the battery seemed to need replacement. once running it showed around 13 volts or so, but while hitting the started button it would show 4-5 and would rarely start the bike. once running all lights worked, life was good.

the other night i was out for a ride and after about 25 minutes on the highway there was a backfire sound, and the bike was dead. no lights, nothing. brought it to a friends garage and we found a 20a fuse going into the red igniter boyer box to be blown. tried a new fuse, and the fuse blew again after starting. put in a 30a fuse and when trying to start smoke was coming out of the kill switch controls.

i plan on changing the controls and ordering a new wiring harness, but don't know what else to do from there. the harness showed some fraying and some copper turning green. maybe a short in there? also, maybe a short in the control caused by the shorter bars somehow? is the triumph/bsa red box a common mod? i think we cooked it with the 30a fuse, not sure though. i want to start over with the simplest system i can, but i'm not good with wiring. if i get a stock new harness from mikesxs, what ignition system should i get. i hear pamco, but i'm not sure which set up i need to order. any input?

 

[Sundie]

Ah, Lucas. you kill things just by association.

Pamco's your deal. Simplest replacement for what you have.

 

[realgone]

i like that everyone is on the same page regarding pamco, and that pete is a regular poster, but am wondering which of the kits mikesxs lists that i need? is it safe to assume that since it's already been converted to electronic ignition that i could just get the basic $89 kit?

 

[Sundie]

do you have the advance rod and advance mechanism? I *think* the Boyer doesn't use them. so you might need the big kit.

If you look at the big kit, if you have pieces that are already in it, you don't need them.

If you have a dual tower coil, you don't need the new coil. You may be able to just buy the advance mechanism and the pamco.

On the other hand - the kit with the coil means you get all new stuff, and it's going to work for sure.

 

[pumps]

A new ignition would be great but you might want to check out the electrical system thoroughly before you put new parts on it. What I mean to say is you don't want to fry your new stuff. Check all your connections. Charge and test your battery to make sure it is ok and the cables have tight corrosion free connections including the ground. Check your brushes for wear under the left side cover. With the Boyer toasted it's hard to get it running and see if it's charging but you can check the connections and inspect the regulator and rectifier. Something else might have gotten fried FIRST. At least if you can see it you might save yourself some aggravation , time and money. My Pamco got fried because my coil shorted. The inline fuse protects it now.
As you have found , a fuse (or breaker ) is there to protect the wire as they are rated to go together and installing a higher amp rated fuse is not the way to go. Get out your manual and read thru the electrical part. Can't hurt.
If you install a Pamco, be sure to put an inline fuse on it too where it is powered. I think a 7 amp? Can't remember since it was last year. Ask Pete , he can line you out.

 

[C-Los SD]

This is a crap shoot. What kind of bars and the material did you change to? The right side control gets it's ground from the handlebar when it's clamped down. Not sure if this will relate to your problem, but worth a shot.

 

[realgone]

pumps- because of the green corrosion forming and all the problems I had I am going to replace the wiring harness with a new one and will make sure all the connections are good.
also, i saw that you're a firefighter as well. I'm with edmonton fire/rescue.

c-los- i used a honda cb400f bar. does the stock yamaha bar have a tab or something that grounds it?

 

[C-Los SD]

^^The gound tab is located inside the start/stop switch housing. When the housing is clamped to your bars, the tab contacts the bar and get's it ground there.

 

[realgone]

the cb bars are drilled for the wiring harness, i'll have a look to see if that's where the tab lines up.

 

[jayel]

^^The gound tab is located inside the start/stop switch housing. When the housing is clamped to your bars, the tab contacts the bar and get's it ground there.

that supposedly grounds the switch body, some years have a ground wire ran from the left side into the headlight shell then to main loom, other years use a jumper wire from bottom of handlebar clamp to the frame (earth ground) either way you need a good ground to the main wiring harness or to the frame.....

you will also want to check the old advance mechanism if it is still in there, unmaintained it could be totally erratic, weak springs, worn out flyweights ect. this would allow your ignition to be anywhere from retarded to over advanced, you will have more questions before you find all the anwsers