Latest progress report. It's confirmed...I'm a dumbass.

[Detman101]

Greetings,

I didn't get to run the GS this weekend but I did get a blessing sent to me. I took off the stock coils and noticed that they are soldered in. Okay, snip-snip snip-snip stock coils out of the bike. For some reason I had the bright idea that I didn't need to bolt down the new Katana Coils and I could just zip-tie them to the frame. Well, unbeknowest to me, the coils use the bolts that mount them to the frame as a ground. (Kinda explains why there weren't any black leads going to the coils eh?) So I bolted in the katana coils and of course the bike wouldn't fire.

I gave Harrison a call and decided to go to the salvage yard and have the katana coils tested. They were fine but check out what I picked up at the salvage yard!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT!!! DYNA COILS!!!! And for only 75 dollars with the left-hand controls that I needed!!!!

Then I checked the steps of the house and saw these sitting there!!!

Thats right! My new short-stakl lights...but wait! There's two sets!!! I only needed one??? ROCK!!!! So now I've got a full front and back set of short-stalks for the GS and I can put the other ones I got for it on the Vulcan750. What a great weekend!!!

My cousin clued me in that I need to mount the Dyna's with bolts or nothing will fire correctly. So on wednesday hopefully the GS will kick over like it used to along with a new battery. Man, God works in mysterious ways.

By the way, anyone need a pair of Katana Coils? I think these may be for induction type ignitions? The guy at the salvage yard said they may not be for electronic ignition. But they were the ones that this board recommended getting. But they probably didn't work cause I didn't have em bolted down to the frame. Hahahhhahaha....I'm such a retard!!!!

:lol: :lol:
Dm of mD

 

[Hotblack]

Hey you got a steal on Dyna Coils, so it's all good!

 

[Detman101]

Yeah, I about fell over when I found out they had em.
They were a GPZ that just came in that morning. And it did still run before they took the coils off. What a blessing!!!!


Dm of mD

 

[crc1214]

Your going to think I'm a real dumbass then...... I'm kind of a rookie at motorcycle repair, as this is my first bike (a 78 GS550E), but I'm learning a lot through this site!

Anyhow, for the dumbass question...... What the hell are coils for, and why does everyone rave about Dyna coils? From the picture I'm assuming that they are what the other end of the spark plug wires plug into (the end not connected to the plugs themeselves). Do they produce a hotter spark? Better combustion? Better gas mileage? Are they a must have, or just a "nice to have"?

Let me know why it is so good to replace/upgrade to the DYNA make, and perhaps I would be interested in them for my GS550E. Would the ones you have even work in my bike (1978)?

Thanks,
Chad

 

[Dink]

Dyna coils have been considered " the hot gear" for a long time , their only real advantage is that the multiplier effect is higher, i.e. instead of being 8 to 1 they may be 12 to 1, this gives a hotter spark and can be very usefull in regaining some of the performance lost through the effects of age or bad jetting etc.
They are a better option when it comes to replacing stock components, as they are cheaper than O.E. and do perform better.
Dink

 

[Anonymous]

So, what are the advantages of Dyna coils over Accel coils?

Harrison

 

[Detman101]

Dyna coils have been considered " the hot gear" for a long time , their only real advantage is that the multiplier effect is higher, i.e. instead of being 8 to 1 they may be 12 to 1, this gives a hotter spark and can be very usefull in regaining some of the performance lost through the effects of age or bad jetting etc.
They are a better option when it comes to replacing stock components, as they are cheaper than O.E. and do perform better.
Dink

Yes, in my case these coils will help clear up some of the "Bad Jetting" that I've done to the bike. And if they don't work then I'll put the stock carbs back on there.

:lol:
Dm of mD

 

[Hap Call]

So, what are the advantages of Dyna coils over Accel coils?

Harrison

None that I know of. Some like 'em green, some like 'em yellow!!!

Hap

 

[Hoomgar]

Anyhow, for the dumbass question...... What the hell are coils for, and why does everyone rave about Dyna coils? From the picture I'm assuming that they are what the other end of the spark plug wires plug into (the end not connected to the plugs themeselves). Do they produce a hotter spark? Better combustion? Better gas mileage? Are they a must have, or just a "nice to have"?

Thanks,
Chad

Chad, the plugs would not spark with just 12 volts. That isn't a high enough voltage to make the electric jump across to the center pin so the 12 volts is run into a coil (a small step up transformer) that multiplies the voltage to be much higher and therefore allowing the electricity to jump across and "spark".

You cannot fire a gas burning internal combustion engine that uses spark plugs without them.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Hap. That's about what I thought.

No, Damein, you are not a dumbass. You are in a learning curve the same as all of us. The GSs aren't the simplest bikes to work on. Some of us are just a little farther along the curve than you are, but you'll get there. Pretty soon you'll see a question here on the GSR that YOU can answer. Right now you are about where we all were when we first started to figure out the complexities of this fine machine.
The only dumb questions are the ones not asked.

Harrison

 

[Detman101]

Awww, thanks man. That made me feel better.
By the way...watch your mailbox.

I look forward to the day when I can help someone else out on this site.
That will rock!!!


Dm of mD

 

[Anonymous]

Dumbass

Dumbass

No you are not a dumass.

I many times find myself chaseing a problem and thinking it is very complicated and overlooking the simple basic things that are staring right at me but that I can't see.

Human nature, or at least my nature.

Charlie

 

[Detman101]

Trial and error hehe...
And on it goes!

Dm of mD

 

[Anonymous]

Somebody once said that the definition of genius is the ability to see the obvious.

Harrison

 

[whodatpat]

Good decisions comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad decisions.
I have a LOT of experience!
Patrick
?My luck is so bad that, if I bought a funeral home this week, people would stop dying!?

 

[Detman101]

Hehehehe....first smile i've had in days.
That quote is funny.

My luck is about the same...At least it is with this bike. It's funny, I always thought I had it rough when my rebel blew an oil seal when I tried to push it to 75 on the highway. After dealing with this sack of crud bike that rebel would be a dreamboat. At least it worked...just had to add oil everyday.

There is no way in hell I'll be able to sell my vulcan.


Dm of mD

 

[Giblet]

Coil dilemma

Coil dilemma

Well, I feel better. I think I ma having a coil problem as well and have been putting off addressing it. Its only on two cylinders and after consulting the Clymer manual I am asking that age old question . . . . "Why didn't I think of that?". The answer, swap sides and see if the problem follows the coil. I'd have a whole brain if both halves weren't out looking for each other.

 

[Detman101]

good luck with your coil problem. A new/used Stock one can be had fairly easily. Just remember to unplug it from the wire harness...DO NOT clip the wires like I did. *smack forehead* :roll:

Now i've got to pick up a set of new/used stock coils off of ebay because I can't get these damned dyna coils to work right.


Dm of mD

 

[Detman101]

Oh crap, is there a kickstand shutoff on my bike?
I never noticed one there before but thinking back on my vulcan750 I wondered if the GS has one too???

Dm of mD

 

[first timer]

are you giving up on the dyna coils?

-ryan