Dumb person asking a question, or two...

[mvalenti]

Since there are no dumb questions other than the one never asked... Can a coil itself have intermittent problems? Or do when it fails, it fails? 1 & 4 wernt getting hot the other day.... and when I went back to the bike and fired it up they were fine.

[Steve]

Yes, they can start to fail. Usually, though, it's the other way around.
They work fine when cold, but fail when they heat up.

Stranger things have happened.

Before you fully blame the coil, check all your electrical connections to the coil to make sure they are good.

.

[mvalenti]

Yes, they can start to fail. Usually, though, it's the other way around.
They work fine when cold, but fail when they heat up.

Stranger things have happened.

Before you fully blame the coil, check all your electrical connections to the coil to make sure they are good.

.

Thanks Steve. My plan was to go after the low hanging fruit and check all connections as I did find one already at the coil earlier, and repaired. Just thought I would ask, as you say stranger things have happened.... And I wasnt happy about throwing $120 at a coil set if the prob was elsewhere...

[azr]

It is nice to upgrade to some Dyna coils but there's no reason you couldn't put in a stock set of coils again, and they can be super cheap or even free. They rarely fail and will work great, even with a dyna ignition if you ever decide/have to upgrade the ignition.

[Steve]

If you find that the coil is, indeed, bad, I have a pair of coils that are doing nothing but gathering dust on the shelf.

Not quite the "free" that azr mentioned, but certainly a LOT cheaper than new ones.

.

[mvalenti]

Thanks again Steve. I have an extra set that came with the bike I have yet to test. Should they all be junky, I'll give u a shout. I dont have a points style ignition, is the dyna ignition that much more better-er? Maybe upgrade it next season.....

[Steve]

If you had points, there would be no question at all, the Dyna is MUCH better.

Since you already have electronic ignition, switching to a Dyna from a running system might not gain you much, if anything. Where the Dyna will REALLY come through is if your ignitor fails. Switching to a Dyna system is cheaper than a new ignitor. Getting a used ignitor might be cheaper, but it's still ... well ... used. The Dyna has the ignitor built-in, and you can use your stock coils or upgrade to new ones.

.

[mvalenti]

OH wow, I like that idea... one less goofy box..... so, is it safe to say that when i read of HP increases over a dyna ignition, its BS? saw that on ebay.....

[Steve]

If you had a points system that needed a tune-up anyway, even new points, plugs, etc. would give you a HP increase.

Simply switching from one electronic ignition stystem to another probably won't be noticeable, except for the reliability factor.

.