Electronic Ignition for the GTR or GTO?

[czmike]

Hi Folks,


Does anybody know if there is, or was, an electronic ignition replacement specifically made for the GTR or GTO please?

Has any body fitted an electronic points replacement or something else please?


Best Regards,

Mike Munday,
Seaford,
Australia

[CafeTBird]

Not to my knowledge, Mike.  At one time, there was an article circulating on how to convertan Accel(?) ignition for the bikes, but I could never find the specific part number mentioned.

I was wondering if there would be a way to convert an old British twin ignition, but those fire at 360 degrees, and I believe the BS fires at 180.

[czmike]

Thanks for the response Scot.

Yes, the GTR system is actually two single cylinder ignitions firing 180 degrees apart. This is a common approach on two stroke twins and is used on my JAWA 350 twins.

Does the GTR's stock system have a good reputation for good spark, easy starting & and good life?
Are the coils considered to be "good" parts do you know?


Best Regards,

Mike

[CafeTBird]

I've had my 2 350's for 20 years with no problems.  Points are very easy to set.  The prior owner of 1 of them replaced the rectifier. 

[OldSwartout]

Not to my knowledge, Mike.  At one time, there was an article circulating on how to convert an Accel(?) ignition for the bikes, but I could never find the specific part number mentioned.

I was wondering if there would be a way to convert an old British twin ignition, but those fire at 360 degrees, and I believe the BS fires at 180.

I'm going to convert my 175 roadracer using some Dyna S parts from e-bay in the next month or so.  I'll let you know how it goes.  It will require some machine work, although it should be fairly simple.  My brother did that to his Kawasaki A1 which has a similar points setup.

My experience with the 350 is that the ignition is pretty reliable, especially with the relatively low miles people put on them these days.  The use of unleaded gas really helps the old two-strokes, also - no more lead fouling after 3-5000 miles with the typical weak ignition.  The 350 coils are better than the 175 coils, but nowhere nearly as good as an automotive coil.

I ran an automotive transistorized ignition on my 350 back in the 70's when we ran leaded fuels and several thousand miles per year, but it is back to normal points/condenser now and works well.

[Jeff Bar]

I too have ran my 350 many years and miles with the point set up, no problems at all.
Battery ignition is very solid, been used for over 100 years in all sorts of engines

Just my two cents worth

Jeff Bar

[RebusCom]

The 350 ignition is reliable.  Just keep the cam lubed regularly so the point blocks don't wear down.  The points will occasionally need to be cleaned.
One of my GTRs has transistorized ignition, which pretty much eliminates the point cleaning task.  The article is at http://www.bridgestonemotorcycle.com/documents.htm  Browse to Accel Ignition Amplifier.

Scott

[ridered]

I know this topic is old but have spent many hours searching for an electronic ignition setup for the GTR. I'm sure the points setup is reliable but for performance you can't beat an electronic setup. Went that route on my KZ1000 and CB77 and both seemed to really come alive. If anyone has info let me know?
Mike

[Toystoretom]

I wonder if Pertronix ignitions (made for old cars) could be adapted. They are real simple and probably all you would have to do is make up a suitable rotor that you would install instead of a points cam.

I don't think you could use a lost spark system on a two stroke? So you would have to have two Pertronix setups in there. (What would happen if you had a spark plug fire while the piston was down and the intake port was open? Would the crankcase explode?)

Maybe you guys should ignore me and I'll just stick to points  

[CafeTBird]

We were talking a while back about Pazon ignition applications.  Some folks were going to look into it.

http://www.pazon.com/ignition/ignition-products/

[OldSwartout]

I wonder if Pertronix ignitions (made for old cars) could be adapted. They are real simple and probably all you would have to do is make up a suitable rotor that you would install instead of a points cam.

I don't think you could use a lost spark system on a two stroke? So you would have to have two Pertronix setups in there. (What would happen if you had a spark plug fire while the piston was down and the intake port was open? Would the crankcase explode?)

Maybe you guys should ignore me and I'll just stick to points  

Paul Piskor is working on a Pertronix system for his 175 racer; he currently has a custom ARD magneto on it, which apparently has failed.  When he's done, maybe he can put up some info.  He's adapting the point cam from a Volkswagen; that's all I really know about it.

If someone really wants to go electronic on the 350, by far the simplest to adapt is the Dyna S system for a KZ1000.  It has two power modules (the units that generate the ignition pulse), so you just hook one to each coil. The condensers aren't needed. The Dyna magnetic rotor is fairly easy to adapt.  On my 175 racer, I just machined the original point cam to a diameter that let the Dyna rotor slip over it, then drilled and tapped the rotor for a set screw.  After adapting the backing plate with the modules to the alternator, you can just rotate the rotor to trigger in the right place and lock down the set screw.  The Dyna S units for KZ1000's show up used regularly on E-Bay for about $75 (new are $150).  If anyone wants to try one on a 175 half speed alternator, the correct Dyna ignition is the DS1-3 for the early 75-79 GL-1000 (the modules are at 90 Deg, not 180 like most others).  If you buy an E-Bay unit, make certain it has the magnetic rotor, a lot of guys seem to leave those on the bike they cannibalized.

BTW, I think a lost spark system will work, but haven't tried it.  At the point of ignition, the piston near the bottom hasn't had the transfers open very long and I think there would not be enough fresh mixture at the plug to ignite. What fresh mixture that may have reached the top, if any, would be mixed with a lot of exhaust gas, and would probably not be the correct mixture to fire.

[reed]

At one time i wanted a electronic ignition for my Bridgestone 350 GTR but this model and the GTO runs so well with points
Maybe its the case to leave the points in they get great mileage well we will see.
Thanks.
Steve.

[bsracer]

Hi all,

as Karl stated I'm working on a Pertronix conversion for my 175 racer. It seems that the outer bearing supporting the rotor has failed allowing the rotor to contact the generating coils on my ARD. I can only assume at this point that the CDI box is damaged as I couldn't even get it to start after it holed another piston at Barber last year. I'll add more pics when I take them. These are of the VW dist shaft that fits directly onto the Bridgestone armature.

paul

[bsracer]

Here are some pics of my other ignitions. The first is my ARD ignition off my SR175 racer that has recently become deceased. The second is another ARD that is set up for a later engine that has an idle gear and runs at full speed.

paul

[CafeTBird]

The Pazon folks are recommending the Trufire model they make for the Ariel Arrow Leader. It looks like it could be a good retro fit.

Scot

Thanks for contacting us.
We don’t have anything specific to the Bridgestone, but it may be possible to adapt something.
We recall one of our customers in Japan adapting a kit for his Bridgestone.
The only kit we have for a two stroke twin is our system for the Ariel Arrow/Leader (PTFA):
 
http://www.pazon.com/ignition-system/true-fire-ariel-twin-12v
 
The trigger is 68mm diameter, and the rotor has a female taper (to fit the Ariel crankshaft).
 
This system should be run with either two 6 volt coils (IC06) connected in series, or one 12 volt dual output coil (IC05/IC10) + heatsink kit (HSK).
We don’t recommend using the original 12 volt coils (if fitted).
http://www.pazon.com/ignition-system/ignition-coil-6volt.html
 
Alternatively, you can fit one 12 volt dual output type ignition coil.
We offer two choices: our IC05 or IC10.
With these coils the copper-cored ht leads are moulded in (non-detachable), and double insulated.
The IC05 leads are approx. 45cm (17.5”); the IC10 are approx 80cm (31”).
http://www.pazon.com/ignition/ignition-coils/
Also, for the IC05/IC10 we highly recommend fitting one of our coil heatsink/mounting kits (HSK):
http://www.pazon.com/ignition-system/heatsink-kit.html
This keeps the coil cool, so maintaining efficiency and prolonging its life.
If you would like to place an order through our website, some details are below.
Delivery is currently free for orders over NZ$100.
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Best regards,
Andy Perkins
Pazon Ignitions Ltd.
Keeping Classic Bikes on the Road
www.pazon.com
 
PAZON IGNITIONS LTD.
274 Hot Springs Road
RD 2
KATIKATI 3178
Bay of Plenty
New Zealand
 
Tel:  +64 75495878
Fax: +64 75495879

[bsracer]

Still working on the Pertronix. Racing in a week at Willow Springs. Still trying to get the thing phased.




paul