MSD Ignitions for Kawasaki

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration

Has anyone seen these? here is a direct link to the MSD sight
www.msdpowersports.com/triggers.html
What would be the difference if any to my stock J model ignition? Besides the obvious fact that this has an adjustable backplate.

won't you still need the msd box?

leon holmes

That was ONE of the things I was wondering about, or if I could use my stock Kawasaki CDI. If the entire system has to be replaced, how good is it (in comparison to others)?

For around $100 you can get a DynaS and you won't need the high dollar MSD box that you really don't need on a street bike. BIG improvement over your tired old system.

I dont know for sure about the msd for the bike, but I ran msd ignition on my camaro and it was a huge upgrade over the hei. Started quicker and great throttle response, very snappy. If you try it let us know how it works out.
Tom

now once you have the box you have multiple spark discharge,the rev limiters and you can program the ign.advance curves and crossover point.on my yamaha banshee with the msd it started easier and revved cold just like it was hot,noticeably snappier throttle resonse,and the ability to adjust the ign. curve we're the big pluses for a traction limited flat tracker.i would like to try one,prolly not justifiable on a street bike with a working ele.ign already tho.my .02,

leon holmes

I did not realize that the MC-3 (the cheaper of the two) was $425. That is at Summit which is the cheapest. many other places have it for well over $500. WOW :blink:

I used to have a "Jacobs" "Omni Magnum" On my old Jaguar and also on my 91 360 Jeep Grand Wagoneer and the multiple spark made a HUGE difference in moth power and fuel efficiency. My Jeep went from 10MPG to 13MPG and the power was unbelievable. I do like the Multi or extended spark ignition idea. The Jag went from about 17MPG to 21MPG

MSD uses CDI (capacitive discharge), but with multiple discharges.

CDI has the potential for higher voltage to the plug. This is only a plus if the engine needs it. Most stock KZ's don't. Now if you up the compression, that's more air the spark has to jump through, that's going to require more voltage at the plug. If you have a two-stroke prone to oil-fouling, that's going to require more voltage at the plug. For these cases CDI makes sense. If you don't need the extra voltage, then it's not really going to help anything, and a plain old CDI (non-MSD) may make things worse.

The down side of standard CDI is that the spark's duration is very short. While it has good voltage to guarantee a spark, the spark doesn't last long. On an older engine with low compression, or low compression engine with carburetion that is off, what you want is a long duration spark. This is the standard ignition invented by Kettering. Even better is an electronic version like the stock KZ electronic ignition or Dyna S. This allows more time for air/fuel to swirl through the spark and create a larger flame front. This is really beneficial if the mixture is too rich or too lean. If the carburetion is good, the flame front will move faster than the swirl through the plug gap so any extra duration won't produce much benefit.

Enter MSD. MSD gives you the high plug voltage for blasting through oil or very high compression, but also makes up for the lack of spark duration by creating multiple sparks in very quick succession. So this has the best of both worlds, but is expensive. Racers need it. Two-strokes may need it. But as was said,the Dyna S will run just as good for a quarter of the cost, on a stock KZ. (I should mention, the MSD only has multiple sparks for lower RPMs and idling. At higher RPMs it reverts to 1 spark. Since race engines are tuned to run at high RPMs, they only need one spark to get a good fire.)

A decent condition, stock KZ will work well with either CDI or Kettering ignition, and you probably won't be able to tell a lick of difference from one or the other.

Someone here on this sight somewhere said that the stock Kawasaki J series ignitions were very good. Also I believe it was said that the dual GM based modules, which I believe you or someone here said was even better. Opinions???

The GM based KZ igniters have a little bit better noise reduction on the input. This reduces the occasional "spit" that happens at idle.

The GM ones also have a higher possible primary voltage at firing. If the coils can handle it, and the engine needs it (very unlikely for stock KZ), it can produce a slightly higher voltage to the plug. Most likely, this advantage won't benefit anyone unless they are running higher comp. In order to be a benefit, you'd probably want newer coils that can handle the extra voltage.

My comparisons were against 25-year-old stock KZ igniters, though. So I can't say how the GM's compare to new KZ igniters, if they even exist.