Kaw electronic ignition vs Dyna S

The coils for the factory elec ignition I've measured were all right about 2.4 to 2.5 ohms. Even when coils are specified for a certain resistance, they may measure slightly different. If I recall, the last time I looked it up in some manuals, the models without ballasts should have coils that are 2.3 ohms, but + or - a few tenths was specified. That would make the Dyna 2.2's just about perfect, especially if they actually measure out to about 2.3 ohms. As coils get older, or even just warmer, they will probably go up a couple tenths in resistance.

If you use the HEI igniters, they can handle coils down to about .5 ohm, but only if the dwell is appropriate. With the factory dwell structure, 2.2 ohms should be totally safe on the HEI. Even 2.0 ohm coils would be safe. This is because the HEI has the limiter I mentioned. The limiter just makes the igniter warm up a little more.

Now, a 1 ohm coil would actually be a huge difference. 1 ohms sounds like a small difference, but when you are dealing with a total of 2 or 3 ohms, you are talking about a pretty big difference percentage wise. But .1, on the other hand, is not much of a big deal.

Thanks for the replies, I'll be going with the Kaw electronic ignition (pickups/igniter) and the Dyna grey coils at first. Later on I'll replace the igniter with the HEI-based design by loudhvx. Added bonus is I can sell the Dyna ignition and spend the proceeds on new stuff for the KZ (aka the moneypit)!

Word of warning!!!!!! Make sure that the ignition is from a "J" model bike and not a 79/80 MKII motor. They are different systems. The early MKII 79/80 is a 3 ohm system the 81 & on "J" series are the 2.2 Ohm systems.

damn...I put the dyna green coils on my J bike, so the 2.2 ohm ones are better eh?

"J" motor Gray coils
MKII Motor Green coils

otakar wrote:

Word of warning!!!!!! Make sure that the ignition is from a "J" model bike and not a 79/80 MKII motor. They are different systems. The early MKII 79/80 is a 3 ohm system the 81 & on "J" series are the 2.2 Ohm systems.

Ouch...and I thought I had it all figured out. What I have is the pickups and timing rotor from probably a J-model. I bought it on Ebay a long time ago and may be remembering wrong, so lets say "unknown model" (definitely a 1000 though). The igniter I will be using until I have time to do the mod by loudhvx is off of a LTD, which would be a K- or M-model iirc. The igniter is the only part here that is susceptible to damage should I use the wrong coils, isn't it? Or am I not thinking this through right?

You are correct. Can you describe the plugs on the igniter? Are there Two plugs one six pin with four wires to it and one four pin with four wires to it, or one four pin plug plus four separate wires. If you hold the unit with the mounting tabs to the side, is it taller than wide or is it Square? Not counting the tabs.


The picture is a"J" series 2.2 Ohm igniter.

You might even be able to read the part# on a little silver tag, It would be 21119-1***. What are the last four #s. There are up to four different #s for each.

Thanks for that, it is indeed a J-igniter: one four-prong male connector, one flat six-prong female connector with only four pins in use. The part # is 21119-1041. Glad to know this will work out: next week I'll be refurbishing the engine and with all the delays (you always need more parts and tools than you think) it is good to know I am ready to go. When its finished that sad, broken piece of machinery will be a beauty once more!

1041 is indeed a second and fourth generation "J" 2.2 Ohm igniter. "Gray coils"

FWIW, per FSM, '79KZ1000-A3 ignition coil primary winding should measure 1.2~1.9 ohms, and the resistor should measure 1.5~1.9 ohms.

Good Fortune!

OKAY

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We know that.

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Where did the 79 KZ1000A3 come from. I don't think that model ever came up??? We were talking about a "J" ignition 21119-1041 2.2 Ohm. The 21119-5001/5061/1004/1013/1028 are the 3 Ohm ignitions.