stock ignition plate or electronic in a kz650 78?

my kz 650 78 began to choke when I gave it gas between 7 and 8000 rpms and did not like to start up. it was not the carbs. now it does not go over 5000 rpms. the problem seems to be a weak spark, not the coils because it did not ran on cylinder 1 and later on 1 and 3 (not 1 and 4 nor 2 and 3).

do you recommend switching to electronic ignition or just replacing the stock plate? what are the advantages of both? which is the best electronic ignition?

do you have either of these in top shape for sale or do you know where to get them? I am in Chicagoland.

Thanks for your opinion and have a nice day

Electronic ignition is the only way to go.

I would just replace the points and condensors. This is normal maintenance. Z1E has what you need (see link).

Z1E

some people love the original points setup, probably because its mechanical and easy to understand, BUT they NEED adjusted as part of regular maintenance.

an electronic ignition is often more consistent, and if you are bad at adjusting points, its also makes your engine run smoother. Personally i think points are a pain and electronic ignition is the way to go.

If you want the #1 BEST electronic ignition for a Z1, you want an UOTANI. Probably most people here hevent heard of it, thats because its only available in japan and costs about $800 :silly:

thank you. z1 is a great source of parts. thanks

thank you. I have never heard of UOTANI, only Dyna

I have a 650 with dyna coils/ignition and this other bike is all stock and I wanted to keep it like that but it is acting out and the guy that is looking at it told me to get electronic ignition so a Dyna S at z1 is 130 and I may buy that

strange thing is that when I bought the bike it ran fine, rode it 100 miles home and it started dying when I opened the gas, etc

now it is in a shop and I am trying to get it out of there as soon as possible

thanks for your suggestion

You also have the choice of installing an OE Kawasaki electronic ignition out of a 750 or a 550. It is almost as simple to install as a Dyna and is a bit better. This way you will have an OE Kawasaki. All you require is the pickup coil plate, the IC module and a 6 pin or 8 pin plug to mate to it.

Everything has its pros and cons. Points/condensers need to be replaced (if set properly) every 10,000 miles or so (costs about $30/takes about an hour or less), but I've never heard of anyone being stranded because the points or condensers fail. Performance gradually deteriorates over time, but there's no single event that kills the system. With electronic ignition once it's set properly it needs no maintenance and performance remains constant; but it can fail, and if it does it usually leaves you stranded. Electronic is more expensive up front, and depending on how long you keep your bike the return on investment may or may not happen.

I'm not judging one to be better or worse than the other; just pointing out that each has advantages/disadvantages.