Electronic ignition questions

so i have decided to go with the half dyna s option for my ignition...i also planned on getting a new set of coils. If i go with the dyna s igntion do i have to get dyna coils? or will i have to get higher output coils since i have an electronic ignition?

also say i was able to get my hands on a 440 ignition or an 82-83 750 twin ignition, are these plug and play? and im guessing i would have to purchase the igniter(cdi) box as well? is this all plug in or will i have to splice some wires? and can you give me everything i will need to convert from points system to electronic system?

The guys at the twin forum know more about that stuff.

www.armbell.com/kz400/index.php?sid=32e9...9c7d1ac&mforum=kz400

gumby prichard wrote: also say i was able to get my hands on a 440 ignition or an 82-83 750 twin ignition, are these plug and play? and im guessing i would have to purchase the igniter(cdi) box as well?

It's my understanding the Kaw stock electronic ignition is not CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) it is simply firing some kind of solid state device like a transistor in place of the points.

The Dyna may be CDI, I am not sure about that design.

IMHO, the Kawi ignition is simpler and more reliable based on all the posts I read about blown up Dynas.

Wonder if Dynas the real issue/culprit or the builds they were placed in... Possibly for another topic...

Have had no issues with my Dyna ignition/coils...

bounty hunter everything i have read about the half dyna s ignition states there is no igniter box for the dyna s half coil it apparently plugs straight into the coil as a points system does. which is why i liked it because of the simplicity. HOWEVER I am still interested in everyone's input.

please continue with suggestions and EVERYTHING i will need for both systems to be replacing my stock points.

thanks

good day

In my opinion, the Kaw factory electronic ignition is a little better than the Dyna S.

The Dyna S uses super-long, fixed dwell angle, which can really use up electrical power at lower RPMs. It requires 3 ohm or higher coils (one coil for the 750 twin). 4 ohm points coils will work fine as long as they are in good shape. (Thirty year old coils may need to be replaced.) If the charging system is strong, then it's not much of an issue. However, it does heat the coil more than a stock electronic ignition would. Also, if you accidently leave the ignition on, the coil is getting full-current the entire time.

The Kaw electronic ignition uses a shorter, variable dwell angle. This is a little more efficient since it doesn't waste as much power at idle and lower RPMs. It also uses almost no power if you leave the ignition on with the bike not running. That's always a plus. It requires a separate igniter box, but that keeps the electronics away from the heat and vibration of the motor. I believe it is more reliable than the Dyna S because of that. Factory electronic ignitions have lasted decades. The factory electronic ignition uses 2.3 ohm coils. Dyna makes a 2.2 ohm coil which is a very close match. They will also work with 3 ohm coils, but you may run into issues at high RPMs if you open the plug gap really far or boost the motor's compression a lot.

Neither ignition is CDI. They are transistorized Kettering (fly-back) ignitions.

I believe the 440 electronic ignition can work on the 750 pretty easily. But you will need to get the details from some of the guys on the twins website. You can build a replacement igniter for the factory ignition for very little money. Details here (scroll to bottom):
home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/Ignition/GPZgmHEImod.html

Both will use the mechanical advance unit. (You can't use one from an inline 4 since it turns the opposite direction.) You will have to find out if a 440 advancer has the same advance as a 750 unit in order to swap the whole thing. You might be able to just swap the rotor portion.

The Dyna S uses a proprietary rotor with a built in magnet. The factory uses a rotor with an iron pointer.

For the Dyna S, you will need a Dyna S from an inline 4 KZ (but I'm not sure which size. There are two. One for 900/1000/1100 and one for 550/650/750-4.), a Dyna S magnet rotor, and a coil as mentioned above.

For the factory ignition, you will need a pickup and plate from a 440, which I think is a bolt on swap, and a rotor (and possibly an advancer, or maybe use the existing one), and an igniter box, along with a coil, as mentioned above.

ok just to verify, the advancer is the mechanical spring loaded mechanism behind the points plate that opens with centrifugal force correct? and the plate is the round thing that you can adjust to set your points timing or is that considered the rotor? sorry im still learning the names for the electrical system.

i just think the dyna s sounds a lot easier. so i may go with that for now and switch in the future.

thanks a lot loudhvx!

also for future refence i have looked into it prior to this and everything i found sttd i need half of the dyna s 650 module, not the z1/kz1000 dyna s system.

gumby prichard wrote: also for future refence i have looked into it prior to this and everything i found sttd i need half of the dyna s 650 module, not the z1/kz1000 dyna s system.

That's what I remember as well. I just wasn't sure of my memory. That means you can also use 1/2 of a Dyna S for KZ550, and KZ750-4cyl as well, since they all use the same Dyna S system.

And yes, the plate is the big round plate you turn to adjust the timing. The advancer is the mechanism with the springs and counter weights. The rotor is the small part on the advancer mechanism that actually moves when the weights fly outward. The rotor basically just lifts off when the weights are in a particualr position. It's easy to put the rotor on backward since it can usually go on both ways, so you will have to pay attention to where the rotor is pointing, or where the little magnet is on the Dyna S rotor.

The only thing I can't recall is the fitmanet of the rotor onto the 750 twin advancer mechanism. It thought the diameters were different or something. But it's all very sketchy in my memory. So if someone else on the twins site said it works I'd go with that.

Good Fortune!

Loudhvx, are you sure a kz550 dyna s will work? i didnt see that in any of the other posts, they all said half of a 650/760 dyna s. i ask because yeasterday i saw a used dyna s ignition on ebay for probably half the price. please let me know asap.

Dynatek's website shows the same part number, DS2-2, for the 550/650/750 fours.