KZ550 Pickup Coil Replacement Options

Hello all.

I am having an issue with this bike. I have a 1980 KZ550 C01 that has sat for some time. It was free so I'm trying to get it running again. After a new Ignition and a bunch of cleaning of terminals and ends, It ran for one good ride and I thought I was in the clear. But 2 days later It wouldn't start. Finally got it to run but only on full choke, it soon died after about 5 mins. It turns over just fine, but won't run. Took the carbs off and cleaned them thoroughly (even though it looked like they had just been done). Put it all back together and now I am not getting a spark. After an hour of reading and testing ohms and power I have landed at the pickup/pulse coils. The red/yellow one has about 450 ohms. The Blue/black side doesn't have any. Actually it doesn't do anything at all to my multimeter. SOOOO i am guessing this is the reason she won't run. After another hour of looking online for a replacement I have come up empty handed. Ether $150 for a 30 year old part, or $150 for the Dyna S system. Money is kinda tight and I know with the Dyna S i would have to most likely replace the coils and wires and that's another $150 i really don't want to spend right now. I have seen a replacement igniter build using a gm part, so i was hoping there was another option to replace the pickup coils? Or does anyone know where I can get a ahold of a replacement that won't break my bank?

Thanks in advance. That one ride got me addicted and the winter season is approaching quickly up North.

I posted in your wanted ad before reading this one.

loudhvx wrote: You can use any of the pickups from other models as long as the actual pickup looks like the one you have. Also, if someone has a set with one bad one, you can use the remaining good one even if it is the opposite one. You just mount the replacement one upside down and extend the wires.

Blue swaps with red, and black swaps with yellow, in case you get the opposite pickup to replace your bad one.

In case you take the pickup assembly apart, here is how to put the magnets back the right way.
home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/Ignitio.../PickupAndRotor.html

Any early 400/500/550 4 twin shock part will fit, the later ones look totally different.

I'd check out the 4 way block connector, going to the Ignition box. Cut the wires and meter them, if ok the Hitachi miniblock connectors are available online...the current is minimal so any sort of connector will work.

Don't be too precise about the exact Ohm value of the windings, I've had them a bit out of spec and they still work fine.

Sweet thanks! Ill keep an eye out for a half broken one maybe lol. Over this winter ill most likely replace all the ignition system and get it running great for next season. I just need it to barley run for like 1 more month!!!

I replaced the coils from a working bike and got the same problem, which lead me to test the pickup coils and thats where I found one just dead. If it had any sort of resistance I would have tried to make it work!! But ill keep the Hitachi connector in mind. Thank you so much!!!!

Oh, and by the way, the Dyna S would be a downgrade compared to a stock factory electronic ignition. The factory version is way more efficient, and doesn't use any power until the crank is actually turning. The Dyna S uses a lot of power when the crank is just sitting still.

Not that the Dyna S is bad, but the factory is more efficient. Plus you can get replica's of the factory coils for $40 to $50 each.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI really appreciate all the info. Thats not the first time I've heard that about the Dyna S, which is why i am trying to keep it stock. I found a pickup coil assembly on Ebay and it on its way to me now!



I know it says 650, but that's exactly what my pickup coils look like. So im assuming they will work just fine. I'm going to just swap the pickups and leave the assembly/magnets in place. That should work with no problems right? Ive tried taking off the assembly but the screws are stripped (thanks previous owner :lol: )

The 650 plate should be the same except for the possibility you may have to elongate the mounting holes into slots to get the timing just right. If it's too far off, then you can just swap the raw pickups.

OK. Pickup coil replacement came in today. One of the 2 coils was giving me very weird OHM readings. The Blue/Black wire was going from 550 to 700 to 950 and every where in between. So to play it safe I took my old Red/Yellow coil and swapped it out. SO now both coils are reading 450 all the time hot or cold. Put everything back together and still nothing. I tried to test for spark by grounding a spark plug to the motor and looking for a blue arch...nothing. All 4 plugs do not produce anything. Is there another way to test for spark? And what else could be causing this? I've got 12V at both coils. So if the coils have power, and the pickup coils are working, what am I missing...

Do you have an igniter?
When you swapped the pickups, did you follow the magnet layout page, paying attention to the magnet polarity and brass screw versus steel screws?

Also, never test for spark with the plug wires disconnected and not allowing them a path to the engine. That will break the coils and/or igniter.

You can test for spark without cranking the motor. You can just tap the pickup centers with a screwdriver. But make sure you have all four plug wires with a path for spark. The best way is to have 4 spare plugs in the plug wires and make sure all four plug bodies are touching the engine.

When you measure voltage on the coils, how exactly are you measuring? What are the meter leads connected to?

The pickups seemed to swap right on but I'll double check the polarity tomorrow or Monday. I may have tried testing spark with 1 or 2 plug wires off. I can't remember. I'll have to ohm test and check the coils again. I have purchased all the pieces of your IC igniter mod so ether way I'll have a working igniter Wednesday or Thursday.

I've tested the resistance on the coils before the whole pickup coil work came up. They tested in the parameters before, but I'll have to find out if I didn't trash them on accident. I've been testing the ohm's on the spark plug wire and ground, and the primary wire and ground. I'll post results asap.

Ok. I have all the parts now to build a custom igniter replacement. I checked the resistance on the coils and it is 3.1 Ohms across the primary wires. I have 3 coils and they all tested the same. So i'm hoping its just the igniter. The mod is all together, I just have to cut the plating and drill some holes tomorrow. I'm hoping for a possible ride tomorrow afternoon!!!