TOPIC:

My 79 kz650 has the points ignition. Is it possible to swap in an electronic ignition from a later KZ? How much trouble is it? And does anyone have one sitting around they want to get rid of cheap or donate? I know I can buy a Dyna but don't have the money to spend. Thanks

An '81 or later 650 used Electronic Ignitions, as well as 550s and 750/4s, not sure on those years. All can be swaped in, but you will also need different coils I believe as well as any ignitor boxes that go with their respective systems and the cam/advancer that fits on the end of the crankshaft. Some mounting plate modifications may be needed on some systems, and possablly a 900/1000 CDI with mounting mods can work.

Try a search here and in the Archives, as this has been discussed before.

No need to change the coils when switching to the later model electronic ignition, it's not CDI so the stock coils will work. It takes me about an hour to switch a 750 twin to electronic ignition using 440 parts.

The backplate for the pickup coils mounts exactly the same as the points plate. You will need the points plate and mechanical advance. Once mounted, you will need the electronic ignition and connecting it to power and the coils is a matter of cutting off the connector and splicing some wires. The wire colors tend to be the same as on the points making it fairly intuitive as memory serves... black, green for "signal" wires to the coils. Red for power connection... black/yellow ground, etc.