The Trouble With Batteries....

Your electronic Ignition relies on power from the battery for its operation so it only makes sense to look at the battery when trouble arises with engine performance.

If batteries just lost a bit of capacity as they aged we would notice this and plan to get a new one in due course. Unfortunately they die in strange ways and sometimes suddenly, resulting in some of the most common troubles with our old bikes.

Here's what can happen. A battery with no load on it (everything turned off) may check out OK close to the nominal 12 volts but once the lights are switched on it may suddenly drop below 10 or even lower down to 8 or 5 volts. This is typical of an aged battery that's heavily sulphated but we can check for this by load testing the battery.

A bike shop can load test your battery or you can simply monitor the voltage with a meter for a few minutes with the headlight on (motor off). A good battery will power the lights for several minutes while maintaining above 12 volts.

Sometimes a battery can have one cell that dies resulting in really strange things happening.  The lights and horn may still work OK giving the impression that the battery is good when in fact it's struggling to function. The damaged battery can cause the ignition to misfire as the voltage fluctuates wildly under charge from the alternator.

In some cases we've even seen batteries that have short circuited to the frame or seat, burning out the wiring harness as a result. This can happen on some triumph twins if the battery posts are facing forward toward the fuel tank. Take care when buying a replacement battery that the terminals (positive and negative)  are the same way around as the original.

If your battery fails to maintain its charge it should be replaced without delay to avoid future headaches.

Technical - Idle stabilisation

" How does idle stabilisation work on the Tri-Spark Classic Twin Ignition?" a customer asked recently.

We know that it does work because we have a box of mail from customers including Michael from the USA stating that his 1972 Norton Combat went from being a little temperamental with the (other brand) of ignition to rock solid and a top performer with the Tri-Spark. He says:

"She started immediately and strobed one or two degrees off.The idle is a thing of beauty at this point.Confident is how I would describe the idle now.The progression through the rest of the rev. range is smooth, powerful and again, confident." - Mike Jetty

So how does it work? Without going into too much detail it works on the principle that the idle firms up with more advance and weakens with less. With digital control over the advance in the idle range from 500 to 1200 RPM we can get a result that continues to impress even the most discerning enthusiasts.

Customer Review March 2013

review by Graeme Hay (England)

"I have a restored BSA A65 Lightning, originally built in May 1971.  The bike was fitted with an early electronic ignition system made by another company.  Starting was unreliable, despite checking everything many times, replacing spark plugs, stripping and re-building carburettors etc. it never seemed to improve things.  Acceleration was filled with misfires and riding the bike, with confidence was difficult.  A friend of mine who had fitted a Tri-Spark system to his Triumph T140, in response to having his ankle broken by a kick-back, recommended it highly.  

I ordered the Tri-Spark ignition unit on Monday evening and I received an e-mail the next day to advise me that delivery was likely to take up to two weeks.  The unit was with me the following Monday.  Fantastic service - thank you.

Installation could not be more straightforward.  I am sure that it can be done in less than 30 minutes - in my case it took a couple of hours because I chose to follow the excellent advice to check and tidy-up the wiring, before fitting the Tri-Spark.  Setting the ignition timing was clearly described and very easy to follow.  On my bike I had to trim 5mm off of the supplied bolt, which secures the most robust rotor to the shaft - this was anticipated, in the very clear instruction booklet. 

The initial static setting is made much easier than anything I have previously fitted by the provision of an integral LED, on the stator.  Simply line up the full advanced marker on the crankshaft, ease the stator around, until the red light comes on - brilliant.  The kit includes a good few extras, which may or may not be needed.  I used a couple of the supplied Lucar pattern connectors, these are high quality items, too; they crimp very easily to a sound joint.

The Tri-Spark unit that I bought includes the new "Test" facility.  By gently depressing a small switch on the stator, with a ball point pen and then switching on the ignition system I was able to observe the full function of the coils, leads, spark plugs etc.  When doing this I found that one plug was intermittent in its operation - bingo, another problem clearly identified and easily solved.

The lack of any additional "Box of tricks" is a real benefit with the Tri-Spark.  This is especially so, on an older British bike, where mounting electronic gadgets in a safe place can be tricky.  In my experience such gadgets usually end up rattling to destruction at some point.  The Tri-Spark simply replaces the points; the only connections being an earth to the stator securing screws, one wire to the coils and one to the ignition circuit.  Elegant design, by any standards.

My 1971 BSA A65 Lightning now starts with ease, hot or cold; idles reliably and runs beautifully.  Acceleration is crisp and strong, in any gear in any situation.  I have complete confidence in overtaking slower moving traffic and am happy to go out on lengthy trips.  I can't prove this but I reckon she runs much cooler, too. 

The Tri-Spark is undeniably dearer than some other systems but it represent significantly better value for money, as soon as you fit and use it.  I have a Triumph Trident T150V, from 1974 in the garage and that will be the next machine to receive the Tri-Spark magic."

Graeme Hay (Wiltshire England)

Classic Twin Redesigned for 2013

In our efforts to maintain our reputation as a supplier of a high end system our research and development regime is rigorous. That effort has paid off and we’re pleased to say that we’ve developed what is without doubt the simplest and easiest ignition module for British twin and singles that is available on the market today. What’s more, you’ll be pleased to note, the redesign has enabled us to reduce our costs leading to a better price for you. Now they’re ready for you to order.

What’s different?

There are quite a few terrific improvements on the earlier system. And, we know that it delivers what we promise because we’ve conducted extensive testing. Apart from looking a little different, the stator unit works and fits the engine in the same way but the internals have been simplified and strengthened. What you get now is –

• A new test mode that allows for easy testing at the press of a button, on the bike or bench.
• Higher fault tolerance to high voltage spikes.
• A robust module encapsulated for moisture, oil and vibration resistance using a new softer material (long exposure to water and oil is not recommended).

Tests have proved that the system is able -

• To withstand 24 volts continuously for 10 minutes, at operating temperature.
• To withstand up to 200 volt DC spikes on the power input.
• To withstand reverse polarity continuously.

Some things haven’t changed. 

• Mechanical fitting is the same.
• Same wiring colours and connections.
• Same ignition timing, dwell control and idle control.
• Same coil compatibility.
• LED for static timing and testing has been retained.

With a 3 year warranty on parts, subject to conditions, and better pricing you can’t go wrong.

Classic Twin Temperature Testing

Our Temperature cycling oven has been working overtime for most of 2012 testing sample batches of the new Classic Twin stators. Cycling the heat on and off 12 times per day up to 100 degrees C we are able to verify that the materials used in the manufacturing can stand up to the harsh conditions inside an engine.

In addition to high temperature, the ignition modules are tested to withstand reverse battery polarity, continuous over voltage up to 24 volts DC and voltage spikes up to 200 volts DC.

Even the adhesive on the labels gets evaluated. This is one way we can ensure we are making the best possible product for your bike.

New Classic Twin Test Mode

Troubleshooting an engine when the problem could be the carburettors or the ignition or a mechanical fault has been a time consuming exercise until now.

At the press of a button the Classic Twin will spark the coils for 10 seconds allowing you to check for spark at the plugs and see how the system is functioning with the coils and spark plug leads and spark plugs all working together.

A second test checks the magnetic rotor and pickups in the module thus giving a complete test of all the ignition components.
Read more in the manual page 9

Updated Classic Twin Manual

Changes to the Classic Twin instructions including:
                                             page
* Engine compatibility              8
* Specifications                       8
* New wiring diagrams             7
* Use the new test mode         9
* Troubleshooting tips            10
* Warrantee policy                 11

Click here to read manual