m50 electronic ignition

You could fit a Wassell Vape system, but you would have to fit it into an ignition housing as fitted to the later twins or early commandos. No real problem, only the additional expense and the none original look of the housing.

The problem using a Rooster, which is very similar to the Accuspark that I'm using on my 650ss motor, is that the rotor that comes with the kit is designed to fit over the twin cam of the 18D2 distributor and held in place by the distributor rotor arm. The 18D1 of course has only a single cam and no rotor arm. The way around this would be to fit the twin cam from a 18D2 into your 18D1 with the extension piece for the rotor arm removed. The rotor from the Rooster kit would then be held in place with the screw and suitable washer that holds the cam in place. The functionality of the electronic ignition would be exactly the same as on the twin engine, other than having a 'wasted' spark on the exhaust stroke. You will of course need to set up some timing marks on the alternator stator and rotor in order to time the ignition with a strobe light.

It's a pity Rooster and Accuspark don't produce a kit with a suitable rotor that would fit straight onto the 18D1 cam, as this would easily solve the problem.

Hope this helps.

You can use a cheap car capacitor mounted on the coil ,it does not have to be inside the points housing. You could have no capacitor at all if you fit a points assist unit ,I have the Pazon unit fitted to a single, no wasted spark to give other problems, good spark ,points barely do anything so last well. But before doing anything you need to find the problem that you have now. I bought a Simonblock/ Accuspark + earth type system but never got it to work at all , Nil dwell time for the coil to saturate and power up?,and I have fitted 4 EI systems that work well ,Boyer,Rita ,Pazon etc. If your bike has a tank liner it can dissolve and kill the spark plug. Don't bother to try to clean a plug ,it can be a complete waste of time.

Sorry Posting problems

Previously Jim Brierley wrote:

You could fit a Wassell Vape system, but you would have to fit it into an ignition housing as fitted to the later twins or early commandos. No real problem, only the additional expense and the none original look of the housing.

The problem using a Rooster, which is very similar to the Accuspark that I'm using on my 650ss motor, is that the rotor that comes with the kit is designed to fit over the twin cam of the 18D2 distributor and held in place by the distributor rotor arm. The 18D1 of course has only a single cam and no rotor arm. The way around this would be to fit the twin cam from a 18D2 into your 18D1 with the extension piece for the rotor arm removed. The rotor from the Rooster kit would then be held in place with the screw and suitable washer that holds the cam in place. The functionality of the electronic ignition would be exactly the same as on the twin engine, other than having a 'wasted' spark on the exhaust stroke. You will of course need to set up some timing marks on the alternator stator and rotor in order to time the ignition with a strobe light.

It's a pity Rooster and Accuspark don't produce a kit with a suitable rotor that would fit straight onto the 18D1 cam, as this would easily solve the problem.

Hope this helps.

Previously john_evans1 wrote:

My 63 m50 has been converted to 12v(modern rectifier).

Soon after buying it I experienced running problems which I could not pinpoint.

Last week it started to misfire but kept going until I refuelled.At that point it refused to start and there was no spark. 30 minutes later it started and I rode it home,still running erratically. Once home it stopped and refused to start.

I went through the usual checks,ignition switch,wiring,points but not the condenser..not sure how to test it.

I found the primary resistance on the coil was fine but secondary was poor. Based on this I bought a tec 12v coil to replace the old lucas. Connecting it up I still have no sparks.

The problem could be the condenser but as I do not have one small enough to substitute I am considering electronic ignition.

The wassell vape unit is suitable for twins and singles at £89 however I found that rooster ignitions do a similar system for £45 but it is only sold as suitable for the d2 distributor,ie,twins.

Enquiries reveal the seller believes it should work on my bike..as do I. He has however checked with his manufacturer who states it is untested on singles hence they consider it will not work.

The seller is prepared to refund me should i buy one and it not work but I really hope it does.

My basic theory suggests the product should work but not being an electrical wizard I welcome views from those who know better.

I know the cb system is fairly foolproof but I do favour electronic for fit and forget use. I once used a chainsaw ignition on a villiers 147 but that is another story..worked fine though.

One for you maybe Al?

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Greetings, a basic multi-meter can trace most faults, but some strategic fault finding should track down the problem. Itâs a very simple system and a £5 capacitor may solve the problem, these are available from the NoC spares scheme. Your post states you had a misfire and obviously when you rode the bike to get some 'fresh-fuel' it must have been hot. Coils (and capacitors for that matter) can break down when hot and after a period of cooling mysteriously come back to life. You have exchanged the coil and still no spark?

I would suggest you take a step back, check all the electrical connections, check that there is power getting to the coil and make sure the points are OK, clean and set to 15 thou and not shorting out to earth when they should not be!

I have a 12 volt 1961 Model 50 (converted myself with Boyer PB and up rated alternator, LED bulbs where appropriate etc. ) and after a complete distributorrebuild with new points etc. she runs perfectly. (Was OK-ish before but A & R was sticking and had weak springs).

Keep the faith, bet itâs a simple fault!!

Rgds Steve Adkins

Attachments
Models%20ES2%20-%2050%20Wiring%20Diagram.bmp

A simple test that I do is to turn the motor till the points are closed,then with the spark plug laying on the engine use a thumb nail to flick the points, if all well you will get a chain of sparks at the plug, one for each flick, if its intermittent you will see it. Remove the plug cap and try again,try a fresh lead on its own. Use a rubber glove!.hot wire the coil direct from the battery to eliminate switches and loom.The most difficult fault to trace was a rotor arm with an invisible crack that bled the spark back to the cam spindle, keep looking you WILL find it.