From perfect running bike to complete disaster and back again!! Follow me on my journey through a 50 year old electrical system and get this beauty back on the road!
on dec 31st 1969 i bought the very same bike. grad. high school may first and left for the marine corp may 5th. still miss that bike. i found on craigslist the sweetest 1979 bonneville 750 special with 84 hundred miles. tomorrow i'm buying it.
I’ve had nothing but problems with Boyer ignition systems. I changed the one in my Comando to a Tri-Spark unit and the one in my 69 BSA Firebird to a Pazon. Boyers are junk……but they’re still popular with UK riders…..why? Because they are still made in England and that’s the only reason I can surmise……British loyalty!
I'm almost 80 years old I race tramps with rocket racing George rocket first out of Maryland then Big Pine Key vintage with a race bike you can wire a Triumph with three wires love them great Daytona Miami you name it our home track was Palm Beach so long ago they can take everything away from you from old racing but not your memories keep them running they're fantastic
If the volts were high it must be the zenor, charging a battery over 13.5 volts will kill it, I don't think the rectifier could be a fault as it only converts AC to DC. That's that side of the picture, the condensers being retained was where you solved the timing issues. I am 71 and have owned many English biked of this era, worked on them myself and love them, I still have a 70 Tiger.
Back in my day long time ago we would just put a Magneto on it to run the engine and put the lights in the charging system completely separate no matter what happened you got home
Racing with George rocket we had a North floor valve dual plug timing with the pain in in the ass we finally at the end of my racing time the last race I rode I was 62 years old we put electronic ignition in it and got rid of Prince of Darkness we use the total loss battery system to ride short six lap seven lap races that bike was fast not with me John John Long out of Miami Road this bike at Daytona for 11 years it always finished first and 750 cc Sportsman a bike was awesome I got to race it one time in Alabama the bike was way faster than I was I love Triumph
Change the ground from the headlight bucket down to the frame the headlight bucket is rubber mounted and it doesn't ground worth a damn through the headlight
get rid of the boyer stuff, use the australian digital ignition ( i forget the name) boyer cutso ff if voltage falls below 12.6v the digital works ok down to 8.5 v
First things first,Is it running on 2 cylinders.....doesn't sound like it ,feel the header pipes to see.Use a separate battery when running the timing light! Hint:- Run ALL the Boyer earth wires to the battery, not the frame!.Boyers also run better using 6V coils.
If your wiring is crap the boyer will never run well.....lucas makes new harnesses...also behind the boyer ign where they use a cable tie the solder can crack and you will never get it to run right.....ask me how i know....but you've probably sold it by now
