So who wants to know about the green Mikes Coils?

[tw1980]

Yeah I'll pull the tank a snap a few pictures.I need to learn to use this camera anyway.I'll try to post some instructions as well.But won't be able to get to it till later this weak.Terry

[Tony The Tiger]

I need the coils for a 1979XS standard,
I just have to spark plug end caps that are cracked,
so I decided to get the upgrade!
what part number do i need?

Tony

[dbeardslee]

Tony - The green monsters are Mikes XS Part #17-6810. You'll also need high tension wires and 5k ohm plug caps. If you order from Mikes you want 2 coils (#17-6810), 2 wire sets (#23-2902 or #23-2906), and 4 caps (#23-3113).

[Tony The Tiger]

OK, Thank you, I will try these things out!

[tw1980]

Sorry gang I'm still having problems with $%&$# photo bucket,so I can't post the pics I promised.So I'll try some instructions.Form 4 L brackets 1/2 in wide.Start with 2 in long.Bend 90 deg in center.Drill 5/16 hole in center of one end of L bracket.Drill second 5/16 hole close to bend as possible
but make sure the 1/4 in mounting bolts will still fit.Trim 1/4 in off the supplied spacers.Mount the L brackets to the coils then mount the coils to the frame using the stock mounting bolts.Hope this helps anyone thinking about the green coils.Sorry I don't have pics.Terry

[egleaves]

I got my very own set of green coils in the mail late last week, and I'm going to be installing them tonight! I also ordered the high tension plug wires and a set of NKG Iridium plugs. Thanks to dbeardslee I already have a new set of plug caps, so once I'm done every thing will be new from the coils to the plugs.

Every reading that has been taken from my stock coils has been out of spec, some worse than others. I'm optimistic and excited about the resuscitation this upgrade should provide. I know I won't get any additional horses, I'll just get back the ones that I've been missing for awhile.

I've still had some minor clutch slippage issues, even with the weak coils, so I also have a new set of Kevlar friction plates sitting on the bench. If I can make the clutch slip now, then I can't imagine what it'll do once it's running stronger! I'll take it out for a test ride after the coil upgrade and before I swap the plates just to feel the difference.

[Hawkins]

Here's how I installed them

Here are some pics of my installation. Took a few hours, I was surprised how long it took.

Basically I followed Terry's instructions for fabbing the brackets. I used some extruded aluminum from a shower door kit or something - easy to work with but strong enuff. I have my OEM mounting bolt holes a little close to the bend - couldn't get a socket on there. I think there's enuff clearance between the coils and frame to move those holes a bit, but not sure. Anyway, they are on and the bike runs. Too late for a tuning tonite.

pic1

pic2

pic3

pic4

[dbeardslee]

Looks very nice. Have you fired it up yet?

[Hawkins]

yeah, fired it up but didn't have time to get her warmed up good or sync and colortune. That's a job for the morning. Hopefully this solves the problem and I can ride not wrench! These look a lot like Dyna Coils.

[dbeardslee]

They look like Dynas, but the Dynas only put out 30k volts. The green monsters put out 45k volts with 12.5v input, and 75k volts with 14v input. Lots hotter than the Dynas.

[subike]

OK so I have only read this thread tonight .
I understand that the coils from MikesXS.com that were recomended as being OK for our rides, are not up to the job, and fail after around 8 - 10k .
Because they are fited to another bike other than the XS650 they were intended for, I guess there is no product garrantee. Bugger.
So the symptoms of failure would be progressively harder cold starting to the point of failure to start at all, when the coils are finally US.
again Bugger.
So becauseof this I guess I have to refit the old coils till I can get the green replacements. Damb!

[Hawkins]

So the symptoms of failure would be progressively harder cold starting to the point of failure to start at all

Well, I can't say for sure yet that coils were my problem, but I replaced them anyways because other XSives had trouble. I will post again after I have a chance to tune and ride. The symptoms I had were harder cold starting and rough idle once the bike got hot. The bad idle got worse over the period of a few days.

[dbeardslee]

Subike - I didn't have problems with cold starts. I had problems under 2.5k with rough idle, cylinders cutting out, backfiring through the carbs, and a terrible stumble between 1.5k and 2.5k once the engine reached full operating temperature - or once the coils got hot, depending on how you look at it. I wouldn't just s-can a set of coils without running some diagnostic tests. I know of several members running the black Mikes coils who have experienced failures, but there are also plenty of members running them with no problems.

Refitting your old coils is an excellent first step in determining if the coils are in fact the problem (don't forget to put the ballast resistor back on). If you put them back on and the problem goes away then it's a pretty good bet it's something in the coils. With mine I didn't have a spare set of coils, so I first tried new wires and caps with no improvement. I did a bunch of other stuff too trying to track the problem down. When I tested the coils with a DMM they looked OK, but each time I tested them it was on a cold motor. In retrospect I think it would have been a better idea to test them on a hot motor while the problem was making itself known. I'm not sure the DMM readings would have identified the problem then, but I should have tried it.

There are other things that can cause problems with cold starts and low rpm stumbles, so it's prudent to do your homework before replacing parts.

[Hawkins]

Mine is working much better after the replacement. Still some mixture adjustments to make, but that's not the fault of the coils.

[dbeardslee]

Update

For anyone who's interested, I did the green monster upgrade on an 80 SG this weekend. I offered the owner the choice of whether or not to drill the holes, although what I actually said was "do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?" After a little discussion we decided that, being an electrical part, it probably couldn't be returned after installation anyway, so we dispensed with the warranty. The owner is an avid shutter bug, and he took some great pictures, so I thought I would add one to this post that shows clearly how they fit on a special with the plastic frame cover bracket in place. Here it is -