New coil assistance

[JCruze]

So I have a 78 xs1100 and I'm looking for some new coils. I believe I have found the pair I want here z1 enterprises

From what I've read so far I should aim for something in the 3.0 Ohm range- which makes sense. But I also see some talk about removing the ballist resistor. Why would you need to do this? Considering my bike has one I figure it's something I need to know more about. Thanks!

Also, I'm taking suggestions for new ignition wires if anyone knows of a good set.

[natemoen]

Those are the correct coils. Shop around, you can find them cheaper usually.

The XS runs a 3 ohm ignition system, so that is where that number comes from. For the '78-'80 models they used 1.5 ohm coils and a 1.5 ohm ballast resistor to archive the needed 3 ohms. So when you upgrade to the 3 ohm coils you need to eliminate that 1.5 ohm resistor.

Wire, any solid core wires work. Carbon core is too fragile for this application (yeah I know there are a couple that use them but let's see whos wires last longer!).

[DGXSER]

Nate hit it on the head on the ballast resistor and the 3 ohm system.

As for wires, I just went through this. Every auto supply house I went to only had the carbon fiber type wires which I could not get to work well for me. I went to Z1 IIRC and bought the red 7MM solid core wires. Working great for me.

[JCruze]

Cool, thanks guys. Very helpful as always.