HELP! stuck in Salt Lake City!

[XSAlex]

Hey guys, I just spent a few days in SLC during my two month tour of the states (mostly the national parks). When i went to start the bike 1 and 4 wouldnt fire. After a day of testing and fooling around with the bike, I have determined that it is the left ignition coil.

No problem except I am flying home to vermont from Reno thursday morning at 5 am and it's a 500 mile drive. So can anybody nearby help me out with an ignition coil? I basically need it tonight or tomorrow. Or maybe point me in the direction of a coil that i could buy tonight or tomorrow? I have a place to store the bike in reno for the winter, but if i dont get it out of salt lake i will have to abandon it. That is pretty much the last thing i want to do.

Another possibility would be if someone close by was willing to store it for me. I will be returning to the west in the late spring to go to all the places that I missed because of the cold weather and government shutdown. (Glacier Nat'l, crater lake, yosemite, yellowstone, etc).

Also, could i limp it to Reno on 2 cylinders or would I end up burning holes in the tops of the cylinders?
I'm in a real pickle so i could really use some help.

Please call, text, or email anytime of night, i am desperate.
(Eight zero two) 5 nine 8 - 77 nine four
Jalexgeorge (at) gmail (dot) com
Thanks,
Alex

[skids]

It could be a coil, or the pickup up wired to that coil. It could also be the black box. First I would clean the connectors to the black box. If that doesnt work, Does it idle OK on all 4? If it does, it is the motion of the ignition plate that is flexing the pickup wires causing an open circuit. You might be able to disconnect the vacuum hose from the vacuum advance and plug off the end of the hose so air wont get sucked into the No.2 carb. That will make the wires quit flexing and it might get you home if it fires in that position. I don't know if the spark timing will hurt anything, but my brother ran his bike like that.

[XSAlex]

Hey thanks for the reply, but after a day of testing using the mass of knowledge on this site, I am sure that it is the coil. Anybody know of another type of coil I could toss in there to make it to reno? (That would be readily available)

Thanks,

Alex

[TomB]

An extremely simple test for 1 + 4 coil to eliminate the pick-up wires is to swap the coils' orange and grey input wires over and put 1 + 4 leads onto 2 + 3 plugs and fire it up as a twin, this is using 2 + 3 pick-ups on 2 + 3 plugs but using 1 + 4 coil, if it runs Ok as a twin 1 + 4 coil is Ok. Then it does sound like its 1 + 4 pick-ups.

As said, you've done this already, so, any 3 ohm coil will fit if not using a ballast resistor, the only difference is the hole centres may be different so you will only be able to use one bolt to hold the coils on. I have Honda Fireblade coils on my XS's with one bolt, but any bike coil will do as long as its 3 ohm, most bikes now are 3 ohm.

[fredintoon]

Also, could i limp it to Reno on 2 cylinders or would I end up burning holes in the tops of the cylinders?
I'm in a real pickle so i could really use some help.

Hi Alex,
pull #1 & #4 plugs and try a brief test ride. It'd be a slow dismal 500 mile trip on the world's heaviest 550cc vertical twin but you might make it.
Better you one way rent a 1/2ton.

[DGXSER]

Alex, Honda coils off a VF 1000 or the magna bikes are bolt in fit.

[trbig]

And you've determined absolutely 100% that it's not just the pickup coil wires?


Worst case scenario, you can probably limp it to a cheap storage building, then get a taxi or ride to a car rental place. A few have pickups for rent as well. Even someone overnighting a coil to you at this point isn't going to be in time. Hopefully someone local-ish will chime in soon.

[JeffH]

Not sure where in the Salt Lake City area you might be but:

In South SLC, they might have a coil or be able to help you
http://www.wrightsmotorcycleparts.com
3474 S State St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Phone: (801) 266-2050

Weather:
Also, weather across I-80 to Reno is passable low 30's to high 40's but you may hit some rain or sleet on passes. Ignition problems and rain don't make a good combo. Getting up the grades is challenging if the bike not running well with all the semi's zooming past. Hard down in the high desert gets very ugly.

Just throwing out ideas if you can't fix your bike on Tuesday:
Greyhound tomorrow $74 bucks:
Depart SLC 11:35 AM
Arrive RENO 08:10 PM

UHaul Dealer with 10' truck (Says NO PICKUPS AVAILABLE) $414 One Way Rental
Witzels Sales & Loans
1760 S State St
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Winter storage:
http://www.cubesmart.com/utah-self-s...le/motorcycle/
Ph: 1.877.279.3785

Just some options & ideas for you. Hopefully if after double checking that it ain't the pickup coil wire or a connector (all the items mentioned above) then you can find a coil (or one that is at least a temporary solution) at Wrights or another local SLC dealer. Oh, btw: Bill's Boneyard west of I215 @ W 3500 S Ph: 801.973.8758 -or- Grim Cycle Salvage (801) 485-0156

Jeff

[D0wn5h1ft]

Renting a U-Haul truck with a motorcycle trailer might not be a bad idea.

[XSAlex]

Hey guys, thanks for the ideas. I didn't know that I could use just any 3 ohm coil. I'm gonna pick one up today (hopefully). Wright's opens in 5 min do I'm going to give them a call. As far as truck rental, I just don't have the money necessary, especially since I paid 700 for this beast and it now has no useable second gear.

Thanks!

[JeffH]

I didn't know that I could use just any 3 ohm coil. I'm gonna pick one up today (hopefully). Wright's opens in 5 min do I'm going to give them a call.

Thanks!

Good ! Glad Wright's was close.
At this point it doesn't need to look pretty.
Just a coil that fires and plug wires to get to #1 and #4.

Likely you will hit rain on Pequop Summit or sleet or bit of rain along the way. Not that high at only 7,000 ft but still a grade so the bike has to be running pretty well. I-80 to Reno is a long run when its cold and there are lots of trucks with spray, that qualifies it as an adventure.

Jeff

[motoman]

Hey guys, thanks for the ideas. I didn't know that I could use just any 3 ohm coil. I'm gonna pick one up today (hopefully). Wright's opens in 5 min do I'm going to give them a call. As far as truck rental, I just don't have the money necessary, especially since I paid 700 for this beast and it now has no useable second gear.

Thanks!

Any of the Honda VF series coils(3ohm) are plug'n'play. Can even cut off the yammy plug wires and re-install on the Honda coils. There ARE several menbers in the SL area that may be of assistance, storage or otherwise.

[motoman]

Good ! Glad Wright's was close.
At this point it doesn't need to look pretty.
Just a coil that fires and plug wires to get to #1 and #4.

Likely you will hit rain on Pequop Summit or sleet or bit of rain along the way. Not that high at only 7,000 ft but still a grade so the bike has to be running pretty well. I-80 to Reno is a long run when its cold and there are lots of trucks with spray, that qualifies it as an adventure.

Jeff

a 520 mi. adventure!
Talked to him on the phone, and he got a coil from who knows what that ohm'ed @ .6. Says it gave him spark on #1/#4, but I imagine at that ohm it'll likely fubar the TCI.

[skids]

Yeah that is not good.

[natemoen]

I don't think more ohms would hurt anything, it is just less ohms that would cause a problem. Only thing I could see being an issue is weaker spark maybe.