Ignitions

Big Sid

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As for the original. Lucas ATD use in serious racing there is little sense in using it , too fragile to stand really severe use at high revs . A case of the idea being good but the equipment not being up to the demands . Similarly the std production armature with its two piece pressed together drive shaft and end plate , this recently failed us in our twin Lola . The pure racing armature has a one piece drive end and end plate , instead being integral . The competition magneto employs manual advance with slack wire advance as does Lola .
What will work for a huge mileage on the street will often dissapoint on the track . Horses for courses . Sid .
 

Big Sid

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More on the manual magneto , they are more easily timed . This afternoon Matt and I retimed Lola's repaired magneto .
Of course better yet is a modern electronic ignition ! Sid .
 

Bill Thomas

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Hello Sid, Sorry for being a Pain, But I thought you agreed That a "D" Distributor was best, All The Best, Bill.
 

greg brillus

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Hi there all, Just a comment on ignition systems......whilst a lot of you with many years of experience, have tried many magneto's and electronic /coil set ups. Has anyone actually tried a Joe Hunt magneto......?? From what I can see these are the same as a Lucas SR1 or equivalant. Now I know for sure that a SR1 mag is by far a better mag than a more common KV-F, K1-F Variant....and as everyone knows a magneto is always of preferance to any type of coil ignition due to the extra need for a battery ( this on a racer of course, not a road bike) I think all a Joe Hunt mag would need is a modified cam to change the timing for say a Truimphs 180 deg to a Vincents 205 deg...and yes you can get these mags to suit the pre unit Triumph with the triangular flange type mount. I also think that the Hunts output would be better than the modern BT-H units as well.....as for rev's....well I don't think that would be any prob with one of these rotating magnet type magneto's.....anyone out there with any thoughts on this.....as I would be very interested to know...cheers....Greg.
 

bmetcalf

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I have wondered about that, too. https://www.huntmagnetos.com/store/Magnetos - Ride With The Thunder!!/storeview_1278.html?id=78
I don't see any cams on their spare parts pages, but that would be a special as you note. The angle of the body would have to suit the cases and I don't know how much flexibility they have. Right now my KVF is doing fine, so I'm not digging too deep into this.

This http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=455142 shows an SR-2 on a Triumph. I had an SR-1 once, but I don't remember if the cam could be positioned anywhere desired.
 

davidd

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Bruce and Greg,

I have seen several twins with Joe Hunt magnetos. I like mechanical magnetos, but when I started helping Carleton Palmer at races, the magnetos on both the Series A and the Flash would only last a few races before failing. He had quite a few unhappy phone calls with both Ken Bell and Perry Gearhart. Neither would warranty their work for a racer. After four or five failures, it was too costly to race these items, mostly in time and races missed. This is one of those issues where success depends as much on the people supporting you as it does on the rider. If Barry Basset were here in the U.S., the racing mags might have been just fine.

When Carleton went to coil ignition he could also use dual plugs, which has at least a small advantage. The coil ignition systems proved wildly reliable compared to the stock mags. It was worth the penalty of carrying a battery. When I built the racer I used the new BT-H. It has been working for years without a glance. It is difficult to walk away from something that works that well. I have a dual plug Pazon and tested it as a back up ignition and it worked as well as the BT-H. The only other ignition I have considered the Interspan ignition, which is similar to the new BT-H. They are used primarily on Manxes and as a result they are not a flange mount. That work kept me from exploring their use.

David
 

Big Sid

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Sid here . Yes , I do believe that a Lucas D. Dist is overall the best ign device . Both our Vincati and Matt's Shadow are so equipped , superb reliability and performance . Super easy starting and dead regular idling , never drops a beat . Hugely stronger spark accounts for this characteristic , able to fire reliably even a poor mixture .
 

Big Sid

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Please David tell us more about the Pazon system , compare costs and build quality , ease of fitting . Thanks , Sid .
 

davidd

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I believe the software engineer for Boyer left Boyer and started Pazon in Australia. The consensus is that Pazon is much more reliable than the Boyer ignitions. The Pazon has a 7-1/2 year warranty and seems to be of very good quality.

I use the Pazon Smart-Fire Vincent Comet twin plug ignition. It comes with PVL coils, which are known to be good quality. The price is now $840, which is steep, but shipping is free. I bought mine in 2009 and it was considerably cheaper (I remember it as about $500).

Installation and timing is quite easy, however, you have to mount coils and a brain box (the box should not get too hot). I have lots of room on the racer, but you may have to work harder to hide these items on a street bike.

http://www.pazon.com/ignition-system/smart-fire-vincent-comet-twinplug

They have twin applications also.

David
 

Goffy998

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Anyone got an opinon on Francois Grossets electronic ign. for Twin? Apparantly Patrick Godet uses them on the bikes he builds.
They have a mechanical advance & retard which seems a strange choice.
 
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