automotive ignition

[Burns]

Hi folks, been away for awhile, but I've always considered this place "home" and it is populated by the most knowledgable motorcycle people on the planet. So, I'm coming to you because if there is a way to do what somebody here will know.

Here's my situation.

I bought a 2000 KTM SXC 400 for my son so we could do some motorcycle camping. Well, it is not sparking and looks like the stator is the culprit. This bike has a very odd, and notoriously fragile ignition system. "SEM" it is called. The stators are expensive and failure prone. In the spirit of "don't replace a weak link upgrade it" that I learned here in my XS650 years I want to replace the entire ignition with automotive components.

Its off-road only so lights are optional - it's just solid reliable sparks I'm after.

I recall some one here fashioning a system from Chrysler parts, HFI if memory serves.

What are your thoughts for sparking this old thumper?

Thank You

Burns

[madmax]

Hey Burns.

Speak to Marcus at the Speedshop here in the UK www.rexs-speedshop.com/epages/es143131.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es143131/Categories.

If he doesn't know how to cure the problem then he most likely will know who can.

Good luck

Max

[Burns]

thanks for the reply Max. Actually I solved my current problem. The stator contacts were corroded; I emery papered them and put on a smear of dialectic grease. POP! started second kick.

But I'm interested in "upgrading" in the XS650 Garage tradition.

I remember when Pamco Pete created his now famous Hall effect points eliminator here - originally using a baby food lid - and when Mr Riggs cast a stator mount for RD350 rotor based PM systems - I think I bought his first one - way before Hugh of Handbuilt fame could even spell "PMA".

I'd like to tap into this brain trust to fashion an ignition system for the unreliable units on the early LC4 motored KTM's, using junkyard/auto parts store components -- MAD MAX!!!

I learned pretty much everything I know about working on motorcycles here at this Garage; I'm no mechanic or expert of any kind - that's for sure - but I love old motorcycles and the culture of "fix it/ improve it/ride it forever"

[madmax]

I doubt that would be possible with a modern bike that probably has an ECU with input/output that is additional to the ignition/spark function, trying to separate those out and get it to run isn't going to be as easy (relative here) as replacing a mechanical points system as per XS650.

If the stator is the known weak link then someone out there will know not just how to refurbish but solve (by the use of upgraded components/materials) the underlying weakness, I don't think "backyard engineering" is a practical or possible solution.

Good luck

[grizld1]

Hi Burns, good to hear from you!

+1 on Max's advice. The old XS650 is a 1950's German design that passed through the hands of two other Japanese companies before Yamaha pulled it out of a drawer and dusted it off in a crash effort to produce the most c.c.'s per dollar available at the time. That's why, from the 360* crank timing up, the XS650 motor bears no family resemblance to the rest of Yamaha's 4-stroke motors; the child was adopted. And that's also why upgrades are so plentiful--there's a lot there to improve on. And that's also why many of us love the old beast--it's a challenge to rise to.

That KTM is another thing entirely--a 400 c.c. thumper putting out 42 bhp, right out of the box! That calls for some serious sophistication, and messing with it calls for even more.

Now that you have the KTM running, you can probably sell it for more than you have in it. If I were you I'd do exactly that, and put the proceeds into a well-mannered, bulletproof, Kawasaki KLR650 single. Those things are tough, cheap, and nimble, the iron of choice for many adventure touring riders.

Be well, and don't be a stranger!

[Burns]

Thanks folks. "not worth the effort" seems to be the lesson of the day. Upgraded stators are available on the aftermarket. I think I'll get one and keep the stocker as a back-up.

I'm thinkin' a lot of the bad press the SEM system gets (judging from the one I just dealt with) is due to it needing a little maintenace that it isn't getting. The unit in this bike is 16 years old and worked fine after a little emry paper attention to the contact surfaces.


I bought this bike for my son so we could do some motorcycle camping. My d/p bike is a '94 DR350 Suzy. The Suz is the pumper-carbed (TM33) dirt model with a Baja lighting kit and dialed-in suspension. The bikes are intended for woods/single track and are trucked to the camp site. Both are street legal but will rarely see pavement.

I looked at KLR's when I was thinking "Adventure" i.e. road-trip to camp site. But I decided I'd rather be FJ1200 mounted for my road rides.

The KLR650 weighs in at 430 lbs at the curb, the KTM is 265 dry and the Suz is 300 wet. While the KLR is the better choice if you plan to ride the bike a significant distance to the camp site, at 430 pounds it is not going to be much fun in tight woods.

On a totally different subject, I have a '90 FJ1200 that I bought as a parts bike to back up my '89 daily driver. Well, the '89 never breaks and the '90 is "all there" with just cosmetic issues. So, I'm thinking of mounting a side hack to the '90 in a sort of Mad Max/Iron Butt kinda way.

Any helpful hints in that direction are appreciated.

Thanks, as always.

burns