spark coil 12V - aftermarket

[mollo]

Hello,

I have a 45 flathead which has been completely restored and converted to 12V using the conversion kit offered by several suppliers.
The spark coil used is a good replica of the original coil, however has caused some problems laetely:

The spark cables are attached to the coil by sliding it on a pin and fixing it with a nut pressing down the cable with a rubber ring.

After some 3000 miles, the bike suddenly only run on one cylinder and the root cause was a broken pin.

I replaced the coil but still have some breakdowns because of ignition problems.

Has anybody experienced similar problems with this type of coil ?
Are there differend quality standards/types available ?

I appreciated any input on this topic

Regards

Oliver

[D.Mac]

Hey Mollo,
My Pan has the same set-up and I just had the same thing happen recently. I pulled the cables and made sure the exposed wire was spread so it would touch the sides of the socket all around the wire (not too much exposed or it could short to the coil body)pressed 'em in good and cranked 'em down. Running good for now, not sure where to get a better unit either, hope someone out there has an idea.
Doug.

[Fiskis]

Many complain about the Taiwanezzeee replica coils, especially the chromed ones. I have had problems with both them and the black ones. You never know what is ahead.
A chromed one I got from somebody and painted black worked two years but then in Germany, without warning, lost rear cylinder spark. Worked when bike parked in the evening, no spark in the morning. A new junked coil, salvaged from a dealers trash can for the spark coil cables, had been packed in the sidecar for the trip by mistake. Luckily so, because it turned out to be a good one, and is still in use.
One brand new I tested in a buddys coiltesting machine. After 3 hours of heavy use, the spark was losing its power and went dead on one of the terminals.
When asking Kurt from 45 Parts Depot, he said that he has an other supplier than the Taiwanese. I got one of those, tested it for hours, and great sparks. It is now on my 47FL. There was no manufacturer name anywhere, but the body was sort of semiglossy black. Also Johnny of Vintage Motorcycle Works says that he has found a supplier of quality spark coils, but I have not yet had an opportunity to try them.
Still you never know, I have had probably one of the first generation Taiwanese repica coils on my Pan for 18 years, with no problems.
Fiskis

[mollo]

Thanks, for the feedback!

I will make sure, that a spark coil is in my basic spare part kit.