Powerdynamo brings new ignition & light 
to your vintage motorcycle

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Sometimes riders find that even after they have installed a Powerdynamo ignition that their machine will still not start or will barely or badly run. 
First conclusion: ignition has to be faulty as this was what had been last installed.

Please, earnestly consider that parameters other than ignition could well be a possible cause of the problems.


We hear a lot that the engine did run well with the stock system. We will not dispute this, but have to ask, when was this last time it did run with the stock system? And what else did you do since? Compleately redo engine? Change, clean carb? retime valves etc?
   
In quite a few cases after installation of the Powerdynamo System you may need to set the fuelmix leaner (lower needle, smaller main jet even)

Here a few suggestions :

  • Always use new fuel. Fuels age quite rapidly, sometimes after a year they will be wothless already.
  • Thoroughly cleane the carburettor, fuel tank and filters.
  • Check crank shaft oil seals (for 2-strokes)

    If your machine has covered high mileage, isn’t used regularly, or been stood in the corner of your garage for the last twelve months or more then the chances are that the crankcase seals would have hardened and have lost their flexibility at the lip. The springs in the back in the lip will not be strong enough to over come this hardness so the seals will not grab the crank and seal properly.
    Symptoms include poor starting and idling, spiting back, engine starts and stops, poor performance and excessive smoke etc caused by negative pressure pulling oil/air into the crankcase from the gearbox through the suspect seals and the gearbox oil will be lost.

    Another simple check is to remove the carburettor from the inlet stub and while kicking over the motor so it is spinning rapidly place the palm of your hand or a piece of paper over the inlet stub and check the suction, if it is very little its time for new seals.
  • Check the airfilter and the exhaust system . If that is clogged you stand no chance of the engine starting. Paper filters might have sucked in moisture acting as a screen.
Very often spark plugs turn out to be the problem. Had they been working on about 10KV before, they now get ca 40KV - and might not stand this voltage any more!
  • carburetor problems
    nobody wants to hear this, but more often than not there are ebay offers where carb needles do not match the needle jet or do not sit in the middle of the jet. Customers did buy "new or refurbished" carbs, trusting they are ok, which they mostly have not been.
    In twin engines this often makes the customer think that one side of a twin ignition coil is faulty (which can not be).
    also missing or bad carburator insulation can lead to starting problems when hot.
  • wrong assembly of engine or assembly with wrong or bad parts (2stroke pistons exhaust side to barb, larger crank sprocket leading to slower starting revolutions, bad oilseals magneto side in 2strokes, 
  • using battery ignition without battery as relying on our dynamo (alternator) only system. Can not work!
  • tuning activities (modified compression, bore, even stroke, camshaft modifications etc)
    This we get a lot. People change bore, stroke, compression, crank angles (In twins), camshafts... you name it. Our material is always made for the standard engine, not a tuned one!

 

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