The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: tc80211 on April 04, 2014, 01:03:22 PM
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Its me again, '83 R65 (not LS)
After so much help with tires/tubes, tanks, and everything else now it is time to zero in on electrical...
Should I upgrade my ignition?
Should I upgrade my Diode?
My budget has about 400-500 for electrical and the current wiring harness has tested well so no need to replace. starter is also in good condition and when i took this thing apart all the sensors appeared to check out.
notes: the JPT connector on my ignition sensor has shattered, like disintegrated completely. Otherwise some corrosion on the stator is visible.
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What are your expected goals in upgrading the ignition and diode (board) ?
Are you considering an alternative to the bean can? Something like the Alpha Ignition from MotorradElektrik? Or a different coil, plug wire set, solid state VR... ?
The diode board is part of the charging system but replacing just the OEM board with something different may not do anything -other than deplete your finances- without upgrading the alternator for more output to run new electrical farkles. Maybe just new brushes.
Help us out here by tightening up your goals, wants n' needs and I'm sure there are several folks on board that would be happy to help spend your bucks. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
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The need to spend money certainly is not present. I doubt I will add any more electrical items then the bike originally came with. But I do want to make some cross-country passes so I guess I am seeing if its worth upgrading any of these items for the sake or reliability (since they are 30 yrs old)...
I would rather spend the money on gas hauling ass across the plains :)
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Well I can think of one thing that's come up recently. If you've got the stock bosch coil, replace it with a dyna "brown" from www.motoelekt.com
And while you're there, you can replace the stock tail light with a beacon II LED unit. Draws less power and puts out wayyyy more light.
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...But I do want to make some cross-country passes so I guess I am seeing if its worth upgrading any of these items for the sake or reliability (since they are 30 yrs old)...
There is nothing inherently unreliable about the stock ignition and charging system providing it's in good order. The early points ignition is possibly more reliable or at least easier to fix if there is a problem but other that that any of the stock electrical systems are plenty good enough to cross country with from a reliability point of view. The bike is not going to go any better with an after market ignition and an after market charging system is only needed if the stock one doesn't deliver the watts that you need.
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I'd check the charging system output at different RPMs and make sure that it is working well. If not, *usually* it is something relatively cheap like brushes, voltage regulator, or diode board, And sometimes it is the alternator which is more money. If I didn't have alot of cash and wasn't looking to run more electrical accessories, I wouldn't replace the alternator until it needed it. It wouldn't hurt to replace the brushes (they are) and that could be cheap insurance against stranding on the roadside.
The aftermarket diode board from motorrad elektrik is a good one and, it could be considered somewhat of an insurance investment as the old diode boards do eventually go - and some sooner than others due to soldering issues. If your existing diode board is still doing its thing properly, you can choose whether or not to update it now. I did mine just as a matter of course when I was updating other things on my bike. The voltage regulators do also die, suddenly, when they do, and that can leave you with dead battery even with everything else working. Motorrad Elektrik also has some solid state voltage regulators that aren't expensive.
Some folks (and it often, but not always includes me) are of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. But, if it is a big x-country ride in the future, I do try to either update, or at least have a handy spare for some things such as a throttle cable, diode board, voltage regulator, relay, and maybe a clutch cable and some fuzes tucked away somewhere.