Great video, mate! Here in North Carolina I've run into exactly the same "no sparky, no starty" issue with my CX500. I've done the MotoFaction testing and got the same results. 9/5 and 9/8 are toast! Looks like I'll be goin' with the Ignitech upgrade. You make it look easier than throwing bread into a toaster for breakfast! :) Glad my CX650Cs run the TI!!!! Well done sir!
Thank you Rex, very kind comments. I have to say the Motofaction site is brilliant, and the CX500 forum is also awesome. I was in the same “haven’t got a clue” position until both those sites/forums helped me out, and it really was as easy as toasting bread for sure. Benefit of the internet, you can learn anything and look like a pro in minutes. LOL. Good luck with the fix, and make sure to sell the CDI on as that clearly isn’t the issue. 😀
Hello mate, this was a couple of hundred quid on eBay, from Australian, but you can get them straight from Ignitech I believe based in the Czech Republic. If you go the the Motofaction website, link in the description this is also a massive source of help.
Just watched your stator removal on your CX project. If that was you first time inside an engine, you looked very confident in what you were doing for sure. Had my issue been on one of my other bikes where the stator was reasonably accessible, under a side cover, I would have swapped it instead of the ignition unit itself. Glad my vid was useful mate. Just subbed you, will watch your other stuff, looks good,. Thanks for your comment, Rich
It was pretty easy, it’s good that new electronic ignitions are available at a reasonable price. I need to sort my indicators out on the CX as they work fine engine on but intermittent when off, so assume a bad earth somewhere. That’s the next job anyway. Thanks for the comment
There are two coils in the altenator core (stator) that charge the capacitors in the CDI unit, both of these are wound with very fine wire, I thnk the windings work loose with age and the insulation of individual winding chafe or the winding physicaly break. Once that happens the touching turns are shorted out or are completely separated and the coils don't charge the capacitors properly, hence no spark when the charge is dumped across the HT coil. When ever I stripped/unwound these coils some of the windings were loose others were still stuck together by the original? epoxy but over all I remember the windings being very black and 'dirty', of course the dirt could be old cooked engine oil etc. rather than burnt epoxy. There was a rewinder in England who used to sell rewound coils but that was pre year 2000 and I can't remember their name and don't know if they are still in business but I recollect they used to do replacement altenators for the Honda Dream and Superdream which also had CDI ignition systems. It is possible to replace these coils yourself, CX500, I have done it, twice, at least, but I dispatched so my bikes were high milage. It's a fiddly job and you need to be good with your hands AND CAREFUL and you need a good soldering iron and, to reseal every thing, epoxy. From memory there are also timing coils in the altenator core (stator) itself or perhaps in the 'wings' and I think there are timing coils in the rear case as well. Whenever my baby wouldn't start it was a/the charging coil/s that had gone. It is worth noting that from memory the stator assembly including the 'wings' is matched to the rotor and there are matching 'serial' numbers stamped on the rotor and from memory one of the wings. This is why I always repaired a stator rather than getting a replacement stator.
Thanks for the info. Personally I would have replaced the stator, but of course on the CX500 it’s engine out, which is way more work. Could have done it, but seems easier to replace the CDI with the ignitech.
Was hoping you could help me out, had the same issues and went through all the same steps. Got no spark at the end of it. Only thing I havent tested is the regualtor. 79 cx500 PC01E-2200006 new battery have a running cx to swap most parts over to check whats not functioning. READINGS: [1/5 - 119 , 2/5 - 99, 3/5 - 220, 4/5 - 119, 6/5 100, 7/5 223, 9/5 - 511, 8/9 - 98 ] [A/GND, B/GND, C/GND no continuity] [A/B B/C C/A - 600 ohms settled to 3 ohms for all three yellow wires from regulator] Thanks for any help!
Hi mate, so were you using a digital multimeter to get accurate readings? Anyway The 9/5 reading you have is too high and I have just run the readings through the online motofaction stator test and it’s states for all the other readings that they are correct but for the 9/5 it says “Some of the coils on your stator are faulty - if you are using the stock CDI you will need to replace the stator. The Ignitech does not require these coils to run” so an Ignitech would sort it out. I would double check with the guys on the CX500 forum but sounds like this is the issue and the fix to me. Don’t bother checking the regulator, that won’t stop it sparking if you have battery power.
I ran the same test which is why I bought the Ignitech unit, I have triple checked connections on the ignitech installation and still no spark. Seems like I have no voltage running to the ignition coils.
Did you have to program the Ignitech ? Have you checked the kill switch line by unplugging and see if that resolves it ( I assume it won’t as it’s definately a low speed coil issue ) , and did you connect the power up correctly to the Ignitech. The online motofaction instructions were slightly different to the instructions I got with the Ignitech and I Cut into the black wire as directed by motofaction. If you have done the same as me on this vid, did you test you had a constant 12v on that line with the ignition on ? As you have tested all the stator side this sounds very much like a hook up issue and not too much wrong. Let me know exactly what you connected onto what. I assume you are replacing a CDI and not a TI. Lastly, have you got no spark or it’s just not starting ??? Are the low tension leads plugged into the coils the right way round, I assume it would fail to start as timing wrong. If you have pulled the plugs to test for spark, make sure you hold them against ground and NOT the easiest place like the rocker cover as that is isolated by the rubber gaskets. This really sounds like a hook up issue and nothing serious now.
I assumed the ignitech was programmed already, no way to connect it to my computer. Pretty confident the power is connected correctly, broke the black wire and ran it to the red wires of the ignitech ( also checking this was a constant 12v) Yes I am replacing the CDI and yes I am able to turn the starter over and have compression. Only thing I havent tried on your list is unpluging the kill switch, which ill hopefully try tonight. Thanks. Also if it helps I can film and upload a video of my setup.
Thank you for your comment Johnny, unfortunately I had to source from Australia and I’m in the U.K so a bit of shipping needed. The CX500 forum may be able to assist as they frequently do bulk orders where there’s demand, Good luck with your project,
Hi mate, I found it on eBay when looking for an ignitech for an 81CX500. It’s a kind of universal motorcycle igniter that’s programmed for your specific bike, it doesn’t come with the CD as shown it’s already set up. £172 plus postage and and import duty from Australia. Only source I could find. Expensive so you need to rule everything out first if you have a no spark situation. I ran the motofaction stator test from their website and spoke with the guys on the CX500 forum before doing anything. I’d already tested the coils plugs etc. All extremely helpful. But your stator may be mal functioining in a way that ignitech doesn’t solve and something else will, or you may need a new stator, if it isn’t something very simple. In my case the stator just wasn’t powering my CDI, so the ignitech was ideal as it’s powered directly from the battery, just pulsed from the stator, and that part was still working fine. I don’t think these work on the TI bikes, it’s a CDI replacement. If you need any more help let me know. Rich
Yes mate it is just behind the starter relay inside a black cover, it is a flat blade very old design I think they call it a dog bone fuse. If your bike is a different year it may vary in location.
I just came here to watch how to hook up the ignitech and hear it run...the last half of this is excruciating!!
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
Great video, mate! Here in North Carolina I've run into exactly the same "no sparky, no starty" issue with my CX500. I've done the MotoFaction testing and got the same results. 9/5 and 9/8 are toast! Looks like I'll be goin' with the Ignitech upgrade. You make it look easier than throwing bread into a toaster for breakfast! :) Glad my CX650Cs run the TI!!!! Well done sir!
Thank you Rex, very kind comments. I have to say the Motofaction site is brilliant, and the CX500 forum is also awesome. I was in the same “haven’t got a clue” position until both those sites/forums helped me out, and it really was as easy as toasting bread for sure. Benefit of the internet, you can learn anything and look like a pro in minutes. LOL. Good luck with the fix, and make sure to sell the CDI on as that clearly isn’t the issue. 😀
Hello just watched your vidio on the Honda cx500 custom ingitech cdi but were do i get one from and how much do thy cost all the best George
Hello mate, this was a couple of hundred quid on eBay, from Australian, but you can get them straight from Ignitech I believe based in the Czech Republic. If you go the the Motofaction website, link in the description this is also a massive source of help.
Good tips! Thanks for the help!
Just watched your stator removal on your CX project. If that was you first time inside an engine, you looked very confident in what you were doing for sure. Had my issue been on one of my other bikes where the stator was reasonably accessible, under a side cover, I would have swapped it instead of the ignition unit itself. Glad my vid was useful mate. Just subbed you, will watch your other stuff, looks good,. Thanks for your comment, Rich
Great very detailed installation!!, I did mine about a year ago, good stuff
It was pretty easy, it’s good that new electronic ignitions are available at a reasonable price. I need to sort my indicators out on the CX as they work fine engine on but intermittent when off, so assume a bad earth somewhere. That’s the next job anyway. Thanks for the comment
There are two coils in the altenator core (stator) that charge the capacitors in the CDI unit, both of these are wound with very fine wire, I thnk the windings work loose with age and the insulation of individual winding chafe or the winding physicaly break. Once that happens the touching turns are shorted out or are completely separated and the coils don't charge the capacitors properly, hence no spark when the charge is dumped across the HT coil.
When ever I stripped/unwound these coils some of the windings were loose others were still stuck together by the original? epoxy but over all I remember the windings being very black and 'dirty', of course the dirt could be old cooked engine oil etc. rather than burnt epoxy.
There was a rewinder in England who used to sell rewound coils but that was pre year 2000 and I can't remember their name and don't know if they are still in business but I recollect they used to do replacement altenators for the Honda Dream and Superdream which also had CDI ignition systems. It is possible to replace these coils yourself, CX500, I have done it, twice, at least, but I dispatched so my bikes were high milage. It's a fiddly job and you need to be good with your hands AND CAREFUL and you need a good soldering iron and, to reseal every thing, epoxy.
From memory there are also timing coils in the altenator core (stator) itself or perhaps in the 'wings' and I think there are timing coils in the rear case as well. Whenever my baby wouldn't start it was a/the charging coil/s that had gone.
It is worth noting that from memory the stator assembly including the 'wings' is matched to the rotor and there are matching 'serial' numbers stamped on the rotor and from memory one of the wings. This is why I always repaired a stator rather than getting a replacement stator.
Thanks for the info. Personally I would have replaced the stator, but of course on the CX500 it’s engine out, which is way more work. Could have done it, but seems easier to replace the CDI with the ignitech.
Gracias amigo..!
Fue un video muy bueno..!
Mucha ayuda para tener una idea clara y amplia del nuevo CDI de mi moto.
GRACIAS
me alegro de que haya ayudado👍
Was hoping you could help me out, had the same issues and went through all the same steps. Got no spark at the end of it. Only thing I havent tested is the regualtor. 79 cx500 PC01E-2200006 new battery have a running cx to swap most parts over to check whats not functioning. READINGS: [1/5 - 119 , 2/5 - 99, 3/5 - 220, 4/5 - 119, 6/5 100, 7/5 223, 9/5 - 511, 8/9 - 98 ] [A/GND, B/GND, C/GND no continuity] [A/B B/C C/A - 600 ohms settled to 3 ohms for all three yellow wires from regulator] Thanks for any help!
Hi mate, so were you using a digital multimeter to get accurate readings? Anyway The 9/5 reading you have is too high and I have just run the readings through the online motofaction stator test and it’s states for all the other readings that they are correct but for the 9/5 it says “Some of the coils on your stator are faulty - if you are using the stock CDI you will need to replace the stator. The Ignitech does not require these coils to run” so an Ignitech would sort it out. I would double check with the guys on the CX500 forum but sounds like this is the issue and the fix to me. Don’t bother checking the regulator, that won’t stop it sparking if you have battery power.
I ran the same test which is why I bought the Ignitech unit, I have triple checked connections on the ignitech installation and still no spark. Seems like I have no voltage running to the ignition coils.
Did you have to program the Ignitech ? Have you checked the kill switch line by unplugging and see if that resolves it ( I assume it won’t as it’s definately a low speed coil issue ) , and did you connect the power up correctly to the Ignitech. The online motofaction instructions were slightly different to the instructions I got with the Ignitech and I Cut into the black wire as directed by motofaction. If you have done the same as me on this vid, did you test you had a constant 12v on that line with the ignition on ? As you have tested all the stator side this sounds very much like a hook up issue and not too much wrong. Let me know exactly what you connected onto what. I assume you are replacing a CDI and not a TI. Lastly, have you got no spark or it’s just not starting ??? Are the low tension leads plugged into the coils the right way round, I assume it would fail to start as timing wrong. If you have pulled the plugs to test for spark, make sure you hold them against ground and NOT the easiest place like the rocker cover as that is isolated by the rubber gaskets. This really sounds like a hook up issue and nothing serious now.
I assumed the ignitech was programmed already, no way to connect it to my computer. Pretty confident the power is connected correctly, broke the black wire and ran it to the red wires of the ignitech ( also checking this was a constant 12v) Yes I am replacing the CDI and yes I am able to turn the starter over and have compression. Only thing I havent tried on your list is unpluging the kill switch, which ill hopefully try tonight. Thanks. Also if it helps I can film and upload a video of my setup.
Only getting .06 volts to the coils... should be 75-200, guessing its a bad insulation on wire or bad ground somewhere.
Great video, thank you! Can you recommend a similar product that can be found in the US?
Thank you for your comment Johnny, unfortunately I had to source from Australia and I’m in the U.K so a bit of shipping needed. The CX500 forum may be able to assist as they frequently do bulk orders where there’s demand, Good luck with your project,
Old comment I know but you can order directly from ignitech using DHL www.ignitech.cz/en/
Thanks for the vid. Where can I get one of those systems?
Hi mate, I found it on eBay when looking for an ignitech for an 81CX500. It’s a kind of universal motorcycle igniter that’s programmed for your specific bike, it doesn’t come with the CD as shown it’s already set up. £172 plus postage and and import duty from Australia. Only source I could find. Expensive so you need to rule everything out first if you have a no spark situation. I ran the motofaction stator test from their website and spoke with the guys on the CX500 forum before doing anything. I’d already tested the coils plugs etc. All extremely helpful. But your stator may be mal functioining in a way that ignitech doesn’t solve and something else will, or you may need a new stator, if it isn’t something very simple. In my case the stator just wasn’t powering my CDI, so the ignitech was ideal as it’s powered directly from the battery, just pulsed from the stator, and that part was still working fine. I don’t think these work on the TI bikes, it’s a CDI replacement. If you need any more help let me know. Rich
I just picked up a 1979 500 with the same big set of horns on it .lol
LOL. They are mental loud 🤣🤣🤣
I was getting no spark and it was the pulsar that was at fault.
Yes I think on mine it was the low speed coils, but did you swap the pulsars ? Big job that.
Near starter relay isn't there supposed to be a 30A fuse down there
Yes mate it is just behind the starter relay inside a black cover, it is a flat blade very old design I think they call it a dog bone fuse. If your bike is a different year it may vary in location.
Good lord, this video was like watching paint dry.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind…
Puts a password on iPad and then shows 10k people
then...
changes password 🤣
What a wast off time and picture quality 😪
Your comment makes literally no sense. Rewrite it using a well known phrase or sentence in English.