Getting at the coil power connector

[camos]

I need to check the power connections between the battery and the coils. I've never been in there before so would someone who knows where they are and how long it might take to get at them give me an estimate?

 

The Venture is my only transportation so I'm concerned about taking things apart and not getting them back together before I need to go somewhere.

[camos]

Is that a dumb question or is it just too difficult to manage?

[Prairiehammer]

Getting to the ignition coil connectors is fairly difficult. One may remove the main fairing(s) and the inner fairing(s) to gain access to the coils and their connectors. Or one may remove the battery box/holder. Removing the battery box usually requires inner fairing removal, however.

One MAY be able to access the connectors from the top, in front of the battery, but I suspect not. There is a lot of electrical bundles, fuse block, etc in the way.

Check out this pic of my Venture with all fairings and plastic removed, revealing the coils and the coil connectors. Notice what has to be removed to access the connectors?

[camos]

Getting to the ignition coil connectors is fairly difficult. One may remove the main fairing(s) and the inner fairing(s) to gain access to the coils and their connectors. Or one may remove the battery box/holder. Removing the battery box usually requires inner fairing removal, however.

One MAY be able to access the connectors from the top, in front of the battery, but I suspect not. There is a lot of electrical bundles, fuse block, etc in the way.

Check out this pic of my Venture with all fairings and plastic removed, revealing the coils and the coil connectors. Notice what has to be removed to access the connectors?

Holy smokes!!!

I'll take your word that the coils can be seen in that pic but I haven't found them yet.

 

I know the TCI and it's connector can be seen after removing the air box. I was expecting the coils to be attached to that plug but was not sure if there were any connectors in between. In any case, it looks like I will probably need a couple of free days before getting into that job. sigh....

 

Thanks Kevin, it's not what I wanted to hear but helpful all the same.

[Kiwiroyale]

Haha makes Eck's electric bike look positively bare doesn't it!!!!!

[Prairiehammer]

Holy smokes!!!

I'll take your word that the coils can be seen in that pic but I haven't found them yet.

 

 

Here is a pic of the coils and connectors:

 

[camos]

Here is a pic of the coils and connectors:

No wonder I couldn't see them, they were dead centre in front of my face.

 

Not to mention in perhaps the most difficult place to get to on the bike.

 

Thanks again... very helpful.

[videoarizona]

Clive,

 

I was able to get to the coils to replace the spark plug wires. I did it without pulling all that plastic off...just the two side covers, the battery and battery box.

It was a very hard job in that if my hands had been thinner I wouldn't have scraped off skin. As it was, I got the job done with all four plug wires. Took some doing but you can do it. I got to the one set of coils from underneath.

 

Suggest you take some time and get a good flashlight....and look into the frame area until you see if you have a pathway to the coils. That's what I did and it worked for me.

Taking the coils out? Nope...think that would require some surgery!

 

As far as the connector is concerned. Try and check out the coil power from the computer to the coil. If it checks ok, then the connector is good as well. If it doesn't, then yea....going to be difficult to get to the connector AND be able to get it apart.

Edited February 26, 2016 by videoarizona

[Great White]

I went coil on plug conversion and now my battery lives where the coils used to. Put the "coil connectors" right on top of the COP's. Super easy to get to now instead of hte burried mess where they used to be.

 

Weight of the battery is still just as high, but now more of it is over the front wheel. More room for a larger airbox too.....

Edited February 27, 2016 by Great White

[camos]

I was able to get to the coils to replace the spark plug wires. I did it without pulling all that plastic off...just the two side covers, the battery and battery box.

It was a very hard job in that if my hands had been thinner I wouldn't have scraped off skin. As it was, I got the job done with all four plug wires. Took some doing but you can do it. I got to the one set of coils from underneath.

I'm not ready to change the plug wires but it's good to know for when I will be. Sadly, I have the same problem with chunky hands but skin still grows back though so could be worse.

 

As far as the connector is concerned. Try and check out the coil power from the computer to the coil. If it checks ok, then the connector is good as well. If it doesn't, then yea....going to be difficult to get to the connector AND be able to get it apart.

Since all the plugs looked the same, checking the connectors to the coils was my first plan of attack. If a connector between a coil and a plug was a problem then there would most likely be a variation in their condition.

 

Thanks, that was helpful.

[camos]

I went coil on plug conversion and now my battery lives where the coils used to. Put the "coil connectors" right on top of the COP's. Super easy to get to now instead of hte burried mess where they used to be.

Yes, great idea, haven't heard of any down side once everything gets hooked up properly. Well, except for the cost of the COPs and an Ignitech TCI. If you are finished doing it, do you have a total cost estimate that you would be willing to share?

 

Weight of the battery is still just as high, but now more of it is over the front wheel. More room for a larger airbox too.....

If I ever have a break from fixing things I would like to try moving the battery down behind the chin fairing. Some of the newer batteries are quite a bit smaller than the OEM one and can be laid on their side so there is a fair possibility there would be enough room. I could be kidding myself but moving the battery down that far should make at the least, a noticeable difference in handling.

[Great White]

Cop (with harness) cost me approx 30 bucks (eBay). Came from a cbr600rr.

 

Ignitech was around 300 bucks once it arrived at my door (shipping+exchange). Bought it off a member here who bought it and sold his bike before he installed it. Need it to upload the VMax program and run the vboost solenoid...

[camos]

Cop (with harness) cost me approx 30 bucks (eBay). Came from a cbr600rr.

 

Ignitech was around 300 bucks once it arrived at my door (shipping+exchange). Bought it off a member here who bought it and sold his bike before he installed it. Need it to upload the VMax program and run the vboost solenoid...

So you probably got a bit of a deal on the Ignitech. In any case, it's more than a box of beer so I'll have to start saving my shekles. Any other related extras? Thanks GW, the devil is often in the details.

[Great White]

I'm sort of off the beaten trail, so any extras on mine are mostly related to making the VMax stuff work.

 

Most posts I see on the ignitec are guys plugging them in and riding off.

 

 

I've also gone to a modern day sh775ba regulator (series vs oem shunt) to lighten load on the generator and get a more stable voltage. Its from polaris and off a razor iirc. Most electronics dont react well to voltage fluctuations. Adding the sh775 reg gives more accurate and stable system voltage as compared to the oem shunt style reg. I'm going to say you don't need it, but i wanted that little bit of an insurance policy, electrically that is.

 

Plus, a modern reg is easier to source in the event of a break down compared to the oem SH545. Any of the modern MOSFET regs ( ie: fh0xx) will also plug in a pinch as they use the same connectors as the sh775. Even any of the fh0xx regs will still work better than the SH545...

 

 

Like most of my good buys, i grabbed the sh775 off eBay for 20 bucks from a bike wrecker in Quebec. Quebecers must wad a lot of bikes! Seems all my Canadian bought used bike parts come from wreckers in Quebec!. I was watchjng ebay for one to pop up cheap, (like i do with most thing I buy for the bike) and when on e did i pounced. Came in around 50 bucks with shipping. Unordered a triumph reg conversion harness (same connectors as sh775 reg) from a local triumph dealer form12 bucks. A little soldering and I'm good to go.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Great White

[camos]

I'm sort of off the beaten trail, so any extras on mine are mostly related to making the VMax stuff work.

 

Most posts I see on the ignitec are guys plugging them in and riding off.

I know you are doing some very interesting stuff to your bike but I was thinking more about extras relating to installing the COPs and the Ignitech.

 

Like most of my good buys, i grabbed the sh775 off eBay for 20 bucks from a bike wrecker in Quebec. Quebecers must wad a lot of bikes! Seems all my Canadian bought used bike parts come from wreckers in Quebec!. I was watchjng ebay for one to pop up cheap, (like i do with most thing I buy for the bike) and when on e did i pounced. Came in around 50 bucks with shipping. Unordered a triumph reg conversion harness (same connectors as sh775 reg) from a local triumph dealer form12 bucks. A little soldering and I'm good to go.

That's a good price. I bought two Shindengen MOSFET R/R's through a group buy on the forum and they cost me $80 delivered which was still pretty good compared with what they would have been otherwise. The Loonie was at par at the time which made a huge difference. Can't remember which model they were. Put one on the Virago and one on the 90 VR and both worked out really well.

[Great White]

Cop are easy.

 

Just solder the + and - from each cop to the + and - from the bike harness.

 

 

If running the oem tci, you get into needing cops with the right resistance values, but that is "selectable" in the ignitec programming so I didn't have to worry about it.

 

 

Ignitec is plug it in and ride off on an otherwise stock bike from what I understand....

[camos]

Cop are easy.

 

Just solder the + and - from each cop to the + and - from the bike harness.

 

 

If running the oem tci, you get into needing cops with the right resistance values, but that is "selectable" in the ignitec programming so I didn't have to worry about it.

 

 

Ignitec is plug it in and ride off on an otherwise stock bike from what I understand....

That seems like a simple solution, just throw money at it.

[camos]

Yesterday I got into things and cleaned the TCI plugs which did not look like they needed it. What I did find though was the vent from the twinkie to the air box was plugged with thick white foamy oil. A bit weird as there was no indication of white oil in either the air box or the sight glass. Anyway, took it for a 40 km spin and the engine seems to be running as it should. Will be riding to work until my next days off when I'll pull the plugs to to see if they look better. I'm somewhat surprised.