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Post by Jess on Aug 6, 2011 17:24:44 GMT -5
They are finally done. It has been a long and arduous process, but we have completed several thousands of miles of testing and are satisfied with the system under all conditions. I ordered my initial shipment from the manufacturer and it has arrived. I have spent the last few weekends assembling the kits. We believe it is without question that these units far outperform the stock system, but we have noticed significant improvement in starting, and ignition stability. We also have yet to foul any plugs, even when attempting to do so. The largest bonus is that they delete parts that are fast becoming that ever increasing element in the antique motorcycle department... "unobtainium". With this unit in place, no more points (unobtainium) and no more CDI boxes (again unobtainium), that are effectively impossible to repair. I have built and have ready to ship today 10 (ten) units. I am waiting on parts for a second 10. Depending upon how rapidly they sell will determine if I decide to order more. They will be sold on a first come first served basis. Send an email to Barbara at RotaryRecycle@gmail with ALL of your contact information and she will send an invoice. When the invoice is paid, we usually ship within 24 hours of payment. They are boxed and ready to go. Cost is $395.00 plus shipping. If you are willing to send me your CDI I will credit your account $50.00 as I will continue to stock the CDI for the "purists". Please include in your email request if you intend to send a CDI and take advantage of the credit. This unit is a "plug and play" system. No cutting, drilling, splicing wires or damaging the bike in any way is required. With hand tools and common sense, anyone should be able to install this system in a few hours. We appreciate your support. Best Regards, The Rotary Recycle Team Attachments:
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Post by Jess on Aug 24, 2011 18:07:36 GMT -5
bump... ;D
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Post by pmcburney on Aug 25, 2011 3:45:32 GMT -5
I have received the notification email from Barbara.
I'm awaiting funds from a couple of places (the tax-man being one of them) and as soon as I'm financial, I'll be submitting my order.
Cheers
Paul McB
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Post by koolstrike on Aug 25, 2011 21:36:00 GMT -5
I received mine last week. I continue on with the restoration and it will be a while until the engine gets restarted.
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Post by plipton on Oct 22, 2011 15:51:48 GMT -5
Email sent to Barbara.
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Post by pmcburney on Nov 3, 2011 17:06:38 GMT -5
It's like RE5 Xmas here!
I received mine in the mail yesterday.
I'll be fitting this fantastic piece of work up to my bike on the weekend and expect to have many, many reliable km into the future - bravo Jess and RR!
I'll let y'all know how it works out.
BTW, there were a series of pics that Jess posted of an ignition system installed on his test bike - are they still up on the forum somewhere?
Cheers
PMcB
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Post by plipton on Nov 5, 2011 15:45:48 GMT -5
Got mine this week too, along with spark plug adapter (beautifully machined and almost too good to hide in the motor), check valve and air filter. I too would like to see some pix as I'm not 100% sure about a couple of things. Thanks RR team  |
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Post by pmcburney on Nov 6, 2011 2:16:52 GMT -5
Ok...
It's fitted and works fantastically!
Very much a simpler arrangement than the original over-blown affair.
A couple of points (no pun intended) to mention, if I can - I could be a bit blunt here Jess, but I feel these things need addressing, quick smart:
1. The crimps to the spade connectors in the four-way plug that connects the new harness to the original socket where the CDI box was connected were, well, pretty woeful.
Both of them, in the harness I received, pulled out rather easily just by maneuvering the harness around to thread it into place.
Whoever is doing the assembly needs to crimp the spade connectors properly with the correct crimper for the job - they appeared to have been crimped with a pair of pliers and were stripped way too short to make decent contact.
They would have failed even if I hadn't discovered them pulling out.
A short trip with a bit of vibration and they would have fallen apart.
I have the right crimper and terminals and I repaired mine quickly and properly, but for a plug-and-play kit, this will need to be rectified for those who don't!
2. The rubber gromit fitted into the wiring leading from the pickup plate (to fit into the distributor housing) is fairly inadequate as well.
It's too short - a gap of approximately 5mm remains when the distributor cover is replaced.
The original one can't be reused as it's moulded onto the original wiring.
The new one needs to be at least as long as the original to cover the slot in the housing - it faces forwards into the oncoming air, water and dust will be forced straight in the gap and into the distributor.
Yes, I can fill the gap with silicon, but again this really should be a simple slip-in arrangement and it should seal completely without the need for anything else from the installer...
Otherwise, the installation procedure was straightforward and the kit works as intended.
The new coil will sit pretty-much in the same place as the original - just ensure there's no wiring too near or underneath the worm-clamp when tightened.
I'd very much like to say this kit is a credit to you Jess and RR and my small criticisms in no way denigrate the hard, tireless work you've put into creating this.
This, along with the plug adapter, will keep RE's on the road essentially forever, having to never worry about obsolete ignition componentry ever again.
I mean, without RR, we'd all be buggered!
Happy to field install questions from any on the forum, and I'll post up some pics of my install and what I've described, shortly.
Cheers
Paul McB
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Post by Jess on Nov 6, 2011 13:20:49 GMT -5
Paul,
First let me begine by saying that vocal tone and influction, are important parts of communication. It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine in writing. It is all open to interpretation.
That said, I genuinely appreciate your feedback. It is always helpful to get constructive responses.
#1. As I hand make the harness, I thought I was doing a better job of crimping the connectors. I will check the stock that I have remaining, so thank you.
#2. Having the rubber piece made, was a cost that I could not justify. I could not find an exact duplicate, and having small rubber parts made entails making a mold and ordering thousands. The manufacturer that made the units, gave me the best/closest thing they had.
If someone wishes to use the original one, which is what I do, remove the connectors on the original points wiring and put it on the new unit.
I appreciate your comments and recognition of our effort at RR. Again, the SOLE purpose of this unit was to replace two things that are fast becoming unobtaniaum at any cost (points and CDI), and do so in a cost effective way.
There have been some comments/ disappointment relayed to me third and fourth hand about things such as programability/ fuel curve setting/ coil choice/ removing the flyweight assembly/ B side points/ silicone on the slip ring trigger...etc
I will happily address any of these questions/issues publicly on the forum if someone asks...
However, I have yet to see anyone else spend the time, effort and money to design and produce a competing unit. There are some very smart folks out there and if they can produce a superior unit/solution at lower cost, I will happily buy a bunch or distribute for them, whatever their pleasure.
My position is that I solved a problem that is facing every person that intends on actually using their bike, with this system and from your comments you seem to agree.
Every decision I make has to be a cost/benefit assessment. Before I committed to this project, I asked for folks to make a commitment to purchase with the understanding if they got one and were displeased, they could return it for a full refund. I still have not sold the initial order of twenty units. I have had none returned. At this point in time, I am not sure that it is a sound business decision to make any more as I am still upside down in the project.
We are proud of the ignition. We believe it is a significant upgrade from the factory system, as well as a life saver in the face of dwindling parts supply for these bikes.
Thanks for your kind words. They mean a great deal to us. We work very hard to keep everyone's bikes on the road.
Best Regards,
Jess
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Post by pmcburney on Nov 6, 2011 18:17:54 GMT -5
Paul, First let me begine by saying that vocal tone and influction, are important parts of communication. It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine in writing. It is all open to interpretation. That said, I genuinely appreciate your feedback. It is always helpful to get constructive responses. #1. As I hand make the harness, I thought I was doing a better job of crimping the connectors. I will check the stock that I have remaining, so thank you. #2. Having the rubber piece made, was a cost that I could not justify. I could not find an exact duplicate, and having small rubber parts made entails making a mold and ordering thousands. The manufacturer that made the units, gave me the best/closest thing they had. If someone wishes to use the original one, which is what I do, remove the connectors on the original points wiring and put it on the new unit. I appreciate your comments and recognition of our effort at RR. Again, the SOLE purpose of this unit was to replace two things that are fast becoming unobtaniaum at any cost (points and CDI), and do so in a cost effective way. There have been some comments/ disappointment relayed to me third and fourth hand about things such as programability/ fuel curve setting/ coil choice/ removing the flyweight assembly/ B side points/ silicone on the slip ring trigger...etc I will happily address any of these questions/issues publicly on the forum if someone asks... However, I have yet to see anyone else spend the time, effort and money to design and produce a competing unit. There are some very smart folks out there and if they can produce a superior unit/solution at lower cost, I will happily buy a bunch or distribute for them, whatever their pleasure. My position is that I solved a problem that is facing every person that intends on actually using their bike, with this system and from your comments you seem to agree. Every decision I make has to be a cost/benefit assessment. Before I committed to this project, I asked for folks to make a commitment to purchase with the understanding if they got one and were displeased, they could return it for a full refund. I still have not sold the initial order of twenty units. I have had none returned. At this point in time, I am not sure that it is a sound business decision to make any more as I am still upside down in the project. We are proud of the ignition. We believe it is a significant upgrade from the factory system, as well as a life saver in the face of dwindling parts supply for these bikes. Thanks for your kind words. They mean a great deal to us. We work very hard to keep everyone's bikes on the road. Best Regards, Jess Hey Jess, You're right, the written word can never impart the necessary inflection that an actual conversation does. It was not my intention to come across as being overly critical - I reckon what you and RR have achieved and continue to achieve is nothing short of amazing! And I appreciate that the vast majority of the work you do is on a part-time, in-your-own-time basis. Kudos to you, I don't reckon I could ever do what you do with the time and resources you have. The ignition kit is a bloody good piece of work, and I'm not dissatisfied with it in any major way, but I thought you'd appreciate a bit of feedback - please forgive my forthright writing, I never intended to offend or denigrate your efforts. The crimp issue can be easily rectified for any future harnesses - if you like I can send a pic of the one I use, it makes beautiful, secure, 'factory' crimps and will sort the situation once and for all. EDIT: Take a look at the stuff these guys sell - I have bought a lot of stuff from them to repair my bike's harnesses in the past. The gromit, again, is easy to fix, a bit of silicon will sort that as well. Perhaps a small note in the instructions will better alert folk to that situation. Please, please keep up the great work! I very much look forward to the next installment (get it?) of great RR gear. Cheers Paul |
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Post by Jess on Nov 6, 2011 19:56:49 GMT -5
Paul,
I absolutely appreciate the input. I did not take your comments as critical, but helpful.
I also attempted to open the door for other conversation about the kit as I have had very little feedback.
We appreciate your comments and suggestions...
Best,
Jess
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Post by maleric on Nov 6, 2011 21:56:52 GMT -5
I received my ignition kit. Everything looks to be in order and all the components look like they are ready for installation. I have not had time to install the kit. I will update the forum after I get the time to install the kit. Thanks Jess for developing a replacement for the CDI box, which I have never been able to repair.
Eric
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Post by kiwigtgsre on Nov 14, 2011 20:50:29 GMT -5
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Post by plipton on Nov 19, 2011 17:52:17 GMT -5
Some of the comments on this thread got me thinking... Q. Why are we replacing the points on our bikes? A. Because (a) the points/CDI/coil are shot/unavailable, (b) we can't be doing with adjusting the ignition (c) general peace of mind. The RR system is fantastic, but as Jess says, he was unable to get the right rubber seal for the distributor. He mentioned cutting and using the original wires but my bike only has one set of points and one wire so that was not an option for me. I wanted to keep the distributor looking as it did when it left the factory so I took a look at what I had to see if I could make a great solution even better for my bike. What I found was...... ...... A shiny new RR ignition system and an old set of points complete with afore-mentioned rubber seal. With very few exceptions we will all have a reusable seal so why not recycle it!!  So here's my simple(ish) solution: - Cut or unsolder the wire from the old points. If your points are still serviceable unsolder the wire and store your points away safely, along with the CDI unit and stock coil
- Strip back about 1" of insulation
- Take RR's pick-up cable and strip back 1" of insulation from both wires (the ends that will eventually be attached to the coil via the crimp-on ring terminals)
- Twist the 3 wires together and solder them so that they can be pulled through the rubber seal
- Tape up the solder joint to avoid damaging the rubber seal with sharp bits of solder/wire
- Important liberally spray silicon lubricant on the wires, tape and cable
- Gently, and I mean GENTLY, pull the whole cable through the rubber seal but stop before the heatshrink pulls inside. I left about 1/4" showing inside the distributor
- Follow the rest of the RR installation instructions
- Job's a good 'un!!
Note, the new wires are thicker than the ones that were in there before so you may need to open out the hole in the seal a little - I used a Philips screwdriver size 2 (about 1/4" thick) to do this while warming the rubber with the Mrs' hairdryer. If you do this you have to first remove your old wire and rethread it - a pig of a job! The seal will grow slightly due to the new, bigger wires so will be harder to get back into the distributor (more silicon lube and a few taps with the back of a screwdriver!), and you may want to trim the round part of the seal off so that only the angled bit is left - makes feeding the wires through a lot easier and the tightness will seal the whole thing up to minimise the risk of potential leaks. Result.....   |
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Post by Jess on Nov 20, 2011 12:13:03 GMT -5
Plip...
If you look at the reply I posted on November 6, 2011 in this thread, I stated...
"If someone wishes to use the original one, which is what I do, remove the connectors on the original points wiring and put it on the new unit."
I guess I was not clear enough, but what you did is what I do here in the shop.
I thought that was a fairly simple solution.
Thanks for showing some photographs... It makes it clearer.
Best Regards,
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