TOPIC:

so, new guy here. i just picked up an '81 kz1000 ltd i need some help finding a good ignitor for cheap or free. I found the write-up of the GM HEI Ignitor Substitute, but according to the writeup, it is not the same as the p/n 21119-1030 that came from my bike. does anyone know how to make the GM HEI Ignitor Substitute for the bike I have?

please help i'd like to get the bike on the rode asap. thanks.

does anyone know if the 21119-1030 ignitor supercedes to a 21119-1041?

skifast1080 wrote:

does anyone know if the 21119-1030 ignitor supercedes to a 21119-1041?

YES, kawasaki.com shows '81 KZ1000 LTD igniter part# 21119-1041 (superseding 21119-1030), as inactive, and this igniter being used on the following models:

KZ1000-J1 (1981)
KZ1000-J2 (1982)
KZ1000-J3 (1983)
KZ1000-K1 (LTD) (1981)
KZ1000-K2 (LTD) (1982)
KZ1000-M1 (CSR) (1981)
KZ1000-M2 (CSR) (1982)
KZ1000-P1 (Police 1000) (1982)
KZ1000-P2 (Police 1000) (1983)
KZ1000-P3 (Police 1000) (1984)
KZ1000-P4 (Police 1000) (1985)
KZ1000-P5 (Police 1000) (1986)
KZ1000-R1 (Eddie Lawson Replica) (1982)
KZ1000-R2 (Eddie Lawson Replica) (1983)
KZ1100-A1 (Shaft) (1981)
KZ1100-A2 (Shaft) (1982)
KZ1100-A3 (Shaft) (1983)
KZ1100-B1 (GPz) (1981)
KZ1100-B2 (GPz) (1982)
KZ1100-D1 (Spectre) (1982)
KZ1100-D2 (Spectre) (1983)
KZ1100-L1 (LTD Shaft) (1983)

Good Luck!

thanks for the reply. do you know if the gm hei mod will work on this bike? i really want to get it running, but i don't want to spend $100 on a used ignitor off ebay.

Please forgive the question, but is it an absolute certainty that the existing igniter is dead?

Oem KZ electronic ignition with igniter is an excellent system.

Sorry, I don't know about the GM HEI Ignitor Substitute for your bike or any headaches about the conversion.

My preference would be to apply replacement part money toward a new Dyna-S ignition, which as known is a self-contained unit under the points cover, eliminates needing the igniter, and is quick and easy to install, relatively long-lasting, and offers excellent performance enjoyed by many riders.

Oem coils (used with the igniter) are probably less than 3 ohms, so would need to add a suitable resistor for continued use of oem coils with Dyna-S ignition.

While at it, would spring for the green Dyna coils and solid core spark plug wires (delivered with pre-fitted caps).

Z1E also lists an alternate very inexpensive coil pair suitable for Dyna-S ignition.

Good Luck!

i've checked and double-checked the igniter per my clymer manual and it is definitally bad acourding to the manual. the dyna ignition sounds great but is way out of my budget at the time.

If the part you have is suoperseded by the above listing, then the HEI mod will work. The HEI mod allows you to retain the variable dwell characteristics of the stock unit, and actually improves on it. This makes the bike more efficient on electrical power.

The Dyna S uses way more power throgh a fixed, and over-extended dwell. You would have to get new coils with the Dyna S, since it is not rated to handle the stock Kawasaki electronic ignition.

It is important to know for sure that the pickups are good. Have you ohmed them out?

HEI mod works! my bike is now a runner and it runs pretty dang good for sitting for 5 years in some guys shed. still needs some fine tuning like valve adjustment and carbs synched, but i'm prety happy to hear it run. thanks to all that helped!

Glad to hear it's running!

Is this the system you ere referring to?

What is important to know about this mod, is to stay with the OEM stile module. Do not start using the High performance modules. The Hi-Po modules suck up quite a bit more Amperage. I also like to use a single 1N5408 Diode and not the two in series. By putting two diodes in series you handle double the voltage. The 1N5408 handles 3 Amps @ 1.0KV The DR100 module is about the best one you can use. Also make sure that you mount the units onto a good heatsink.

otakar wrote:

What is important to know about this mod, is to stay with the OEM stile module. Do not start using the High performance modules. The Hi-Po modules suck up quite a bit more Amperage. I also like to use a single 1N5408 Diode and not the two in series. By putting two diodes in series you handle double the voltage. The 1N5408 handles 3 Amps @ 1.0KV The DR100 module is about the best one you can use. Also make sure that you mount the units onto a good heatsink.

I'm not sure why you would want to use the 1n5408. It won't provide as high of a bias voltage. According to the data sheet it's about .6v at .01amp. That may make starting more difficult if the engine doesn't crank quickly.

The R1 resistor limits the current to less than .02 amp, so voltage limits and current handling in the diode are not really important. The point of the two diodes in series are just to create a 1.2 to 1.4v drop as a reference voltage for the pickups to control the HEI properly. It doesn't handle any high power or voltage.

The write up is here with notes on how the systems (KZ and HEI) function. The HEI notes explain why the need for the 1.4v reference.

www.geocities.com/loudgpz/GPZgmHEImod.html


(BTW, I chose those diodes, not for their power, or current, I chose them because they are cheap and available and fairly standard across many manufacturers.)

And you are correct, it would be best to stick with the cheap OEM replacement HEI modules. I don't know what will happen with high-performance versions of the modules. Any performance enhancement shouldn't be necessary for firing two cylinders of a motorcycle. For an 8-cyl car, maybe...