Kick start works better than electric start on my '76 KZ750

Does anyone have info on wiredgeorge’s coil mod? The site link is dead and there’s not much details here in the following comments. Thanks in advance 

Hi, here is his website and info on the conversion 
Rich.
wgcarbs.com/index.php/14-sample-data-articles/89-coils
 

The "mod" is to fit a relay into the ignition circuit so that the coils get 12v direct from the battery .
It is not needed if all your harnesses wiring connections and switch contacts etc are maintained and contacting as they should.
I've built hundreds of Zeds and never needed it..
It's just introducing an additional possible cause of failure into the system.

zed1015 wrote:

The "mod" is to fit a relay into the ignition circuit so that the coils get 12v direct from the battery .
It is not needed if all your harnesses wiring connections and switch contacts etc are maintained and contacting as they should.
I've built hundreds of Zeds and never needed it..
It's just introducing an additional possible cause of failure into the system.

Agree.

I added it to one of my bikes some years ago, but hated all the clutter.  Removed it and cleaned the harness connectors instead.

And speaking of cleaning connectors, it's not always easy, particularly with female spade connectors and the like.  I wonder if media blasting with soda would be reasonable?  Easy to clean out when done, anyway.  Just thinking out loud...
 

kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/617512-ig...-pass-relay-w#893561

just in case. make sure the battery is good. do a load test. 

I'm with Ness and Zed on this often discussed topic. This "mod" generally is to mask dirty/corroded connections/broken wire splicing within the harness or switch contacts. If this is required for it to run then it would be safe to say all the all the other connections share the same issues, voltage drops wherever terminals are plugged into each other. Check the fuse holder blades, Right Hand ON/OFF/ON switch and Ignition switch first. Other internal wiring is a bit harder. Those RH "kill" switches come apart, photo of what they look like. 

asphalt900 wrote:

I'm with Ness and Zed on this often discussed topic. This "mod" generally is to mask dirty/corroded connections/broken wire splicing within the harness or switch contacts. If this is required for it to run then it would be safe to say all the all the other connections share the same issues, voltage drops wherever terminals are plugged into each other. Check the fuse holder blades, Right Hand ON/OFF/ON switch and Ignition switch first. Other internal wiring is a bit harder. Those RH "kill" switches come apart, photo of what they look like. 

Clay I'm not sure if you have read the "rational" in my old post I posted the link to ? I don't disagree that the "by-pass" is "masking other issues" however the main difference with the coils is that they need the maximum available voltage when the system voltage is at it's lowest (9.5 - 10v during cranking). You can't beat the "aging process" and as not just the contact surfaces but also the contact between the actual cable and connector are effected it all adds up. 0.2v here and 0.3v there will not impact on systems designed to operate at 12v when system voltage is around 13.5v when running. The difference with the coil circuit is that when you add up all those 0.2 and 0.3v drops cumulatively across all the connection points in the ignition circuit you could be as much as 1.5v or more down at the coils (now you are down to 8v when cranking) In a perfect world you could trim back all the wires to clean copper and replace crimp connectors which would get you back to "as new" however that is a significant task (especially for non electricians) therefore the "by-pass" is a pragmatic 30 minute solution to a weak spark and hard starting if everything else is working as it should
Back in the day it was common for vehicles to run 6v coils with a ballast resistor - during cranking a "by-pass" wire from the starter solenoid went directly to the coil by-passing the ballast resistor to give the best possible spark during cranking

Nessism wrote:

zed1015 wrote:

The "mod" is to fit a relay into the ignition circuit so that the coils get 12v direct from the battery .
It is not needed if all your harnesses wiring connections and switch contacts etc are maintained and contacting as they should.
I've built hundreds of Zeds and never needed it..
It's just introducing an additional possible cause of failure into the system.

Agree.

I added it to one of my bikes some years ago, but hated all the clutter.  Removed it and cleaned the harness connectors instead.

And speaking of cleaning connectors, it's not always easy, particularly with female spade connectors and the like.  I wonder if media blasting with soda would be reasonable?  Easy to clean out when done, anyway.  Just thinking out loud...


 

Only my opinion Ed but if you are going to that much trouble you would be better to replace the terminals. Blasting will remove the plating and won't resolve the lack of "spring tension" that occurs over time. If you want to go a step further you can do as I did on my build, all the cable ends are "sealed" with solder before fitting the crimp terminals (this stops moisture getting between the strands of copper and rotting the cables)

Nessism wrote:

zed1015 wrote:

The "mod" is to fit a relay into the ignition circuit so that the coils get 12v direct from the battery .
It is not needed if all your harnesses wiring connections and switch contacts etc are maintained and contacting as they should.
I've built hundreds of Zeds and never needed it..
It's just introducing an additional possible cause of failure into the system.

Agree.

I added it to one of my bikes some years ago, but hated all the clutter.  Removed it and cleaned the harness connectors instead.

And speaking of cleaning connectors, it's not always easy, particularly with female spade connectors and the like.  I wonder if media blasting with soda would be reasonable?  Easy to clean out when done, anyway.  Just thinking out loud...


I hold a dirty connector in rag(wear gloves) and spray into it with foaming battery terminal cleaner. Let it soak a couple minutes and clean out with non-clorinated brake cleaner. Then blow it dry with the air nozzle. 
The metal bits come out shiny clean and so does the plastic connector body.

I added a relay to my KZ305 a few years ago. So far it has been working fine. It is the quick and easy fix. but I am concerned about adding another possible failure point to the bike. I wired it in a way the relay could be bypassed in the event of a road side repair.
I agree with Wookie, on old bikes, cleaning switch contacts and connectors is not enough. To reduce voltage drop, all connectors in that circuit should also be replaced with quality Japanese or mil-spec connectors, basically rebuilding that section of the wiring harness.

Kelly E wrote:

I hold a dirty connector in rag(wear gloves) and spray into it with foaming battery terminal cleaner. Let it soak a couple minutes and clean out with non-clorinated brake cleaner. Then blow it dry with the air nozzle. 
The metal bits come out shiny clean and so does the plastic connector body.

Thanks. I spray brake cleaner. then reconnect/disconnect the terminals several times. to clean up the surfaces. your way may be my new way. ha ha.
ps: never got around to getting de-oxit or whatever it's called. I've seen the crc stuff but never bothered to get it .