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[Beezabryan]

Boyer fires twice per crank revolution = a wasted spark

[Rasp]

I have an Armstrong with wasted spark triggered from the crankshaft, but the bike with the problem is a 1995 Bullit originally with points presumably run off the camshaft driven distributor.

[vince]

Hi, did you align the timing gears with the crankshaft? Its not just the three dots that have to be aligned as you stated but also the marks on the crankshaft gear which can be obscured by the wormdrive nut.Vince

[Exile]

You might also try a BR6ES plug... Runs fine on mine.

[kurt]

I took off the carb, checked all the jets for blockage, set the float at 28.5mm (don't know what made me pick that), reinstalled.



I took the elec. ign. components off the distributor, and re-installed them according to the manufacturer's instructions, paying special attention to arranging the magnets on the rotor with the pegs on the stator plate. I used a sharpie marker to mark the center points of the magnets so I could see them with the stator plate on. It took several minutes to make sure they were lined up correctly (I discovered I was looking at an angle, so they looked lined up but were not really).



To make a long story short, after a couple of kickbacks, it started - blowing billows of smelly white smoke through the muffler into the air and lots of oil out through the duck bill onto my garage floor.



I am happy it started but also frustrated that it wouldn't earlier.
It must have been something I did incorrectly, either with the carb or the ignition.



After some quick adjustments with the throttle screw, it is running pretty smoothly. I need to adjust the carb and timing better. It does seem to have a fairly loud ‘tick’. I’ll have to run that down as well.




Thanks all of you for your suggestions and encouragement. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to try to help me

[Rasp]

I'm pleased the bike has now started. And I have learned something about Boyer ignition systems. I haven't fitted electronic ignition to a single, but I can't see why Boyer fit two trigger coils to systems built for single cylinder engines.

[Beezabryan]

Hey Rasp why not give Boyer a call and ask why they fit two trigger coils

[Wheaters]

I think the Boyer system and similar ones (the types running off the crank) are universal, so can fit many bikes including two strokes and they fire once every crank revolution. There is no need for a "distributor", which was, in retrospect an over complication on a single cylinder four stroke engine. A four stroke obviously only actually needs one spark every second crank revolution. The "other" spark is redundant and fires on the exhaust stroke, hence the term "wasted" spark.

A two stroke engine obviously needs to fire every revolution of the crank so the same universal ignition system will work on those, too.

My Indian home market, 350cc iron barreled Bullet Electra (kickstart only) has a crank driven ignition system, there are no gears inside the timing cover except for the two cam gears. The top part of the casing, where the distributor would normally go, is bare and un-machined (no aperture in it). I'm thinking I might fit an oil system breather in there one day because it's effectively the highest point of the crankcase.

[Wheaters]

I think the Boyer system and similar ones (the types running off the crank) are universal, so can fit many bikes including two strokes and they fire once every crank revolution. There is no need for a "distributor", which was, in retrospect an over complication on a single cylinder four stroke engine. A four stroke obviously only actually needs one spark every second crank revolution. The "other" spark is redundant and fires on the exhaust stroke, hence the term "wasted" spark.

A two stroke engine obviously needs to fire every revolution of the crank so the same universal ignition system will work on those, too.

My Indian home market, 350cc iron barreled Bullet Electra (kickstart only) has a crank driven ignition system, there are no gears inside the timing cover except for the two cam gears. The top part of the casing, where the distributor would normally go, is bare and un-machined (no aperture in it). I'm thinking I might fit an oil system breather in there one day because it's effectively the highest point of the crankcase.

[Jamesy]

Tell you what mate I bought my first Enfield 350 a year ago and I am 67 years young.The help and advice I have received on this forum has been second to none.My bike is now running as sweet as a pea.