convert D7 from wipac to standard coil ignition

[cdsdorset]

I am working on a D7 with a wipac generator , 3 coils plus ignition coil. It has one light switch in the headlamp. It is very unpredictable to start. It has had a new internal igniton coil and i am struggling to get the timimg anywhere near so would like to convert to normal coil ignition.
Can someone tell me if i can convert it to run a normal coil under the seat etc.
Thanks

[idie]

I did this to a friends Bantam about 40 years ago. Take the wire that goes from the points to the internal coil and bring this out of flywheel and attach to the neg terminal of your external coil. Attach the plus terminal of coil to a switched live.

[cdsdorset]

Wire the coil this way if the bike is +ive earth? Can the charging coil provide enough charge to the battery ?

[idie]

It doesn't matter to the coil. A coil will work either way but it work at it's best if wired with live to the +. - goes to earth which it will when the points close.

[cdsdorset]

Thanks
Do you know if the charging coil will have enough charge available to run a coil and battery?

[idie]

I am not sure of  the output of the generator on a Bantam. I think it is 30 watt. A coil usually takes about 3 amps which is about 18 watts a lot of power not leaving much for charging and lights. You could use LEDs which would help. You would be ok during the day. The best I can do as have never owned one. I'm sure someone will come along with more info.

[Y13 Alan G]

A word of caution. Technically speaking it is illegal to fit LED's in any vehicle's external lights that do not have type approval for LED's. This means that unless your vehicle was or is fitted with LED housings & reflectors, which older vehicles are certainly not, you should not fit LED's in them as technically if you do your vehicle is "unroadwothy". This advice was given sometime last year by the FHBVC. Although you may regard it as a technicality if you were to have an accident & your insurance company were picky they could say that your vehicle was unroadworthy and not pay out. It is best to check with your insurance company before fitting LED's into non type approved external lights. I am the DVLA Liaison Officer for a large historic & classic car club so keep up with all the latest FHBVC news.

[JulianS]

The original setup for the coil ignition D7 was the battery powered the coil, horn, stoplight and parking lights and was trickle charged from a single charging coil on the generator.

The headlamp was powered directly by alternaing current from the lighting coils of the generator and was not connected to the battery.

Would it be worth investigating furtherthe problem with the original ignition system?

[Stubaker58]

Hi,

Just come across this thread. I run a D7 with external coil under the seat. On the generator I took off the ignition coil and replaced it with another charging coil, I also took off the lighting coil.  I believe this is the generator set up on the later D7s which had moved away from the magneto arrangement.

On my bike I needed a complete rewrite so I combined the output wires from the generator for max output and fitted a reg/rec from Rex Caunt to keep things in order. I could (should?) have gone 12V but stayed with 6 and positive earth and contact breaker points.

It all seems to work!