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- Jan 27, 2008
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I'm having this issue with my Ranger, but am posting on the the Commando forum because its the same ignition system.
I restored the Ranger in 2010-2011, using the original wiring harness. I replaced the blue can and rectifier, used the 6V coils that came with the bike, and put a used Boyer MkIV on it. I put a kill switch on it from a later Triumph that broke the continuity of the ignition (white) wire rather than ground it, and everything worked well until a few months ago. Bike has traveled a little over 4000 miles since its rebirth.
Mid-summer, I was out riding, and had gone about 50 miles when the bike suddenly died. I had no tools with me, as the bike had had no issues. I managed to unscrew the side cover with a coin, and found one of the leads going to the kill switch had come apart - its one of those Lucas things where you have to connect a pair of female spade connectors with a double-male insert. I re-connected the leads, bike started right up, and I thought nothing of it. It happened again a month later, and I removed the kill switch from the circuit.
Fast-forward a few months to Barber. I took the Ranger there, and planned to use it as my ride-around bike. I put about 100 miles on it Thursday with no issues. On Friday, the bike died just as I was going through the gate near the swap meet area. I pushed and coasted into the AJS/Matchless Club in the swap area, opened the cover, checked connections, found nothing wrong, but the bike started right up. Figured a connection must have vibrated loose, and my checking things made good contact again. The next morning, about 30 miles later, the bike died again, and that was the end of my riding it at Barber. I checked all connections, and everything worked except spark. Assuming the Boyer box was bad, I picked one up at the swap meet.
With the bike back home, I replaced the Boyer box, pick up plate, and wires from the distributor to the Boyer. Bike started right up and seemed cured. Out on its first extended ride since this happened, the bike died again - no spark, but lights and horn. I found the white harness connector to the Boyer seemed to have an intermittent short, and decided it was time to replace the harness.
Got a new harness from British Wiring, and replaced the old one, checking all the connections before buttoning things up. I did find a break in the white wire in the harness, and felt justified in my decision to replace it.With the plugs out and grounding on the head bolts, I kicked the bike several times without the battery, and got a nice, strong spark. Connected everything, and bike started right up. Rode the bike around the neighborhood 3 or 4 times, and about a half mile from home after 15 minutes of riding, it died again. No spark, but lights, brake light and horn. Walked the bike home, parked it in the garage, and had a beer.
Went back in the garage this evening, checking connections with a volt-ohm meter. No breaks in any wires, all connections are solid. Ignition switch is the Lucas 2-position switch, and seems to work fine - lighting wire (brown/white) shares the same terminal on the switch as the ignition wire (white), so if the switch was bad, I wouldn't have lights either. Checked resistance on coils - left one reads 1.8 ohms, right reads 2.0.
Kicked the bike again with plugs out and grounded, and battery out of circuit - spark.
Is it possible one or both of the coils is bad, and shorts out when hot or exposed to more than 13 volts? If one coil shorts out, could it cause total loss of spark since they're connected in series?
My brain is fried.
I think I'm replacing these coils anyway, but would like to know it there's a definitive test for my own peace of mind.
I restored the Ranger in 2010-2011, using the original wiring harness. I replaced the blue can and rectifier, used the 6V coils that came with the bike, and put a used Boyer MkIV on it. I put a kill switch on it from a later Triumph that broke the continuity of the ignition (white) wire rather than ground it, and everything worked well until a few months ago. Bike has traveled a little over 4000 miles since its rebirth.
Mid-summer, I was out riding, and had gone about 50 miles when the bike suddenly died. I had no tools with me, as the bike had had no issues. I managed to unscrew the side cover with a coin, and found one of the leads going to the kill switch had come apart - its one of those Lucas things where you have to connect a pair of female spade connectors with a double-male insert. I re-connected the leads, bike started right up, and I thought nothing of it. It happened again a month later, and I removed the kill switch from the circuit.
Fast-forward a few months to Barber. I took the Ranger there, and planned to use it as my ride-around bike. I put about 100 miles on it Thursday with no issues. On Friday, the bike died just as I was going through the gate near the swap meet area. I pushed and coasted into the AJS/Matchless Club in the swap area, opened the cover, checked connections, found nothing wrong, but the bike started right up. Figured a connection must have vibrated loose, and my checking things made good contact again. The next morning, about 30 miles later, the bike died again, and that was the end of my riding it at Barber. I checked all connections, and everything worked except spark. Assuming the Boyer box was bad, I picked one up at the swap meet.
With the bike back home, I replaced the Boyer box, pick up plate, and wires from the distributor to the Boyer. Bike started right up and seemed cured. Out on its first extended ride since this happened, the bike died again - no spark, but lights and horn. I found the white harness connector to the Boyer seemed to have an intermittent short, and decided it was time to replace the harness.
Got a new harness from British Wiring, and replaced the old one, checking all the connections before buttoning things up. I did find a break in the white wire in the harness, and felt justified in my decision to replace it.With the plugs out and grounding on the head bolts, I kicked the bike several times without the battery, and got a nice, strong spark. Connected everything, and bike started right up. Rode the bike around the neighborhood 3 or 4 times, and about a half mile from home after 15 minutes of riding, it died again. No spark, but lights, brake light and horn. Walked the bike home, parked it in the garage, and had a beer.
Went back in the garage this evening, checking connections with a volt-ohm meter. No breaks in any wires, all connections are solid. Ignition switch is the Lucas 2-position switch, and seems to work fine - lighting wire (brown/white) shares the same terminal on the switch as the ignition wire (white), so if the switch was bad, I wouldn't have lights either. Checked resistance on coils - left one reads 1.8 ohms, right reads 2.0.
Kicked the bike again with plugs out and grounded, and battery out of circuit - spark.
Is it possible one or both of the coils is bad, and shorts out when hot or exposed to more than 13 volts? If one coil shorts out, could it cause total loss of spark since they're connected in series?
My brain is fried.
I think I'm replacing these coils anyway, but would like to know it there's a definitive test for my own peace of mind.