Ignition Coils

Scroll down below to see our extensive range of ignition coils.

But first you might like to read this...

FastBikeGear likes to ensure that you make the most informed decisions to maximise the performance of your motorcycle. If you bike is missing (failing to set fire to the compressed mixture in the cylinder) just one time out of every ten at high revs then you probably are missing 1/10th of the available performance. It's amazing how often we see this on our workshop scope and yet the rider is totally oblivious to the otherwise almost undetectable performance loss. A good reliable spark can net surprising performance gains. 

Magic high performance coils, leads and plugs (Yeah right!)

 

Beware of marketing nonsense. On the Internet you will find much hype on godzilla gizillion voltage high performance coils. Here is what you should know.

 

An ignition coil is an energy concentration device. Your ignition system inputs energy into the coil over a limited period of time and then releases this energy abruptly across the spark plug gap to (hopefully) ignite the compressed fuel and oxygen in the cylinder.

 

A coil that has enough surplus output voltage to jump across a 5 mm spark plug gap will develop no more voltage across a 1mm spark plug gap than a coil with half the output voltage.,...but should you have a plug failure it is more likely to destroy your other ignition components.

 

The coil output voltage can only ever rise to a point where there is enough voltage to jump the spark plug gap. As soon as the spark begins to jump the spark plug  it ionizes the molecules in the gap which greatly reduces the resistance of the gap. Once the molecules are ionized the voltage immediately plummets to just the level required to allow electrons to continue traverse the now lower resistance gap.

 

This can clearly be seen on the ignition scope that FastBikeGear uses in the workshop to test this stuff

 

While a little bit of surplus voltage can be a handy thing to help fire a fouled plug...every MODERN ignition coil on market has more than enough output voltage to do the job.

 

Sorry to say, despite enthusiastic marketing hype, there is no performance gain to be got from magic super high voltage ignition coils.

 

Longer Duration Spark?

 

While as stated above, the voltage across the spark plug gap is limited/set by the size of the spark plug gap, the spark duration is determined by:

 

    * the amount of energy (not voltage) that the ignition system is able to store in the ignition coil between discharges,

   *  the rate that the coil releases this energy,

   *  and sometimes your ignitions systems dwell control mechanisms,

 

In some circumstances there is a performance advantage in a longer spark discharge duration. But as my scout master said, once you have got the fire going, there is no value in continuing to hold the match.

 

Fast Energy Rise Times?

 

OK this is where the hype stops. There is a very little time at high revs to build up the energy in the coil in the short intervals between required spark discharges.

 

Nology ProFire ignition coils aren't magic but they are optimised to have very fast energy rise time with substantial energy reserves. The very fast rise times enable the maximum amount of energy to build up in the coils in the VERY short time available between discharges. This is especially desirable in high revving motorcycle engines or engines which have a wasted spark discharge. Fast rise times ensure that you can have the maximum available energy to discharge over the entire rpm range.

 

 

Mixing and matching?

 

A key to getting a good spark is having a matched system of components. Adhoc mixing and matching of ignition systems, coils, magic spark plug leads and magic high performance plugs is not likely to give you added performance. (Although some modern high components will last longer than the original items). Careful selection and matching of components is critical. Often people will replace an old coil with the latest magic high performance coil and get an immediate performance gain. This gain is often just due to the fact that they have replaced an old walking wounded coil with a brand new perfectly functioning one.

 

Matching coils to the performance characteristics of the rest of your ignition system is crucial to optimising performance, Nology offers a wide range of coils with different primary coil resistance/impedance characteristics. This extensive range means we are not limited in the options to select from.

 

FastBikeGear's expertise on ignition systems allows us to match the best coil for your performance requirements. If you are not sure what coil will be best suited to your vehicle please feel free to call or email us.

 

Spark plug lead advice.

 

Solid copper cored spark plug leads with a good silicon outer insulation are usually going to be the most reliable and best performing leads you can fit. On some vehicles the manufacturer will have deemed that RFI suppression leads are required to prevent interference with the electronic systems on your bike. Unless your bike was originally fitted with RFI suppression leads do not retrofit them.

 

RFI suppression leads are typically short lived compared to copper cored leads and should be changed periodically. On many occasions we have found that retrofitted RFI suppression leads are the cause of poor running and replacing them quickly revitalises the bikes performance.