Made it Home Thanks to Tri-Spark!

Hi Steve

I Just Made It Home thanks to Tri-Spark!

The other Sunday on my T160 the battery failed probably because it had only been charging on one phase for some time unbeknown to me, and the bike wouldn’t rev any higher than 2,300 rpm. I first thought I would have to park the bike somewhere in the bush or at a farm house in the country and come back Monday with my trailer. But, seeing as the bike kick started and was running, I continued on my way home albeit at an average of 35mph (60kph) 

If I tried to rev it any higher it misfired and carried on to the point of almost stopping. I was out West and had about 220 or so kilometres to get home which took almost 4 hours. 

I have to say if it wasn’t for the Tri-Spark ignition only requiring a small amount of voltage to operate, the bike would have stopped altogether. If I was on battery/coil ignition there is no way the bike would have run at all. To continue riding I turned the lights off and used the engine to slow me down as best I could to save what little voltage was left in the battery. Stopping at intersections or traffic lights was a gamble at best, trying to limit any brake light use. If I did the motor slowed down to 2,000rpm until it recovered as best it could. 

When I got home, I tested the battery on my load tester and it only indicated 7 volts static and then failed to show any voltage when I put a load test on it. 

The next day I repaired the alternator wires and fitted a MOSFET Reg/Rec and replaced the battery with a new unit, replaced the spark plugs just for good measure and started the bike first hit and it was indicating a solid 14.7 volts charge at 3,800rpm. I’ve used the bike over the last 2 weekends now riding as hard as ever without any fear of further troubles and with the headlight on. No other repairs or tuning was necessary.

So, it just goes to prove what can be achieved using Tri-Spark Ignition compared to the old Battery/Coil Points system.

Bob Brackam.