Dyna III Ignition - R100/7

[tlangman4]

Hi All-

My recently purchased R100/7 project currently has a Dyna III ignition system, which seems to work well at this point. I have no idea how long it has been on the bike, however total mileage is 29k and supposedly verified.

Has the Dyna ignition system proven to be reliable with a long history of service? I am interested in the Wedgetail and may purchase one at some point, but thinking about keeping this system at least for a while.

Thanks for any feedback regarding the reliability of the Dyna III.

Tom

 

[20774]

I've had the Dyna III system on my /7 since the early 1980s, right after I bought the bike. I have 100K on the bike and probably 85K on the system. I did have to replace the system (well, really just the part that replaces the condenser and points) a number of years back...I had lost one of the pickup sensors. One of the weak points is that the plate that replaces the original points plate can lose contact with the engine case with corrosion. I didn't realize that when I had the issue and replaced the unit instead...I suppose if I had known, I could have cleaned up the contact surfaces and things might have been OK. The original points plate with points and condenser are wrapped up and stored on the bike if it should happen again.

Here's another thread from a number of years ago:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...ll-electronic-ignition-for-R90-6-a-good-thing

You can find other threads in the Similar Threads pane at the bottom of the screen as well as use the Tag Cloud below to search for "Dyna III".

 

[stevenrankin]

Dyna

I had the Dyna ignition on my 78 RS for quite awhile and it worked adequately. I did change it over to the Wedgetail system and with that change was a noticeable improvement in cold start and performance. I can't give you any kind of long term report on the Wedgetail as I only had 5K miles on it when I totaled the bike.

The Dyna system is much better than points but now with the new technology I would not hesitate to install a Wedgetail system again. St.

 

[tlangman4]

I've had the Dyna III system on my /7 since the early 1980s, right after I bought the bike. I have 100K on the bike and probably 85K on the system. I did have to replace the system (well, really just the part that replaces the condenser and points) a number of years back...I had lost one of the pickup sensors. One of the weak points is that the plate that replaces the original points plate can lose contact with the engine case with corrosion. I didn't realize that when I had the issue and replaced the unit instead...I suppose if I had known, I could have cleaned up the contact surfaces and things might have been OK. The original points plate with points and condenser are wrapped up and stored on the bike if it should happen again.

Here's another thread from a number of years ago:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...ll-electronic-ignition-for-R90-6-a-good-thing

You can find other threads in the Similar Threads pane at the bottom of the screen as well as use the Tag Cloud below to search for "Dyna III".

Thank you, Kurt! This is all very helpful information!

 

[tlangman4]

I had the Dyna ignition on my 78 RS for quite awhile and it worked adequately. I did change it over to the Wedgetail system and with that change was a noticeable improvement in cold start and performance. I can't give you any kind of long term report on the Wedgetail as I only had 5K miles on it when I totaled the bike.

The Dyna system is much better than points but now with the new technology I would not hesitate to install a Wedgetail system again. St.

Hi Steven-

Interesting comments, thanks! Seems you put it very succinctly and I would agree. It appears that as long as the advance unit is in decent condition I could expect the Dyna to function adequately. I like what you said about the Wedgetail, too. There is one in the coming months along with an Enduralast charging system. That is, as soon as I pay for the upgrades to the brakes, forks, other electrical, etc. it gets a bit expensive, but I dearly love these airheads. I actually sold a modern Honda to get back to these great old bikes.

 

[pglaves]

The original points plate with points and condenser are wrapped up and stored on the bike if it should happen again.

That sounds like carrying a set of carburetors in case of a fuel injection system failure.

 

[6322]

No, Dyna III doesn’t hold up. I’ve only had mine for forty-six years, 170,000 miles without a problem. I’m sure there’s something better.

 

[melville]

Someone gave me a Dyna and I've since had it on two bikes for about 30K miles plus whatever it did before.

It's a 'single fire' version that requires 12V coils wired in parallel instead of 6V coils wired in series. On my /6 I used 12V coils from old VWs for the single spark plugs. They fit the stock coil brackets perfectly.

My /7 is dual-plugged so now it's set up with Dyna dual-output coils.

 

[bmdehut]

I've had one on an R90 since 1981 and 355,000 miles so I guess they hold up pretty good

 

[RPGR90s]

That sounds like carrying a set of carburetors in case of a fuel injection system failure.

Well, some of us carry the old parts in case another rider needs it.

In the past, my spare alternator rotor, points plate, advance unit and even some Dellorto parts were shared out to fellow riders in need.

 

[pglaves]

Well, some of us carry the old parts in case another rider needs it.

In the past, my spare alternator rotor, points plate, advance unit and even some Dellorto parts were shared out to fellow riders in need.

I still have an Airhead rotor that has been on at least four bikes that had rotor failures on the road or at or near rallies. I would loan it to the rider and then in a few days it would come back in the mail. I carried it for a few years in my '86 K75T just in case I ran into somebody who needed to borrow it. I still sometimes carry fuel line disconnects for the same purpose.