Points vs CDI

[Itchy]

A question of curiosity really, In that David Lambeth has been attempting to flog me a 100% rebuilt engine. It is an XT600E engine out of a 4PT yet he says it has been converted to not use a CDI, and yet has been boosted for more power (higher compression)...

If it doesn't use a CDI it must use points, or does it use some other tech I've never heard of?.

Erm whats the benefits of converting back from CDI to points other than maybe less to go wrong?. (though surely points have more to go wrong?).

David is top of his game with the XT600 engine and is a busy man and thus won't explain it to me surely he wouldn't mess around with the ignition system like that to make it have worse performance?.

In that with a CDI you can easily advance and or retard the ignition right? , by changing the CDI over which requires unplugging and replugging a differently timed CDI right? , while changing points requires undoing things sticking feeler guages in and then putting it back together again.

Any clues BCF?

Thanks.
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[stinkwheel]

Or perhaps it has some other sort of electronic ignition system that isn't actually a CDI? Maybe one of those optical setups like they retro-fit to old bikes. Or possibly a solid state mag/dyno type arrangement?
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[27cows]

If he's too busy to explain why the XT hasn't got CDI, I'd certainly be too busy to give him my money.

Never heard the like myself. I can't imagine any instance where points would be preferable to electronic ignition. Maybe the guy is completely unhinged

[Kickstart]

Hi

Points are probably easier to bodge together to keep them working, but then cdi units don't go wrong anything like as often. OK, when a cdi unit fails you are stuck, but suspect you will have to fiddle with the points more than 1000 times before the average cdi unit would fail.

Not really any easy way of sourcing a cdi unit to just plug in and change the advance curve. Possible with some bikes (eg, Dyna ignition) but they are fairly specific to a bike. But then with points there isn't much at all you can do to change the curve. In either case you can probably adjust the timing.

All the best

Keith
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[hmmmnz]

may be its a tci ignition, thats what i have on the rotax 500 lump inn my mz
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[Gawain]

[smegballs]

Yeah CDI is a confusing term as its commonly used where "electronic ignition" would be a more appropriate term.

All sorts of things can fall under the banner of EI mainly CDI's and TCI's, these can be triggered by many ways too....

points, hall effect, optical, reluctors....

then you get complete stand-alone stuff like motoplats....


Definately worth getting more detail as it sounds interesting!

[Blau Zedong]

Points are lighter than electronic setups as there are no external black boxes required. Also easier to troubleshoot.
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[alains]

i suggest you look at https://www.transmic.net/index.htm
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[smegballs]

[unitybiker]

There are a few advantages to having points ,but for everyday use real pulse coil electronic ignition is far superior .One advantage of points is that the timing can be widley adjusted for advance /retard and also an origional points based system (4 stroke at least) use an advance/reatrd centrifugal bob weight that adjusts the ignition timing from tickover to a few thousand revs ,resulting in a wider performance envelope . Cdi's tend to incorperate an electrical value in the cdi unit that determines the range from tickover to full advance and the pulse coils usually have no or little adjustment for the timing.

some of my cg 125's have points and they are terrible by modern cdi standards ,older smaller strokers use points and there stuck inside the flywheel so they are difficult to adjust and set .

Basically points are shite unless you need to retro fit them for tuning /competition purposes do'nt bother.

like the man 27Cows said , if he's too busy to explain why it's no cdi then treat him like a blag artist .

[smegballs]

Just to add to the confusion, my brothers Tomos moped has a points magneto thing going on....

It seriously is the hottest fattest spark I've seen on any ignition system!