82 XJ550 Maxim - no spark problem

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site, I am so glad to find that there are others that are into the Yamaha XJ series bikes. I just finished fixing up a 82 XJ550 Maxim this past spring. I had it on the road all summer and it ran great. As the weather turned cold here in the Philadelphia area the bike seemed to run rough at idle but okay at road speeds. I went to start it the other day and it just would not. I checked the fuel and the carbs are good since I rebuilt them back in May. I found out today after testing out a few things that I have no spark on all four plugs. I tested both coils and they seem good, I also tested the ignitor with a meter and the voltages seem to be as they should. I also brought the coils, ignitor, diode block and the regulator in the house to warm up the part in case they are affected by the cold. Anyone have any other ideas as to what could have gone bad all of a sudden?

Thanks, DRL

 

Have you checked the fuses? The OEM fuse block is known to have problems...

 

How many miles are on it?

Sounds like nothing more than a tired battery and possibly time for alternator brushes.

At lower rpm the battery plays a big role in running the bike.

It is possible for the battery to have enough of a charge to spin the motor quite vigorously and yet not be producing enough juice to fire the plugs. I would never have believed it until it happened to me; and now that I've had my XJs for a while-- it's happened more than once.

Do check your fusebox though if you haven't.

 

Hey guys, sorry I was missing in action for a while. Had a few issuse with my college girls, but they are all moved in now and the family is back to morm. Anyway I fixed this, the probel was a bad coil pick up under the left side engin cover. I picke don eup on ebay and the bike started right away.

Thank