Some Feedback From Thorspark Customers Around the World

 

Some Feedback Comments Kindly Left by Thorspark Customers Around the World

 

Click here   for details of the Thorspark magneto electronic ignition kits

 

Click here to go to the Thorspark online shop

 

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

I meant to write and tell you about my Thorspark experience. The trouble is that it is a 'fit and forget' item - and I forgot! Fitted to a Thruxtonised Venom with 12v Lucas 60w dyno, and electronic regulator, plus 7AH Yuasa burglar alarm battery. The Venom was a MAC 350 in 1955 and has never been entirely free of gremlins in the Sparks dept.
I bought it as a poor apprentice and still ride it at 71.
It is transformed!!! No hot or cold start problems, crisper, and with a reliable tick over on a 36mm Amal Mk2. A Velo which will start with an audience is a very rare beast!!!
If you are unsure whether to recondition your mag. or go electronic, the above should give you a clue.
Many Thanks.            Rob (UK)

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Hi,

 Last year I bought and fitted one of your Thorspark electronic ignition conversions, for my ’39 Speedtwin engined Tribsa [see piccies ].

Am pleased to report that this must be the best £ I85 I have spent !

I have managed to mount it invisibly, and  it runs efficiently off a 6ah battery [6v], It starts first kick each time. In fact, sometimes, when I switch on the hidden switch, the engine tries to fire !

I found it easy to fit, with the easy to follow, well written instructions.

Thank you for a quallty [good] product.

Yours faithfully,

Ed (UK)

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Just wanted to thank you for the amazing transformation your ignition system has performed on my old AJS 500. For years it's been a bugger to start, after the last magneto packed up I thought I'd try modernising it before I sold it. Well I've just been for a ride and came home and cancelled the eBay auction as I can't bare to sell it now. It starts first kick and ticks over like a clock, it's now a keeper.

Best wishes

Clint (UK)

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Thought I better let you know that I am very happy with the Thorspark. It improves my A7 BSA a lot and it really is pleasant to ride now.

Runs smoother and seems to have more power low down, so I immediately added a tooth to the crankshaft sprocket as the 500's rev pretty hard with standard gearing.

I have had no problems and havent touched it since I fitted it last December.

I recommend it to anyone who will listen here in Aus

Thanks again

 

Bob (Austrailia)

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 Hi,

 Just to let you know I bought a unit from you a couple of weeks ago for my BSA 500, made a great difference to the overall performance, very pleased, that's why I am buying another to put on my Norton.
 
thanks and regards
John (UK)
 

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Hi,

Just to let you know everything is fine, the Thorspark is working great! ???? FWIW it took me longer to find a hiding place for the ign coil than it took to strobe the ignition. Well pleased (over the moon) with the unit which was far better than having the mag reconditioned - brilliant!

Best regards

Mark (UK)

 

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Hi Alex,
The Indian is starting and running beautifully now. Took it out for a few blocks today and it is really sweet. I'll bore you with a few pictures, including one before the restoration. Thanks for all of your help.
Doug (USA)

 

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I would like to thank you for your prompt service and help with the electronic ignition system we fitted to a 1937 Rudge, I am happy to say that the old bike is starting and running perfectly for the first time in 50 years, and we will be sure to recommend your systems to other vintage enthusiasts whenever we can.

Best Regards

                       Joe (Scotland)

 

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Hello,

Wanted to let you know how pleased I am with your excellent conversion to electronic ignition.

My long-owned 1954 B31 is mechanically very nice, but has had iffy--sometimes maddening spark production even after hundreds and hundreds of dollars on repairs over the years. The now-fat available spark seems to have upgraded all aspects of performance and I was able to completely hide the update to maintain stock appearance.

One question: should I maintain stock plug gap?@

Thanks again

D

Oregon, USA

 

REPLY BY THORSPARK

Hi, thank you for your kind comments!!

regarding your plug gaps, we always say to keep them at the standard gap recommended by the manufacturer, that way everyone is safe and we can't cause any damage.

That said, the electronic igntion will happily work with a larger gap, as far as I am aware when Triumph (for instance) sold their twins with both magneto and distributor ignition systems, they specified a larger gap for the distributor ignition.  Apart from the distributor or magneto I think the engines were identical.  I would imagine this was to help the magneto start the bike, as it makes less voltage for the spark when the engine is only being kicked over, and a smaller spark gap would help.   

What I am saying is that although we don't recommend any changes from whatever is recommended by the manufacturer, many customers do run larger spark gaps, at their own risk.

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Hi Sussex people!

Recently, when the magneto on my 1941 BSA WM20 failed, I decided I would try one of your Thorspark kits instead of rebuilding the mag.  Actually, I live more than 3,000 miles from somewhere that might be able to do a rebuild (Hawaii), so sending my mag to someone – anyone, would be a long and rather expensive process.

For around 1/3 the cost, the Thorspark unit permanently replaces my points assembly and takes the mag out of the equation.  Now, my dyno is my best friend, but as I’ve switched out to LED lighting, there is not that much it has to do – just provide me with around 2 watts of power to run the ignition.  AND – if there is a problem, my ammeter will tell me.  If the dyno fails – I only have around 8 hours of riding (on full lights) to get home.  This is a risk I was ok with, especially as it only takes me 4 hours to circumnavigate the island I live on.

Fitting was very easy.  One complaint is the alignment mark on the pickup could have been better, but after timing with a strobe, everything ran as it should.  It’s probably not fair to compare the Thorspark with a failing mag, but I’m impressed.  My old "wheezer" runs perfectly, in fact better than at any time I’ve ridden her.  She starts first kick and gives me a lovely run – very obviously the timing is spot-on.  Further, I will NEVER have to mess with timing again – it will always be spot-on.

Thank you for making such a lovely improvement to my motorcycle.

Warmest aloha

C  (Hawaii)

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Hi,I fitted a 6v thorspark to my venom in 2012 best thing I ever done. I want to convert it to 12v can the electronic sensor in this kit be run on 12v?

 cheers

 Sid 12/15  (UK I  think)

 

Reply from Thorspark:

Hi, we do an exchange unit for £40

If you would like to return just the trigger unit (the rotor can be left in the magneto to keep the timing), we will flash it and return it along with a 12v coil.

Thanking you for your kind comments as well!

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Hi

This weekend I finally got to grips with fitting the Thorspark ignition on my BSA B31 1957.

I bought the bike in Sheffield as a student in 1975! Its never sounded better! The regular ignition is music to my ears!

I,m a very happy man! For the money, a great deal! Now its just a question of "wear and tear" but if I,ve done a good mounting job it should last for years.

Its a bit sad to have to replace my defect magdyno but with repair costs of €1,000 I think I,ve done the right thing!

Brychan (Germany)

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Hi Alex,

 

The Indian is starting and running beautifully now. Took it out for a few blocks today and it is really sweet. I'll bore you with a few pictures, including one before the restoration. Thanks for all of your help.

 

Doug (USA)
 
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Hello Chris,

A few months ago I purchased a Thorspark electronic ignition kit for my Lucas Magdyno model MSL1-1 (1935 BSA Blue Star)

It is installed correctly and the engine is running well. More important, she start at first kick !!! Me happy.

Marcel (Holland)

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Hi

I have finally got around to finishing the installation of the Thorspark
in my wife's BSA A10. I am happy to report it started first kick and
continues to do so. I haven't even bothered to strobe time it as from
the way the engine feels and the fact that the tickover speed hasn't
changed convinces me I have got it within a degree or two first time by
a pure fluke.

Nick (UK)

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Good afternoon (CA time). I got the ignition system installed. It took a bit to time it right, but now that it's set, it's awesome. The bike starts/runs great. I set it up so you can't tell that the magneto is still in charge. Thanks again,

Gordon, USA

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Thanks, works fine.

Cannnot find 6v strobe to check ignition.....but the engine runs well.

Tomasz (Poland)

(NB, a 12v strobe light can be used with a 6v bike, just clip the strobe to a car battery next to the bike, and clip the strobe sensor to the HT lead on the bike.)

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Hi,

Timed the AJS CSR up today, fresh petrol, 3 kicks and away she went.  Not bad after 25 years hibernation.  Thanks for an excellent product.

Cheers,

Ian (UK)

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(Regarding overheating of the Ariel Square Four)

I installed my Thorspark coil inside the tool box on my square four to

"hide" it and routed the wires in a stealthy manner also. So to look at

the machine it appears all original. I still used the kill switch on the

tank panel. It works backwards with the Thorspark but who cares.



It would be nice to learn what is fact and what is fiction (myths) with

regards to the square four stories. I have read stories where they would

leave there new owner on the side of the road stranded until the machine

cooled down. I have heard stories by reputable/reliable older gentlemen

claiming while riding there square four at night they could see a very

dark cherry red color on the rear cylinders (assuming this is the iron

cylinder version).



Prior to finding Thorspark I had installed a rebuilt mag armature and new

condensor. That worked well for about 1 year, then when the machine was

hot the engine gradually ran worse and worse until it finally left me

stranded. I am CONVINCED it is a heat issue on the mag. The heat from the

front 2 cylinders heat the 2 rear cylinders and all of the heat from all

4 cylinders does find its way to the rear of the engine area exactly

where the magneto and generator resides.

 

These Thorspark units are absolutely brilliant and work GREAT. They have

transformed my square four into a machine it never was nor could have

been. It starts great cold and hot and has never left me stranded !



Pete (USA)

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

The kit arrived an hour after your email thank you.

At the third attempt I managed to fit the coil where it would also allow the petrol tank to fit (the tank tunnel tapers front to back!) Down off the bench, a little fuel, and it started second kick.

Thank you.

Steven (West Yorkshire)

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 Hi,

Ignition received.

Mounted with lots of help from my friend and racing bike mechanic Emil.

Bonnie 1960 works like a charm!

1000x thank you from the grom motorcycle museum (http://www.muzej-motociklov.com/)

Janez Grom (Slovenia)

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

Dear Sirs.

I have just installed a THORSPARK conversion kit to my 1955 Royal Enfield 350cc Bullet. I am delighted to inform you that it has transformed the bike. It now starts 1st Kick, hot or cold. I would strongly recommend this kit, However it does take longer than 2 hours to install properly. Needless to say, it is time well spent.

Best regards.

Chris.

(Rep of Ireland)

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(This next comment is referring to an inaccuracy in timing between the cylinders on a Triumph twin resulting from a magneto reconditioned in the UK..   It was sent back to the reconditioners more than once, and finally had an error of about 5 degrees between the cylinders.)

Hi,

thank you for your very helpful information. I do not mind if you use some of my videos for demonstration purposes. But I need to clarify one thing: the first video mvi0600 was shot after I got my magneto back from XXX the first time. They had replaced the badly worn cam ring and end housing and put those timing marks on the cam ring, which in itself is a good idea, but as you could see, the marks didn´t match precisely. I sent the magneto back to XXX and they corrected this immediately, but now I have the problems that are shown in the other videos. I measured the cam ring timing marks and they are indeed perfectly 180 degrees now, but unfortunately the magneto isn´t.

As I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on this thing now and own 3 worn cam rings, I simply have to go the way trying to grind one to match my magneto first. In fact I am very sorry that I didn´t read about your conversion kit earlier as I wouldn´t have tried to get the old magneto reconditioned. But I didn´t want to change the electrics to 12 V and until yesterday I didn´t know that your 6V-kit existed (saw it on Ebay looking for magneto body parts). Using only one trigger is a perfect solution to overcome those casing problems that some people experience (and others might ignore).

If my attempt on grinding fails, that will be excuse enough to happily buy one of your Thorspark kits.

Thanks again for your help and information.

Best Regards
Michael (Berlin)

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

Hi there, I have just fitted a Thorspark on my 1965 Royal Enfield Interceptor.  After some experimenting with the initial position of the magnet rotor in the end cap the ike started easily and is running well.

Check out my Royal Enfield blog for pics and video of the bike running with the Thorspark.

All the best,

Adam (UK)

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Hi,

I handed the ignition module and I adjust the magnet and it' ok.

I adjusted the setting and the bike works perfectly.

I have read this morning 25km without problems.

Thank you

Regards

Pascal (France)

 

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Hi,

   Just a line to say that I fitted one of your kits to convert my mag to electronic/coil ignition last year, and report that it is working very well thank you !

The bike is a Tribsa. A7 frame with Speedtwin engine. It only has a 6 a/h battery but seems to work fine.

I have managed to hide it all away so it looks as if it is still mag driven. The switch is hidden and sometimes when switched on the engine tries to fire. Amazing.

Anyway keep up the good work. Please find three pictures.

Many thanks.

E  (UK)

 

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Very fast deliverd .easy at install works like a dream

Ulf (Sweden)

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Fast shipping! The Thorspark ignition is great!

Scot (USA)

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The TRIBSA runs again!Spot on

Jon (UK)

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

Nicely made item

Barry (New Zealand)

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Great seller! Good communication! Helpfull too!

Ole (Norway)

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Best. 100% perfect AAAAA+++++++++

Estevao (Brasil)

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A++++

Yusop (Malaysia)

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

perfetto +++

Renato (Italy)

 

Click here to go to the Thorspark online shop

 

Click here for more details of the Thorspark magneto electronic ignition kits

 

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions