Calling all Trispark users

Went out for a good burn the other day. Two hundred & ninety miles of bends, bends, & more bends. The weather was great for a change and the bike ( 850 mk 2a ) was running well. Then the bike hiccupped a couple of times. Ten miles later it happened again. Then it cut out but re started. This happened several more times. Got it going again & headed for home being very sparing with the throttle. I nursed it for about fifteen miles & all seemed well. Got on to the M6 motorway & gradually increased the revs with no ill effects. Cruised home at 5000 to 5500 rpm for sixty miles with no further problems.
It did the same thing very briefly a couple of weeks before this & I just ignored it.
I have checked the wiring over with the meter & found no problems. As it cuts out on both cylinders it is unlikely to be the coils ( 2x 6volt Lucas) The ignition switch checks out as good which leaves the Trispark.
Do these problems sound familiar to fellow Trispark users?

Regards,

Martyn.

I have a Trispark

I would suspect an intermittent ground issue, this can be frustrating to discern as it could be a partially fractured ground wire itself, or its connection to the coil, or even a main electrical ground such as in the headlight

I ran an extra ground wire from positive battery terminal to a clean frame point using one of the bolts securing the oil filter, black paint ground off first of course and that solved my problem

alternatively, just to cover all bases, replace the two front down tubes wires to the timing cover/trispark

Yes,
It is possible that may be caused by the ignition or kill switch or any number of wiring ailments.

Miles of twisties usually means the motor is a little hotter than normal. A ventilated ignition cover may well be the answer. Jim

A ventilated ignition cover may well be the answer. Jim

Click to expand...

although Trispark maintains its unit being in the hot timing cover is NOT an issue....

I also cut ventilation slots in the front and back of the points cover just to cover that possibility

I wondered about heat/trispark a few years ago when concerns showed up re that but mine has been totally superb here in Mexico. I have no vented point cover. I like to call the TS the next best thing to a permanently perfectly adjusted set of points/AAU with no maint necessary!

Have Trispark on 2 bikes. 1 early version (separate box) and one more recent (everything under the points cover). Both operate perfectly. I had to ride 6 hrs in 120 F. I dont think temp an issue.

Sounds like a dodgy switch or connection

Hmmm. I have been pretty quiet about my Tri-Spark after being a big supporter during the early Tri-Spark wars. I went through two units. CNW took good care of me, replacing the first one free of charge and sending me a 100% refund after the second failed (two units in two years). Matt told me I could upgrade my entire electrical system (it's stock other than the changes required for the EI) or I could shop somewhere else. He suggested the Pazon Sure-Fire. I can't be unhappy about the service I got, but I am still sad to have lost the Tri-Spark. However, mine did exactly what you describe before failing completely. Both times. I was pretty meticulous with the search through the system and I have yet to find anything I can put a finger on that would suggest a problem with the system. Other than it is stock. One day it will get a complete upgrade, until them I am no longer running that unit. I am waiting to see if somebody builds a truly bullet-proof ignition. (I have heard rumors they exist for a cost)

Russ

Thanks a lot for the speedy replies.
I am more or less certain that it is not a wiring fault but just to be certain I have ordered a new ignition swich & will try a run with that fitted. If it misfires I will stop & remove the points cover & try again. I would be reluctant to scrap the Trispark as the bike runs & most importantly idles perfectly. I previously had a mk3 Boyer for many years & the idle was poor at best.
I will let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

Martyn.

I bypassed the ignition switch and the kill switch by running an independent wire directly to feed the ignition. You might try it as it takes out a lot of possible faults.

Hi Matchless,
It still could be one of the coils. As they are wired in series if one temporarily goes open circuit it will cause the other to stop working also.

GB

I have had one x Tri spark failure. Similar symptoms to yourself except mine would play up within 5 miles, completely cutting out with an occasional misfire IIRC. It would usually re start immediately or after maybe a minute or thereabouts. It wouldn't run as far as yours appears to have done without cutting out or misfiring/ popping out of the exhaust.

To identify the cause, I ran the power directly from the battery through a new two way switch to the power feed (and return wires) to the Trispark which I also substituted for an old "removed set," swapped the coils for an old but functioning pair, also changed the "coil wires" and swapping over the H/T leads and plugs as well, therefore substituting all components in the system except the Trispark, and bypassing the kill switch and ignition switch. The cutting out/ other symptoms remained.

I contacted Steve Kelly who invited me to return the Trispark to him in Oz for testing. So I did. A week or so later he contacted me to say that on the test bed, no faults were found with my Trispark. He offered to send me a new one (I can't remember if it was exactly the same model or updated) with an "at cost" payment (approx. £70 GBP). I believe that my original unit was more than two years old at the time. He sent this out to me and since then.....all has been well.

So as the "new" Trispark has resolved the cutting out and misfiring and has been absolutely perfect since fitting, I conclude that there was a fault with my initial unit even though it didn't show up under test!

Hi Matchless
a guy just in the south lakes area has just had the same symptoms with a Trispark unit on his triumph, it would appear quite a lot of units have been replaced with similar faults as Reggie states.
I would suggest you contact the seller you purchased it from as not fit for purpose!
Cheers
JohnT

The Triumph riders that I have asked have had no problems with Trispark. I have Boyers in four bikes, one bike with the original Lucas Rita (still working after 34 years), and a couple with points. My Boyers haven't given me trouble, but I once saw a picture of a bike with two Boyer boxes mounted together with one as a spare (makes you wonder). I won't claim Boyers are the best, but at least I know how to install them and set them up. After having EI leaving me stranded on a relatively new Harley on a weekend 100 miles from the nearest dealer, I added a complete spare to my toolbag. Then I had a Hinkley Triumph EI fail on a weekend 100 miles from home. I had the black box fail on a car, too. There may not be any species of EI that if foolproof or bulletproof. I don't recommend points for performance but at least they are cheap and easy to replace or clean up on the side of the road. Now that I think about it, I have a spare Boyer box that I should take with me to the INOC rally.

I have been thinking about upgrading my Commando to a TriSpark electronic ignition (or other type) but to be honest, I've heard nothing but complaints from everyone on every brand.... I still have points in my Combat and it works fine. Starts on first kick and is dependable. When my points go bad, I might just pop in a new set and not worry about it.

johnnymac,
I like it that you are still using points. You can see and touch them unlike the innerds of black boxes. They work with weak batteries. They can give long life with occaisional cleaning up and adjustment (all you need is a points file or emery cloth and a screwdriver, tune with a strobe which just about everybody has).
I started using Boyers on a triple (three sets of points are a PIA) and a Triumph with the ET ignition (very bad).

" I still have points in my Combat and it works fine. Starts on first kick and is dependable. When my points go bad, I might just pop in a new set and not worry about it."

I took out a Boyer when I bought my Commando and installed the oem points/AAU. Starting and midrange power both improved; it went from a 3 or 4 kick starter with the Boyer to a 1 kick. The points stayed in for several years and I had no interest in downgrading the bike with another electronic ignition. However, the TriSpark sounded good and, unlike the other common electronics, duplicated the oem ignition timing curve. I have had no issues with it at all and like it a lot. It acts exactly like the points system except no maint required. However, if I did have a problem with it, I would put the oem points/AAU back in in a heartbeat and not give electronic ignitions another thought.

Grunt in the fuel?

I have had Boyers in two Commandos, both are allways one kick starters and idle perfectly. My 850 has "hicupped"" twice, both times after long high speed freeway runs and it was just for a split second and then kept going fine, I would realy like to put a Tri-Spark in my BSA single mainly because of how easy the set up sounds to be, Reving a 441 single to 3000 RPM & trying to see the timeing mark can be a Pain. It does seem that there have been quite a few problems with them but like I said Iv'e had long term use with two Boyers and never had trouble & a lot of others have said they don't trust them. I wonder how a unit like the Tri-Spark could develope a intermittent fault?? And if it IS how do they test for it if returned, hook it up & it works so they say it's fine but the trouble may not show up for a while so does anyone know how returned ones get tested??

Im on my fourth Tri spark unit exactly similar symptoms between 2500 and 3000 miles. Steve kept sending me new ones as his tests showed faults. Lovely piece of kit, shame always wondering when Im gonna have to phone roadside recovery!!.

I would bet that the problem with the Trispark is due to the heat and vibration that the electronics are subjected to by being located within the engine.

There was a similar problem with a small aftermarket electronics ignition for airheads that located their black box within the timing cover and after a while most of the electronic modules failed. The people who are still in the business for airheads, such as Silent Hektik, Sachse and Boyer all locate the electronics away from the engine.