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Hello all, I just installed the Alpha ignition in my bike this weekend. Units were back ordered so I had to wait a few weeks to get it. I just wanted to report that the installation was a breeze. Bike started up instantly. I set the timing with a strobe light. Instructions with the unit are good and quality appears very high. Did not ride yet as it was raining yesterday. I will report how it runs when weather here gets dry.

I’ve been running one of these units on my R75/5 for more than 3 years.
Totally reliable upgrade, you’ll be very happy with it.

Looking forward to your review!

Ok, I went for a 15 minute spin last night. Engine feels different. It feels like the Carburetors are more in control now(as it should be). Engine speed drops much faster when the throttle is closed. I noticed a slight stumble once but it may have not been fully warmed up.
The advance curve is definitely different. I feel as though the advance may be starting later than it was with the mechanical bob weights of the original system. Low end grunt could be better. Perhaps more advance is needed. I am going to give Rick a coll to see what advice he may have to offer.

Gibson -
I note that you do not show a locale in your profile. We need that in order to discuss your various fuel options and carb settings.

The advance curves for most electronic ignitions ARE different, and vastly improved over the curves provided by mechanical units which rely heavily upon regular service and precise spring tensions. (Please note here that "precise" and "spring" creates an oxymoron of staggering proportions. ) One big difference is the longer, slower advance curve to account for ethanol laden fuels.

I have not installed an Alpha unit, but I have installed hundreds of other EI units. If not in the instructions, I highly suggest using a strobe lamp to set the timing at very high RPM using the "F" mark, and not the option outlined in the owner's manual... idle speed at the "S" mark.

Enjoy !

Hey Wobbly, thanks much! I am located on Long Island NY. Fuel here is 10% Ethanol as it has been for quite a long time. I always run premium grade fuel, usually Mobile. I did use a timing light, but I should have focused on the F mark as you and Rick at Motorrad have advised. Idle is a rock solid 1100 rpm. It feels doggier than it did with the mechanical advance, but only low and lower mid range. At 4 k rpm its the same.
The mechanical advance was hanging up badly when very hot and idle was up to 2K rpm, other than that, it was in a perfect state of tune before the ignition swap.
Rick at Motorrad is a great help and suggested if the timing advance does not yield the desired result, perhaps richer pilot jets might help. I have not been able to locate these anywhere...any ideas on where to find different size jets for the Bing 32mm carbs?

Thanks!

Gibson wrote: ↑Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:26 pm It feels doggier than it did with the mechanical advance, but only low and lower mid range. At 4 k rpm its the same.
The mechanical advance was hanging up badly when very hot and idle was up to 2K rpm, other than that, it was in a perfect state of tune before the ignition swap.
Rick at Motorrad is a great help and suggested if the timing advance does not yield the desired result, perhaps richer pilot jets might help. I have not been able to locate these anywhere...any ideas on where to find different size jets for the Bing 32mm carbs?

Bear in mind that your previous symptoms i.e. idle hang up, suggest the old advance springs were weaker than they should have been which would have produced earlier ignition advance than a stock new set up making the comparison with the electronic ignition's advance more pronounced. That said I personally wouldn't be happy with ignition advance that starts too late if it has a noticeable effect on low end torque. If the engine coped without pinging it can't have been that bad except for the idle hang up.

I don't think you've told us what model the bike is but I'm surprised to hear that richer pilot jets were suggested. That fact that they don't seem to be available suggests they are not normally needed on a stock bike.