Electronic Ignitions (EI) are simply different. It's not like going from incandescent tail light bulb to LED bulb. It's more like going from a hand crank Victrola to an MP4 player. It's a complete "generational" change.

Not all, but some EI can be very sensitive to...

> Ignition coil impedance. 

> Battery input voltage, as measured at the input to the black box, not the battery.

> Hall sensor wiring. Remember "points" wires are carrying battery voltage (~14.2V) while the Hall sensor wire is carrying ~2V. If your wiring isn't in perfect condition and resistance free, then you could be in for a long haul. 

> General wiring condition. "Points" ignition will run on anything from 8 to 14V. That is, they are very forgiving. EI is transistorized and thus operate using voltages mostly around 5V, with voltage sensitivities in the 0.1V range. If the wiring on your bike is not up to parr with the wiring inside your computer, then you may be in for the hair-pulling experience of your life.

Lastly... I would NEVER buy an EI that depends in any way on the spring controlled Auto Advance Unit for its ignition curve. The ignition curve should be controlled by software within the controller... not some worn-out mechanical device that was once optimized for fuels which have not been available since the 1970's !!! 

The best advice I can give you is that you DO NOT install IE on a poorly running bike to get it to perform better. Absolutely NOT ! You need to install EI on a perfectly tuned bike that has never, ever run better. This because you absolutely cannot tell the difference between a worn needle jet, a bum spark plug cap, or a poor EI input voltage issue. You can literally spend months (e.g. completely miss the summer riding season) sorting it all out.

You get the general idea.

Good luck.

Wish i were closer, i would join you. I have the EME system on my ‘78 R100(was RS). It’s a really good ignition. If you still have your bosch alternator, you get the model with the optical trigger that fits the bosch. They also have a model that fits their Enduralast alternator. Nice feature is that the original points or bean can can stay in place, and is there as a backup.

i mounted my module on top of my solid state regulator.

are you dual plugged?  They have advance curves (selectable) for single or dual plugged.

EME is very specific about coil primary resistance 3 ohm (2 - 1.5 coils in series like stock, or single dual output 3 ohm coil). And secondary resistance 5k ohm caps on non-resistor plugs.  I am dual plugged, so i have 2 - 1.5 ohm dual output coils in series for 3 ohm. 

Thanks, guys! Started tearing it apart. Found I have the transistorized version, that comes with a single, dual-tower coil. Except, I have 2 coils that resemble the bosch ones. New coil just shipped from EME. Now I will know, I have all matching, all new wires, all new everything. And yes, while there is a problem I'm chasing, I've pretty much narrowed it down. The carbs have been redone, hopefully this fixes issues. However- I have found broken connectors. If this fixes everything, it might have been a 50 cent plug causing it. Oh well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to update the whole thing.

But yes, apparently, this bike had a different ignition module, bean can, and coils, from stock. It was working (as mentioned, with issues that might or might not be part of this), but it's such a hodge-podge, it's probably a good idea just to standarize everything, even if it doesn't fix issues. It is my understanding, this should have the bean can with the condenser on the side. It does not. this type of bean can, is used with the transistorized ignition module, which this looks like it is. That ignition module is used with a dual-tower coil of .7 ohm. I didn't measure what I got (decided it doesn't matter, just getting new), but I have 2 coils, presumably at .035 ohm. Now I'll have the entire enduralast setup, 3 ohm dual-tower coil they recommend, and it will run like a top! (Fingers crossed.)

And one more important bit....

You will need to own a stroboscopic timing lamp, because there is no way to set EI ignition timing "statically". Yes, there will be a static "install position", but that is only so you can initially crank the bike so that you can then use the strobe to finish the job. That initial "install position" should NOT be confused with having the ignition timing properly set. 

From that "install position", the strobe lamp can be installed and the bike cranked. Then the flywheel timing mark for FULL ignition advance (usually the "F" mark) should appear in the timing window at FULL ADVANCE RPM. With some ignitions this may not happen until you reach revs as high as 5000 RPM !! That means lots of engine heat... and that means you'll also need a BIG fan.

Depending on how stable your new ignition is, your view of the "F Mark" during strobe timing can be anything between a drunken blur to a nice stable picture. Therefore I suggest that before you start... you paint the mark next to the F with a brightly colored dot of paint... and give it time to fully dry.

Yes, thanks. Borrowed a good timing light, found the OT mark, which was already painted. Oddly, good line, but hard to read the letters. LOL My model also doesn't have the typical notch on the engine case. Sigh. Nothing on this bike matches the descriptions of what it should be. There is a line inside the inspection hole, though. Hopefully, the coils come today (early) and I have a chance (even if it is small) of riding it this weekend. And installing the the loud 'OMG what was that' horn. 🙂 

Posted by: @jeff-praski

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Yes, thanks. Borrowed a good timing light, found the OT mark, which was already painted. Oddly, good line, but hard to read the letters. LOL My model also doesn't have the typical notch on the engine case. 

Your post is somewhat unclear.

OT is the position for what we call Top Dead Center (TDC). Do not time the ignition at TDC. 

If your flywheel does not have a mark for Full Advance, then you will need to add one. 

If you cannot find (or accurately add) the Full Advance timing mark, then you cannot install the EI. 

Sorry, yes,  OT for the static timing, Z for fast advance or whatever it translate to from German. OT not running,  Z running. It got mostly done, and seems to work well. I have correctly diagnosed the proper wiring! And now it has new aftermarket stuff that matches. Except the main harness looks like it should probably be on a newer bike, I should check the engine vin and see if it matches the title, because the frame doesn't. 

Posted by: @jeff-praski

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Sorry, yes,  OT for the static timing...

Not to belabor the finer points, but since your new system is now triggered by an invisible magnetic field, there is no longer any such thing as "static timing" !!

Your instructions may have you initially assemble the new parts at a certain position while the crank is on the OT mark, but the system is merely "assembled" at this point. It is not "timed". I don't want you somehow believing that if your borrowed strobe lamp won't work, that you can simply give up and go for a ride. Not only will the bike run poorly at this point, riding it may cause irreversible engine damage. 

No, sir! The EI at that point is merely assembled, and you may NOT go for a ride until the engine has its ignition timing truly set. And the ONLY way to set the timing on an EI bike is dynamically (running, spinning, in full motion) using the Full Advance mark at the engine RPM the manufacturer of the EI recommends, or FASTER. If no engine RPM is suggested then use 5000 RPM. 

I know, I know... you think I'm nitpicking at semantics. I'm not. I'm trying to protect your engine and your wallet. When I said "It's a complete "generational" change" I meant "complete" as in you also need to also change your language. The term "static timing" will no longer be in your vocabulary.

2. Now that finding and using the "full advance" mark near the "Z" is mandatory, don't feel bad about placing the bike in 5th gear and bumping the rear wheel until the mark next to the "Z" appears in the flywheel window. Adding paint was previously mentioned, but another method is to use a hammer and center punch. Then you can fill that punch mark with brightly-colored paint.

Hope this helps.

Thanks. Yeah, "Aligning the rough setting" is probably better wording, but done and done. Timing was spot on when I did that, and checked with the timing light, so the rough setting was actually good enough for fine work. 🙂 Pretty happy overall with the install. Hopefully, the enduralast kit is as good as I expect, the problems I had seem to be corrected, but I haven't had the bike out yet. Hoping to finish assembly today, but was delayed by the other bike breaking. I literally had to push it into the country, then get a tow home.

Because the EME ignition uses an optical trigger, (with an handy telltale LED) instead of a Hall Effect (magnetic) sensor, the static or preliminary setting is quite accurate. I did not have to tweak mine either after checking with a timing lamp. It’s a pretty nice system.