NC24 - Ignition coils

[BigDonk]

having trouble getting my nc 24 started, done all the usual checks for sparks etc, I have a feeling that one of the coils might be away, but the back right seems devoid of a spark, plu is ok, is the nc 24 like most old hondas prone to failing coils, usuall questions can other coils which are more plentiful be used?

[Neosophist]

It is quite rare for a coil to fail, never seen one go on a VFR before myself.

The NC24 has 4 separte coils, one for each plug.

Most coils will fit providing they are of a similar resistance.

Anyhow.. it is more likely to be the plug lead or bad fitting connections / corrision on the coil than the coil itself.

The two rear coils are next to each other on a plate above the battery, have you tried swapping the coils over? If you get a spark then it points to that coil / plug lead.

If you don't it points to the wiring of that coil

[BigDonk]

thanks Neo

I checked out some earlier posts on NC24 starting problems and I think its just the battery is on its lasts legs
as it turns over but does not have enough grunt to fire the the thing, but I will check the other points that you wrote in the other post like the earths for one as the battery earth to the frame is not that great either.

this forum has been a god send, as there are no manuals to speak of and dodgy gif files off t'web, and in hind sight would I have touched an nc 24 if I had known all its idiosyncrasies’ and being a grey import, but for £350 I got 1 and 3/4 bikes including the engine and help out a mate with much needed cash and I fancied a small cc project bike, plus when I rode it and it started howling high up the rev range, I thought I like this, waiting on a new battery so its fork seals next (groan) so more daft nobbish questions shall follow, so I going to stick with it and get it on the road for the brief summer in one form or another

[Neosophist]

Ah.. probably the battery. Is it sitll on the origianl reg/rec?

I'd get a new battery, fully charge it according to the battery instructions and then test the charging system, dont want to kill the new battery :)

Fork seals are straight forward but spend the extra couple of pounds on genuine Honda fork seals as they will last at least twice as long as pattern parts.

Yeah there not too bad but can cost a lot to put right due to scarcity of parts / lack of maintanance by previous owners.

There still not a bad bike though, hope you get it sorted soon, if there is anything your stuck with just give us a shout

[thunderace]

If you have any difficulty getting OE fork seals, I've always had good results from Pyramid ones. IME, they last just as long as Honda OE.

[Neosophist]

If you have any difficulty getting OE fork seals, I've always had good results from Pyramid ones. IME, they last just as long as Honda OE.

Do you run air in your forks?

I can't remember what they were that I replaced.. but they only lasted 14 months, approx 6kmiles before they started leaking quite badly. The genuine honda replacements have been in there since 2008 and i've done 15k on the bike since then and theres no sign of any problems.

A good tip for all Right Way Up forked bikes is the circlip that holds the fork seal in, these usually go rusty as water gets stuck in there, these flakes of rust then mix with the fork leg and eat away at the fork seal.

I got new circlips and powder coated them to stop the rust.

If your existing circlips are rusty give them a good sanding off and put a few coats of paint on them to stop them rusting up

[thunderace]

Not running any air at the moment but I'll see how she feels after I've done a refurb as part of my race prepping. I'm hoping to run a full test day before the end of May.

BTW, I've been using 15w fork oil on the road and handling has been fine without air. The Pyramid seals are fine at the moment but I'll pop a fresh pair in during the re-build anyway.

[Neosophist]

I would stick with the 10w fork oil, while the 15 may feel better its actually worse in terms of suspension performance for the most part, I found it really hairy on fast road, I wouldn't like it on a track.

If you want better suspension maxtron do a set of heavier springs for the 24 for about 60 quid, there a marked improvement, use these with the standard oil.

The heavier fork oil increases the damping and makes the bike feel stiff, I thought this was great too. However, unlike a spring which is progressive (the harder you compress the spring the more force you need to compress it further) putting thicker oil in the bike affects the damping across the entire range, initial impact, through the motion and rebound.

This leads to a stiff set of forks that over a good bump are slow to react and come back to normal, sticking with normal weight oil, some air (literally one or two bicycle pumps will give you the 8-11psi) and some new springs will really give you a much safer system that will deal with the road better.