condenser shelf life. Is NOS OK

  • ckahleer
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condenser shelf life. Is NOS OK

05 Jun 2021 08:47
#849642
I noticed intermittent sparking on one set of point on my 81 KZ305. About for 3 seconds every 30 seconds at idle. Engine also sputters during the time it is sparking, but idles smooth when it is not. I found NOS condensers at a good price, so thought I would give one a try. Is there a shelf life on these things? Can one be tested with a DVM?
94 KE100
82 KZ305
85 VF1100c

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  • Warren3200gt
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Re: condenser shelf life. Is NOS OK

05 Jun 2021 09:50
#849644
I would rather go 50 year old nos than brand new Chinese crap that will crap out in 6 months at the most.

Z1000J2 somewhat modified!

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  • hardrockminer
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Re: condenser shelf life. Is NOS OK

05 Jun 2021 12:15
#849647
I agree on the crap from China but I would go electronic ignition if I could.
I have several restored bikes along with a 2006 Goldwing with a sidecar. My wife has a 2019 Suzuki DR 650 for on and off road.

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  • slmjim+Z1BEBE
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Re: condenser shelf life. Is NOS OK

06 Jun 2021 05:11
#849680
A few of our Z1's are running the original condensers they came with out of the factory.  Sparking is very minimal, as is pitting/material transfer of point contacts.

If 45+ year old condensers are still performing well that have been subjected to thousands of heat cycles, we'd be confident in genuine NOS condensers.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE
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1973 ('72 builds) Z1 x2
1974 Z1-A x2
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