My friend has a motorcycle (Kawasaki Ninja) for sale and I have never owned one but I am looking to buy one. He says it needs a new Magentic Pickup. I am unsure what that is or what it does and how much it will cost to fix it. Can anyone fill me in on this information please?
2007-09-09 07:15:31 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
thats part of the ingnition system.it picks up magnetic impulses from a sensor on the crankshaft or cam depending on design.no idea on the cost but id guess around $100
2007-09-09 07:22:39 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
A magnetic pickup is nothing more than a little magnet and they will be located on the end of the crankshaft (might be the right side of the Ninja). When the lobe on the crankshaft passes through the magnetic field, current is induced (Hall effect) and which produces a tiny pulse of electricity. The same principle the ingition coil uses to produce a spark. This pulse of electricity turns on a switch in the igniter (the black finned rectangular thing under the seat) which then sends current to the ignition coil. The pickup does the same job points do on older vehicles.
I've ridden Kawasakis for years and have replaced several pickups. You could probably get a replacement "breaker plate" with both pickups from a salvage yard for $50-$75. Don't worry about your coils or anything else, just get the plate for your model bike and put it on. Don't bother checking the resistance on the existing pickups either because my experience has been they can check out ok and still be faulty.
A four cylinder bike will have two pickups, one for cylinders 1&4 and one for 2&3. When one is bad, the insulation inside the pickup breaks down, shorts out and the bike will run on two cylinders only. Sometimes it will run on 4 when cold but after warming up, it runs on two. One way to check is to get a can of compressed air for cleaning computers. When the bike is running on two, hold the can upside down and spray liquid on one of the pickups. Usually the bad one will start working when you cool it down. The other way is to determine which two cylinders are missing, swap the pickups side for side and also swap the ignition coil wires with each other. On my bike they're pink and red? What ever the color, swap the two wires that are of a single color and not the two wires that are the same color. After swapping the wires and pickups, the cylinders that were missing should start running and the other two cylinders will then miss.
Igniters seldom fail unless someone screwed up jump starting it, but usually they either work or they don't with no in between. If the bike runs on two, you can almost bet it's the pickups and not the igniter. Kawasaki ignition coils have had a bad reputation for failing. Sometimes you'll see a visible crack but not always. I've also had coils fail but they seldom die completely. More often than not, the bike will suffer intermittent misses on two cylinders, especially when the bike is hot or under hard accelleration.
2007-09-10 14:07:19 · answer #2 · answered by bikinkawboy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What size and model of Ninja is it from?
And are you absolutely sure that the pickup coil is bad, and that it's not actually something else (the IC igniter for example). Those coils rarely go bad unless they suffer physical damage.
There are ways to test them to see. If you measure the resistance of the pickup coil (after you have disconnected it), it should read around 100 to 150 ohms. If less, it's shorted. If more, it has an open lead. Also check to make sure there aren't any shorts to ground from either lead.
If you indeed determine that the coil is defective, then you may try the ebay site for a used replacement at much less than a new one would cost from Kawasaki. If you need one for a Ninja 250 (1988 on), I may have one myself. Email me if so.
2007-09-09 16:39:46 · answer #3 · answered by Wyoming Rider 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The magnetic pickup is basically a sensor that triggers the ignition system to fire at the right time so that the engine can run. Not sure about the price....local prices vary a bit....check the phone book for a few shops.
You may want to invest in body armor, too.
2007-09-09 14:23:49 · answer #4 · answered by vile_fly 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I just updated my bike to one. My kit with coil cost me 220.
coils alone go for about 30-40, so one is under 200.
(not a ninja)
make sure the one you buy is compatable with your coil and wires.
any negs need an explanation for in the next answer.
2007-09-09 15:56:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋