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NLM performance pick up

Posted: 16 Jul 2017 17:21
by SoloFrenos
Hi everyone, quick question has anyone out there been able to fit one of these to there bike successfully? I have tried, set the air gaps to minimum as instructed but for the life of me it won't start. However put the old black pick up on and it starts first kick! Is there a trick to fitting them and getting the bike to start?
And before someone says 'leave the black one on' I am trying to eliminate it as a possible source of the bike dropping onto one cylinder after about 15 miles, then if I wait 5 or so minutes it runs on both again for about 5 miles before dropping onto one again...repeat till make it home. It has new NLM coil pack and recent NLM rewound ignition coil and no sh1t in carbs so pick up seems most likely? Thanks

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 16 Jul 2017 21:35
by 72degrees
I've got one in a box in the garage that I never got to work.

Sounds like the pickup, as the only other variable would seem to be the 'scooter coils', which you wouldn't expect to behave like that. Possibly heat induced failure in the pickup windings. Having said that, I had fun and games with an NLM module/scooter coils and OEM type 2 red pickup at Loton park today. Luckily I had taken a pair of known good OEM transducers with me.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 16 Jul 2017 22:42
by JonD
I have a NLM pickup fitted on my 31/2 Sport. Works very well. Took me a while to get it set up. The air gap has to be very small - less than 0.05mm (2 thou in old money). I used brass feeler gauges to set it because the magnets make it very difficult to judge the gap with steel gauges. I'm told a piece of thin paper works well as a gauge too. Has been running well without adjustment for 4 months. Replaced a failed red pickup with original black transducers. Hope this helps.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 16 Jul 2017 22:47
by 72degrees
JonD wrote:I have a NLM pickup fitted on my 31/2 Sport. Works very well. Took me a while to get it set up. The air gap has to be very small - less than 0.05mm (2 thou in old money). I used brass feeler gauges to set it because the magnets make it very difficult to judge the gap with steel gauges. I'm told a piece of thin paper works well as a gauge too. Has been running well without adjustment for 4 months. Replaced a failed red pickup with original black transducers. Hope this helps.
I shall try again, but I'm very inclined to go the Sachse route now on the 'racer'.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 06:50
by SoloFrenos
Thanks for the advice everyone, good to hear I'm not the only one having troubles with it. Think I will try setting up the NLM pick up on more time, although brass feeler gauges seem a little elusive so may have to go the paper route.

Before buying the NLM kit I did try to buy a Sasche system (i already ran a Kirby Boyer one so it made sense to use the sasche system), but they were very difficult to get hold of, never replied to email etc. In fact they never replied to the email I sent after i'd ordered one asking how they wanted paying, so I had to go for the NLM kit. I will admit that this was very soon after the new owners of the company took over following Volkers death, so maybe they are better now.

Well looks like another night of tinkering in the garage for me tonight!

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 07:02
by JonD
I purchased my brass feeler gauges from RS Components - a stock item.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 07:30
by 72degrees
SoloFrenos wrote: Before buying the NLM kit I did try to buy a Sasche system (i already ran a Kirby Boyer one so it made sense to use the sasche system), but they were very difficult to get hold of, never replied to email etc. In fact they never replied to the email I sent after i'd ordered one asking how they wanted paying, so I had to go for the NLM kit. I will admit that this was very soon after the new owners of the company took over following Volkers death, so maybe they are better now.
I had a long chat with them on their stand at the Classic Mechanics show at Stafford a couple of years ago. Three things put me off. The price (including the need for coils). The fact it needs a battery (though in these days of light high capacity batteries a total loss system would be fine). The need for conventional coils. They recommend Dynacoils and finding room for two of those on a 2C as well as having a battery in it might be challenging. I will research suitable smaller alternatives if I do go down that route.

The small 2 terminal coils that NLM use are easy to fit tucked neatly away. I'm wondering if my problems yesterday might be the fancy orange Naraku 'racing high voltage' coil versions I got off Ebay, but I can't see that they could give the effect I was getting. More a case of just not sparking I'd have thought. It did feel very much like the ignition going retarded at high revs. Didn't cut out or go on to one, just seemed to have a built in rev limiter - which would be really useful if it was set at about 9000 rpm ;) Also wouldn't maintain an idle speed below 2000 (yes I double checked all the connections). Not the pickup as once reverted to OEM transducers it was fine. The same setup (though type 1 module and NLM supplied coils) on the 375 works perfectly.

Even well set up NLM agree that their pickup requires a brisker kickstart speed than OEM. Too brisk for me these days I fear.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 17:59
by SoloFrenos
It also appears too brisk for me too! Even with the gap set up perfectly at paper thin, nothing, Nada. Not even a hint of starting. I've owners this bike for 26 years now and fitted the boyer system about 20 years ago due to poor starting! Only swapped to the new NLM system as thought it would be better. Maybe its time to refit the boyer!
Doors anyone have experience of the pick up sold by Marcus Heilig?

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 18:08
by 72degrees
If you are not hundreds of miles away from NLM I'd be inclined to take the complete setup (including stator and rotor) to them and ask them to demonstrate it working on their diagnostic rig - at low rpm!

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 19:55
by SoloFrenos
Oh I did not know they could do that, I'm not far away from them at all so that sounds like an excellent idea. I'll report back when I've had it tested. Thank you very much for your advice, its much appreciated. Tony

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 17 Jul 2017 20:39
by 72degrees
SoloFrenos wrote:Oh I did not know they could do that, I'm not far away from them at all so that sounds like an excellent idea. I'll report back when I've had it tested. Thank you very much for your advice, its much appreciated. Tony
The downside is they may want to charge you - but given what could possibly be a duff pickup that would be cheeky, unless they prove it works perfectly!

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 18 Jul 2017 06:31
by chirpy999
Hi , heres a thought have you tried a new plug cap and plug lead. Itll cost a few quid but you can then cross it off as a possible cause.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 18 Jul 2017 08:19
by JonD
The pickup connections to the transducers have to be very clean and a tight fit. I closed up the pickup connectors slightly to ensure a good connection and cleaned the transducer spades with contact cleaner. The voltage and current at kickstart speed is very low and requires good connections.

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 18 Jul 2017 09:04
by huub
72degrees wrote:
JonD wrote:I have a NLM pickup fitted on my 31/2 Sport. Works very well. Took me a while to get it set up. The air gap has to be very small - less than 0.05mm (2 thou in old money). I used brass feeler gauges to set it because the magnets make it very difficult to judge the gap with steel gauges. I'm told a piece of thin paper works well as a gauge too. Has been running well without adjustment for 4 months. Replaced a failed red pickup with original black transducers. Hope this helps.
I shall try again, but I'm very inclined to go the Sachse route now on the 'racer'.
if you consider a sachse , you might drop anne at mail@swf-ignitionsystems.nl a email.
his ignition has been running flawlessly on my 350, it is programmable , and anne is easy to deal with.
( i've had no luck dealing with sachse)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJlr2diVCeY

it will save you a lot of money too....

Re: NLM performance pick up

Posted: 19 Jul 2017 12:18
by 70sbikes
My NLM pickup did not work with their coil pack, but worked well with a pair of Tritsch transducers. I don't have to kick the hell out of it to start, but my bike does have Mikuni carburetors...

Trevor