Crazy Englishman / Verrückte Engländer, 1000 miles on a 1958 SR2!

Hi Unhold.

Things aren't going well. I can no longer even get enough power to make a good spark to get the engine going. I can manage a small spark from the HT lead to the cylinder head, but when connected to the spark plug, nothing.

I'm wondering whether I should invest in a whole new ignition set from the DDR Moped shop. It's a lot of money though.

Has anybody got any experience of this kit?:


The idea of having a modern designed ignition is rather appealing. I suspect that if made well, it should be more reliable, require less maintenance and give a stronger spark. I need components that I can trust to work 8 hours a day for over a week. No time for breaking down.

You need someone to help you. Are you in Germany the next time? If not, send the engine to someone here and the engine will run! You don´t need this expensive dynamo to have fun for long time.

My last ideas:
1. pull grinding paper through the breaker contacts to clean them
2. measure the resistance on primary and secondary side of the coil when it ist hot
3. check that the condensor ist good fastened and contacted to th ingnition plate and don´t touch the flywheel
4. the warm condensor needn´t to have contact between the fastener and the body, can you see light sparks at the breaker while running?
5. check the spark way in the air, at minimum 4mm
6. works the spark plug correctly?
7. are all cables ok?
8. is the dark brown plastic bow ok?
9. when the flywheel slides down on a vertical metal sheet it is down

Problems with this parts we can solve.

Der Tim

Thanks Tim. I don't have any plans to come to Germany unfortunately. Also, I need to learn how to fix any problems that this engine might present in case of problems during my trip. So I'm keen to keep trying with the helpful advice of you guys.

1) I will try cleaning the points. I've not done this yet.
2) I can't get the engine to run at all now so the coil stays very cold. It is a brand new replacement coil too.
3) Condensor is also brand new. Fastened securely. I will check for clearance against the flywheel though there is no audible scraping.
4) Engine not running at the moment. When it was running, the only sparks I could see were occasional sparks at the breaker.
5) I've tried a couple of different spark plugs but still can't them to spark. The best I can manage is a small electric shock into my arm!
6) It should do. It was a brand new one from the DDR Moped shop that worked briefly.
7) I've been trying to get it running again with the main wiring loom removed (so no ability to stop the engine). All other wiring is new - new coil, new HT lead, new coil to HT lead connector etc.
8) I'm not sure which bit you mean here. Is this the part on the breaker that follows the flywheel cam? If so, this part appears to be fine and operating correctly.
9) I will check this by seeing if it will stick to my fridge.

Ok, 8) you call HT Lead connector. The part you can heat with an hot air blower.
I think you need an multimeter for measuring the parameter in the ignition, this gadget makes it 100% easier.
To 5: remove the spark plug equipement from the HT wire and hold it against the cylinderhead with a little gap and turn the engine with the pedals.

If the fairy wouldn´t be so expensive I would visit you.

Der Tim

Ah yes, I tried both my new and old HT lead connectors / brown bows with the same results. I did however learn that it is supposed to be secured to the coil wire with the offset screw head on the spike end.

I have a multimeter too.

I tried the HT lead against/near the cylinder head and I can get a weak spark this way. It seems that it is not powerful enough to make the spark plug produce a spark.

I work a lot with a factory in Bad Mergentheim and I'm often sending lorries to and from here. Is that anywhere near you?

No sorry, this town is 500km away.

Ok, the multimeter makes the problem a lot easier. Have you measured the resistace between all contacts of the coil yet? There for you have to loose all wires of it. The results will intrest me.

Der Tim

I haven't measured the resistance but I have stripped the base plate all down, cleaned it and rebuilt with a new coil so I would have thought any bad connections would be solved in that process.

I've realised that I have only 4 months to get the bike completely ready and tested. I need the bike to be reliable and with as little maintenance as possible on my trip. With this in mind and given the fact that I can't make the Abriss setting correct, or even get a strong spark, I have purchased the new electronic ignition kit.

I will feel more confident with this set up as it offers more Abriss adjustment (the woodruff key is removed) and produces a stronger spark. It also doesn't have a breaker to wear out or requiring readjustment. It has hurt my pockets to pay for this system but it will hurt my legs more if I have to pedal 1000 miles!

Ok, it´s your decision. I know that the rebuild breaker you have is the reason for your problem. My last offer, send me the complete ignition with the flywheel and you get it back when it works.

Der Tim

... or buy an used electronic ignition from Simson, which is maintenance free and reliable. It's the ignition with the red flywheel. On Ebay (Germany) you can get all parts (used) for less than 50,- € and when you buy also a new base plate for 15,- € your engine will run up and down all hills and mountains in Scotland. You never will crank or pedal.

Here for example, you can see all necessary parts together.
The only thing here, may be you have to solder a longer or shorter cable to your "Essi" and change the coil for light from 35 W to 15 W (old base plate).

Hi folks,

Sorry I missed your replies last month.

ddrschrauber, on the old set up I was still using the original breaker as the new one did not come with the pivot shaft to assemble it. Thank you for the kind offer to help with repairing it. I may still take you up on this so that I have some good spare parts for my trip.

Unhold, thanks for the tips. Used Simson parts appear to only be available in Germany. All of the adverts I had seen on ebay stated that they would only send elsewhere in Germany and not abroad. I did not know enough about the different models to know for sure what would work on my bike.

I have now fitted the new electronic ignition kit from the DDR Moped shop and my little Essi starts and runs very well on the first kick of the pedal. I have not taken it for any long rides yet but so far it has not cut out. Now I just need to sort out the wiring to the switch and the wiring for the lights.

How do I remove the switch from the front light housing? I couldn't work it out from looking at it and I didn't want to break anything by trying without knowing for sure. Also, are the wirig connection numbers written onto the switch?

First pull the pin out of the button from the switch:

Angefügtes Bild

And the connection numbers are written onto the switch:



Angefügtes Bild

Perfect, that's a great help! Many thanks.

Ok, so I've now got the wiring correctly connected up. The rear bulb blew instantly as it was still the 6v bulb. The front one worked fine for about 1 minute until I slipped and dropped the bike, smashing the bulb into little pieces. I picked up the correct rear bulb from a local auto parts shop today but I have had to pay lots to get the replacement front bulb sent over from Germany. It would seem that the correct spec of bulb is only made as a special part for this kit.

I also tucked all of the new wiring (including coil and lighting regulator) into the pencil box on the Essi. I've realised that if I have any problems on my trip, this will be very difficult to get to and fix. I think I will buy a new toolbox cover and mount these parts in there.

Another thing, my engine produces quite a lot of vibration. I suspect it needs to be balanced with the con rod, piston and flywheel connected. Does anybody have any advice on this?