MY CHOPPER ALMOST BROKE

[SQ4MN]

I just take it for granted that my V8 CHOPPER doesn't ever break. It ALWAYS starts instantly hot or cold. A few nights ago I was at a nightclub here in VEGAS on the bike with some of my buddies from Los Angeles. It was a beautiful night about 75 degrees, perfect for riding. When I went to leave the bike turned over fast but had a hard time starting, as I let the starter button off it finally fired. Up until that point it seemed to hit on only a couple of cylinders. Normally it barely turns over before bursting into life. The next day it did the same thing every time it started. It would usually catch just as I let off the starter button but it would grind on the starter longer than I liked. It felt like it wasn't getting a hot spark but once it started it ran great. It would try to fire one or two cylinders randomly until it caught and burst into life. I thought that maybe the coil was going bad but wasn't sure soI called Stan. He said it was probably the coil which had been on since 2008 when the bike was new. I went down to one of our local speed shops and got a new MSD BLASTER coil and put it on. VIOLA the bike barely turns over once again before bursting into life. Forty five dollars and its perfect again. Last week I put a new rear rotor on the Boss and a new front tire on it also. Rotor total was just under 400 dollars and the tire was just under 200 dollars but the bike stops great and now I feel safe again with good tires. I was told they don't make a METZLER 880 anymore but its replaced with an 888, so thats what I got on the front of the Boss now. The 880 was great, I hope the 888 is as good.

[Carl La Fong]

Glad the problem was minor.
I put a new Falken tire on mine today. The old one was worn past the wear bars. They don't make the one we all run, so they got me the Falken replacement. Hope it's as good as the old one. I'll probably need a new Metz pretty soon. I guess I'll have to go with the 888, also

[randy burkey]

Glad you got you minor problem figured out Squirm..Good thing it didn't fail completely and you were able to ride it home. Randy

[Buck]

coils are supposed to be mounted in a vertical position not on its side as in the Choppers, thusly the reason for so many coil failures in the trikes. Just fab yourself a mount that will allow you to mount the coil in an upright position behind the left side cover.
Buck

[SQ4MN]

coils are supposed to be mounted in a vertical position not on its side as in the Choppers, thusly the reason for so many coil failures in the trikes. Just fab yourself a mount that will allow you to mount the coil in an upright position behind the left side cover.
Buck

Buck, coils have been mounted in cars stock from the factory in many positions over the years. My coil was five years old, it was subjected to heat and vibrations over that time, it just got weak. It gets real hot under the seat directly above the bellhousing and trans but unless its mounted on the handlebars thats pretty much the conditions it has to live in. Not much room on a V8 Chopper if you want to keep the looks. There is NO more room for anything between my side covers. The newer bikes may have a little more due to xome wiring changes, then again they might not, I don't know. In a car there is usually a little room around the coil and the under hood and temps on older cars engine compartments that came with coils are not as extreme as where mine is. In any case replacing a coil is easy and cheap and doesn't happen very often.

[petitemoose]

Glad you got it figured out and the beast part it was a cheap fix!