Magnetos

In the early days of motorcycling batteries and charging systems were a far cry from what we know today and a constant source of trouble for riders who were stuck in the middle of nowhere with dead batteries. So when Robert Bosch from Germany came out with a compact, lightweight magneto ignition at the beginning of the 20th century it was quickly and gladly received by most riders for its simplicity and dependability. The only drawback was that you had no power for lighting which had to be accomplished with an acetylene (carbide) system. 1912 was the first year when you could order your new Harley-Davidson with a Bosch magneto ignition, made under license in the US, and the factory continued to offer this as an option until 1929 for all F-series ioe models.
The magneto offered here is made by the renowned US company Morris and it represents an authentic reproduction of the legendary Bosch ZEV type for 45° V-Twins. From the exterior you can hardly tell the difference from its historic counterpart, with cable activated advance-retard, cotton braided spark plug wires and cast end plates, but inside it features various updates to make it even more reliable than its great-grandfather, including an improved armature, coil and "modern" points. It is driven by the stock magneto gear which is also available and mounts with 3/8”-16 bolts to the crankcase.
Can be fitted on J-series (battery ignition) models, where it requires modification of the gear case.
The drive shaft deliberately has no keyway. With a tight nut the drive gear will safely stay in place on the shaft taper. And without the key timing can be set more easily and accurately.

An economic way to equip your vintage IOE Harley-Davidson and other 45° V-Twins with a more modern and reliable Fairbanks-Morse type magneto. Actually it is a tried and trusted Morris mag merged with the Bosch ZEV style base mount. Driven by the stock magneto gear which is also available and mounted with 3/8”-16 bolts to the crankcase. Comes with MRA advance-retard system. An easy conversion at a great price and OK'd to be used as an ignition for Motorcycle Cannonball cross country races.

The year 1903 not only marked the founding of our favourite motorcycle company, it also started off the Witherbee Igniter Company, which later evolved into the WICO Electric Company with the primary mission to build quality ignition systems. In the 1940s WICO produced the "X series" magnetos, which were extremely reliable and very repairable, so it is no wonder that they became highly popular on farm tractors. All John Deere tractors at that time were equipped with WICO magnetos. When Harley-Davidson came out with the special WR racing version of the 45” Flathead in 1941 they first equipped them with Edison-Splitdorf magnetos, but soon after the war switched to WICO XV1922 mags and kept them until the end of WR production in 1952. Especially during long distance races like the Daytona 200 the WICO magnetos proved superior.
Original, working WICO XV1922 mags are hard to find these days, so we are all lucky that Nassau, NY enthusiast Andrew Johnson decided to reproduce them. Incredibly accurate, meticulously machined and flawlessly working. There are no shortcuts whatsoever, these mags are perfect. Period. They install, adjust and function just like the period conterparts. Besides being replacements for WR race bikes all Flathead 1937→, all K models and Sportster →1970 can be equipped with them, where they install en lieu of the factory points ignition system. XV1922 mags feature a distributing rotor so your bike will be converted to single fire for more accurate timing and healthier sparks.
Admittedly, a WICO mag is quite an investment, but always remember: the quality will remain long after the price is forgotten (H. Royce).

These genuine Morris classics are for purists and feature a simple built-in auto advance and manual retard to prevent nasty kick-backs. Easy installation without fin grinding or smashing in pushrod covers. An O-ring on the drive shaft tube prevents oil leaks. Choose from a bare, machined finish or with the mag head bead-blasted, which gives the MM74E a period cast aluminum look.

Genuine classics for purists. Feature manual retard and - if correctly adjusted - advance automatically after starting.

Owners of older Harleys can now have a magneto ignition that´ll out-start as well as out-spark any other. Regardless of motor size a normal kick is all that´s needed to start the beast. The G5 features a recoil spring which stores energy during cranking. Once the bikes tarts this system drops out and the timing automatically advances. The offset housing makes installation easy with no interference from pushrods and relay mount.

Like on the H-D factory XR race bikes, this magneto mounts to the generator port. Intended primarily for alternator/generator motors, since the generator port is not used on these engines, but of course it will work on all generator engine style custom bikes who run without a battery charging system. It features the fully automatic recoil spring for easy starting with kick or electric starter. Installation may require engine case modification. Magneto can be mounted in various positions.

Features a special spring loaded device for a hot starting spark even with a slow turning engine, making kick-starting a breeze.