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Magnetos

Magnetos

Morris ZEV Magneto
Morris ZEV Magneto
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.
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Wico XV1922 Magneto WR
Wico XV1922 Magneto WR
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).
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