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.