Powerdynamo, model years, a problem

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model years, a problem
 



For some replacement systems we indicate model years of the bikes the systems should fit.
Quite often we get questions on this, such as "my bike is a year later will it fit?" or earlier or "what you say is not true, i know better".

Behind such questions is a real problem:

There is next to no information from the manufacturers on the ignition system. Most data sheets just ignore this. and if there is mention than a mere "12v alternator" or so.
Nearly all our info comes from customer and web - and there is a lot of "fakenews".

Many manufacturers served different markets with different models or at least used different model names. a highly confusing thing.
Models have been introduced to markets at different times. Some, say a German customer would only - if at all - know year of introduction into germany. In some countries e.g. France not years of make are printed in license papers, but year of first imatriculation.

We actually gave up giving years, knowing this confuses only. HOWEVER, given the scope of error, a year may help to avoid the worst.
Some manufacturers repeatedly used same model names over spans of, say, 20 years for totally different material. there it helps to have a year indication.

And, to make things worse, it happened that a manufacturer of an ignition system went out of business, forcing the manufacturer of the engine to change horses. In such cases it had been some wrestling between the two. He who was stronger dictated the other what to do. Was the engine maker the stronger, chances are that the new ignition system would fit as the one before. If however the engine makes was in a bad position, we might have had to modify the engine to suit the new ignition. A case for real problems later on in the bikes life.

This business of replacing old ignitions is at times something like a cross between a puzzle, detective work and reading tea leaves (sometimes a lot of the later)


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