Villiers ignitions

By Ken Burningham

Recently a question came over the Internet from another AHRMA member, "Where can I obtain a Villiers Ignition coil?" Well, Villiers quit making engines about 30 years ago so it's not surprising access to spare parts can be a problem.

The Villiers two-stroke engine was supplied to many UK bike manufacturers, among them Greeves, Cotton, Dot, etc. A feature of the motor's flywheel magneto is the HT ignition coil, which is mounted onto the stator backing plate, where it is naturally subjected to all the engine's heat and vibration.

The HT pickup and plug lead exits from the front of the stator plate where it can easily get submersed in water. On a competition bike this can definitely cause the motor to hiccup and cause the rider to have a severe "mood swing." I can personally vouch for this many years ago.

Rest assured, the Villiers Ignition coil, will sometime in its short life, FAIL. (Maybe this is the reason we don't see too many Greeves, Dots, and Cottons at the track).

Help is at hand by way of a simple rewire and an externally mounted 6 volt Hodaka ignition coil obtainable from Team Mefford (815-624-7969).

The original Villiers coil was supplied in two types, one for road bikes and another for competition bikes; the later ones were supposed to give a more robust spark. The fix works for both types.

The LT and HT windings are wound concentrically, the LT primary windings are wound onto the inside of the coil, then the "hair thin" HT secondary windings are wound onto the outside. The usual problem is the HT windings short out. Result: no spark.

Below is the revised wiring diagram.

You can still use the LT side of the Villiers coil and simply run a wire from the Villiers points up to the LT side of the Hodaka coil, which in turn should be securely mounted to the frame under the gas tank.

It is important to note the return electrical path is via the frame through to the engine so if the motor is not making a good contact with the frame due to paint, or if the new HT coil is not grounded to the frame you will still have problems.

Also, if for any reason the LT side of the Villiers coil is damaged then you can use the lighting coil, which is 180 degrees around from the original HT coil as your LT source. Rewire by simply running a wire to the points and another to the external HT coil.

This fix works with the 9E and 32A thru 37A Villiers motors, the later Starmaker motors use an external Villiers made HT coil. No doubt Villiers had wised up to the poor location of the HT coil by the time they made the later Starmaker.

Don't forget to block up the hole in the stator plate where the original HT pickup exited or "nasties" will enter.

Points and condensers are still available through AJS Motorcycles in the UK.

For you CZ owners who are suffering from fits of "CZitis," I have used the same Hodaka coil with the CZ magneto.

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