TOPIC:

Gents, would like your opinions on this please, i am contemplating buying an A3 which is running well and appears to be in very good condition, my dilemma is i owned one of these years ago which developed an ignition fault and it was a f#cking nightmare to get replacement pulser coils and i believe the cdi box is also rare as this is a one year only model, obviously these are even more rare now so i guess i am asking if anyone knows of any available replacements or would you steer well clear of this model

Paul,

I too had a Z1300 A3 some years ago (2009) and was wary of the ignition system on the bike as it is unique to the A3 only.
Why this first USA Built Model (A3) had to have a different ignition is beyond me, as they changed it again for the A4.............so were obviously aware it had its faults.
I did need to replace the CDI Unit (Square Black Box) on mine as it went bad, but was lucky enough to find one on Ebay at a decent price.
99% of everything else on the bike is like the more common A1/A2 (I currently have an A1).

I am almost sure there is someone who can repair or replace the CDI Unit now ..............maybe someone on this site can point you towards them ?????

I can understand and respect your concerns due to unfortunate past experiences, but I have heard of other A3 owners who have not had any issues at all, so I guess its down to how much you want the bike, what its like and the price being asked ?

The only reason why I sold the bike was it developed an issue with water getting into the oil and after spending a small fortune on removing the head and block for new gaskets etc and replacing every oil seal and o-ring on the top end, the problem was still there, so I replaced the head................but still no luck, so I sold it as a project.
I dont believe this had anything to do with the bike being an A3.............it was just bad luck !


Pete F
UK

See below.........................


www.carmoelectronics.co.uk/index.php?mai...528a927b2487611c1876

Z1300.de also carry an aftermarket ignitor for the A3 @ 365 Euros. ( Under the "motor electric" tab)

The Carmo option is a good one. The igniter is simple enough and having a repair done will certainly upgrade the transistors for more reliable ones. The A3 igniter is easier to work with than the other models. I've seen a pic on EBay of one that had the cover removed to show rust on the inside. Priced at $99 US to reflect the state of the igniter but what it showed me was the unit was not potted like the other igniters for pre and post 1983.

I removed the metal cover from my A3 CDI to investigate once I got my replacement one.
If I remember correctly its just simple metal tabs holding the square cover casing onto the main plate, and found it had suffered from water ingress which was easily fixed with a bit of time and patience and a soldering iron.............could have saved myself the cost if I had done that first !!

Its a bit like the Solid State A1/A2 Igniter too, that is easily fixed with replacement units once you get the black rubber / silicon sealing filler out of the casing. The 3 units inside are just common electrical components as used in many bikes of that era, including the early CB750 SOHC.
Its normally only the Black / Yellow EARTH wire into the casing that rots on the A1/A2 CDI so also and easy fix.

Pete F
UK

Gents
thanks for your help unfortunately it all went horribly wrong, i was due to go and look at the bike today but the seller sent me a text yesterday and someone had put a huge deposit on the bike and brought it unseen, i cant blame the seller but i certainly wouldn't buy a bike like the z1300 without seeing it even when you know them really well there are things that can catch you out