banshee electrical

Banshee Electrical FAQ

Everything you ever wanted to know (probably more) about Banshee electrical systems! While the specificslisted are based on the Banshee's electrical system, the principals remain the same and are similar for othersimple 2-stroke motors (as always a service manual will provide you with specific testing values and is a soundinvestment). I'd like to thank all the past and present members of BansheeHQ.com for all their valuable helpand input. I've tried to cover as many electrical issues as possible, from the most basic to the more complex,so some of you may want to skip ahead, and others are welcome to add anything that I've missed or have yetto learn. There are many pictures so make sure to let the page load.

First off, here's an illustration of a typical Banshee stock electrical system, later year models will haveadditional wiring for brake lights:

Next, here are some electrical specifications for an '87 and up Banshee:

Stator resistance:Ignition coil should be 13.7-20.5 Ohms (red to green wire)Pickup coil should be 94-140 Ohms (white/red to white/green wire)Lighting coil should be 0.26-0.38 Ohms (black to yellow wire)

Coil resistance:Primary coil should be 0.28-0.38 OhmsSecondary coil should be 4,700-7,100 Ohms

Banshee Electrical FAQ http://www.dfn.com/agservices/elecfaq.html

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Pickup coil gap: 0.015"-0.020"

Spark plug: NGK BR8ES

Park plug gap: 0.7-0.8mm (0.028-0.032")

Finally, here is a link to some good basic explanations of how the electrical system functions in a car, many ofthe principles are the same:http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system.htm

Q & A, The Basics

Q#1:Why is a functional electrical system important?A#1:At worst, it flat won't run. Maybe worse, it'll run like crap intermittantly, often for no apparent reason orwithout any common symptoms. However, learning a few basics will help you solve an electrical problemquicker and save you alot of grief.

Q#2:What are the parts of a Banshee electrical system?A#2:I'm glad you asked. The basic Banshee electrical system consists of a stator, stator plate, flywheel,woodruff key on the crankshaft where the flywheel mounts, pickup coil, CDI, coil, spark plug wires, sparkplugs, voltage regulator, taillight, headlights, key switch, a handlebar-mounted light & kill switch, and a wiringharness. Most Banshees (as equipped from the factory) also have TORS (Throttle OverRide System), andlater models (approximately 2003 and later) have brake light systems.

Q#3:What is a "stator"?A#3:A Stator is at the heart of the electrical system, whose job it is to provide electricity to the rest of theelectrical system. On a Banshee, the stator is found on the left-hand side of the bottom end of the motor, byremoving the stator cover (black plastic on a stock motor) and flywheel. The stator itself is a doughnut-shaped device made up of several poles on the perimeter wrapped with copper wire, and has four wires goingto the wiring harness. It is held onto the aluminum stator plate with three screws, and subsequently the statorplate is secured to the engine's bottom end with three bolts. Here's a pic of Meat's stock stator and plate (thestator poles are coated with red liquid electrical tape), after removing the flywheel:

Q#4:How does the stator work?A#4:The stator produces electricity by converting the kinetic energy of the rotating flywheel into electricalenergy. In English, this means that as the motor spins, the flywheel connected to the crankshaft turns theflywheel around the stator and produces electricity. Similar to an alternator in a car (or a generator/magnetoin other applications), the stator and spinning flywheel produce current for the ignition and lighting system. Ishould note that the ignition and lighting parts of the stator are separate, while both perform the same job ofproducing electricity, the ignition coil of the stator is a different part of the stator itself than the lighting coil.


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Q#5:What's a "stator plate"?A#5:The stator plate is a cast (stock) or machined (aftermarket) aluminum plate that the stator and pickup coilbolt onto, and is then bolted to the bottom end of the motor. Here's a pic of Superchicken's stock stator, statorplate, and pickup coil:

Q#6:What does the stator plate do?A#6:The stator plate holds the stator in place on the bottom end of the motor centered on the crankshaft sothe flywheel can spin around the stator, and also has a mount for the pickup coil. Aftermarket stator plateseither provide slotted mounting holes where the stator plate bolts to the motor, or have adjustable pickup coilmounts, allowing the ignition timing to be advanced or retarded (see Q#54-56). Here's a pic of Meat's Trinityadjustable stator plate next to a stock one:

Q#7:So what is a "flywheel"?A#7:The flywheel spins around the stator to produce electricity, and also tells the CDI where the pistons arerelative to TDC (top dead center). Also found on left-hand side of the bottom end of the motor, the flywheelfits over the stator. The flywheel is mounted to the tapered end of the crankshaft with a 19mm nut andlockwasher, and is "indexed" to the crankshaft with a woodruff key (see Q#9). Located on the perimeter ofthe flywheel are two raised, rectangular tabs that the pickup coil uses to signal the CDI when to fire the sparkplugs. The inside of the flywheel is magnetic, which in conjunction with the stator creates a magnetic fieldand then electricity. Here's a pic of Meat's flywheel:


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Q#8:How does the flywheel work?A#8:Together with the stator, the spinning flywheel creates current for the ignition and lighting circuits. Together with the pickup coil, the flywheel tells the pickup coil where the pistons are so the CDI can fire thespark plugs. As the flywheel rotates, the pickup coil senses the location of the tabs on the oustide of theflywheel, and sends a pulse to the CDI. Another function of the flywheel is to store inertial energy; byspinning on the crankshaft the flywheel's weight can affect how fast engine RPM rises and falls. A relativelyheavy stock flywheel will keep the crankshaft spinning longer than a lightened flywheel so when you let offthe throttle and then hit it again there is less "lag" between the time that the motor hits it's "powerband" (orpeak horsepower RPM) and the RPM that it was spinning when you let off the throttle...the downside of aheavy flywheel is that from a very low RPM it takes longer to hit the powerband. Conversely, a lighter thanstock flywheel has less rotating mass so the engine can accellerate quicker from low RPM to high RPM, butwhen you let off the throttle it will also decelerate quicker, which means getting back into the powerband cantake longer. Opinions vary, but in general you will see drag racers using lighter flywheels where every tenthof a second counts in quick accelleration, and woods racers using stock flywheels (or even adding flywheelweights in many dirtbike applications) to maintain RPM and minimize clutching, thereby reducing riderfatigue. Here's a pic of Sredish's lightened flywheel, you can see where material has been removed from theperimeter of the flywheel but the tabs were not touched:

Q#9:What the hell is a "woodruff key"?A#9:A woodruff key is a shaft key that's shaped like a half-circle when viewed from the side. It is made to fitinto a half-circle slot machined into a shaft, in this application the tapered end of the crankshaft. The inside ofthe flywheel has a rectangular slot or "keyway" that fits over the woodruff key as it sits in the crankshaft'sslot. Here's a pic of Meat's woodruff key, and the crankshaft keyway without the woodruff key installed:


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Q#10:What does the woodruff key do?A#10:The woodruff key sets the flywheel's position onto the crankshaft. This is also known as "indexing" theflywheel to the crankshaft, or making sure that that the flywheel stays in the right position relative to thecrankshaft. It's important to note that the taper of the flywheel and the torque on the flywheel nut is whatkeeps the flywheel mounted securely to the crankshaft. The woodruff key itself does not bear any rotationalor axial load, it's only purpose is to index the flywheel to the crankshaft when the flywheel is mounted. Thatsaid, aftermarket offset woodruff keys (often called "degree keys") are available that change the flywheel'sposition relative to the crankshaft, thereby altering the ignition timing (see Q#54 & 55). A PROPERLYinstalled degree key is no less reliable than a stock woodruff key (you might need to rejet!), since it's onlyfunction is to locate the flywheel on the crankshaft, so don't be afraid of the thinner offset of the degree key,just make sure the offset is in the correct direction and the flywheel is installed correctly (see Q#48). Here's apic of Meat's degree key installed on a crank:

Here's an excellent link to Meat's webpage, showing how to install a degree key:http://www.thebansheezone.com/Bansheezone/DegreeKeyInstallation

Q#11:What is a "pickup coil"?A#11:A pickup coil is a small black box mounted to the stator plate. It has two slotted mounts where twosmall phillips-head screws secure it to the stator plate, and has two wires leading to the wiring harness. Theside of the pickup coil facing the flywheel has a small round metal nub on it.

Q#12:What does the pickup coil do?A#12:The pickup coil senses the two rectangular tabs on the flywheel as it spins, and sends a pulse to theCDI. The CDI relies on this pulse to know where the pistons are at relative to TDC, and also at what RPM the


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motor is turning at by how many pulses it receives over a given time period. The pickup coil needs to be closeenough to the flywheel tabs to sense them, but not so close that the tabs hit the pickup coil.

Q#13:What's a "CDI"?A#13:The CDI, or Capacitor Discharge Ignition, is the "brains" of the ignition system. It takes the electricityproduced by the stator's ignition circuit, the input of the pickup coil, and tells the coil when to fire the sparkplugs. The CDI is a rectangular black box located under the center of the rear fenders, just forward of thegrab bar and seat latch. The CDI is mounted with a small flat rubberized metal bracket with two 12mm bolts,and has two short four-wire connectors (later models have a four-wire and a five-wire connector). There areno moving parts in the CDI, so it is a "solid-state" device, meaning that it is completely electronic.

Q#14:How does the CDI work?A#14:The CDI receives the electricity provided by the stator's ignition circuit, and when it receives a signalfrom the pickup coil telling it the engine's RPM and the piston's location relative to TDC, the CDI then sends acurrent signal to the coil, which in turn fires the spark plugs. The electronics within the CDI will fire the sparkplugs before (advanced timing) or after (retarded timing) the pistons reach TDC depending on engine RPM, toprovide the most efficient spark and a clean combustion process. Banshee CDI's have NO rev limiter, as some2-strokes and most 4-stroke CDI's have, that will cut out the ignition or otherwise prevent the motor fromexceeding a preset RPM. The TORS system, which is independent of the CDI (see Q#20), performs a similarjob by limiting spark if the emergency brake is "on" or the carbuerator slides are open when the throttle isclosed, but the CDI itself does not limit RPM. Don't be fooled! The only rev limiter on a Banshee is the stockpipes, the CDI would happily turn 20k RPM, if your motor stayed together...

Q#15:What is the "coil"?A#15:The coil fires the spark plugs when it receives a current signal from the CDI. On a Banshee the coil isbolted to the frame just forward of the right cylinder, has two male spade terminals for an orange and blackwire from the wiring harness, and has two spark plug wires with caps. It isn't a slinky so don't look for one onyour Banshee. Here's a pic of Superchicken's coil:

Q#16:How does the coil work?A#16:The coil receives a current signal from the CDI, steps up the voltage, and fires both spark plugs at thesame time. The fact that both plugs fire at the same time makes no difference on a 2-stroke motor like aBanshee, where the pistons are 180 degrees apart, and can be useful in locating potential problems with asingle cylinder. Since one piston is on it's compression stroke while the other is on it's intake stroke, havingboth spark plugs fire at once is not harmful, and from a manufacturing viewpoint makes only a single coilnecessary instead of independent coils for each cylinder. The coil works by using the electromagnetic fieldthat is pumped into it on the primary winding side, and when power is taken away, the field "collapses" andthe secondary winding(s) "collect" the power and jump it to the required voltage.

Q#17:What are "spark plug wires" (or leads) and what do they do?A#17:The plug wires are high-tension wires that carry a high voltage electrical signal from the coil to the spark


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plugs. They are mounted at the coil with a flimsy plastic retainer that tends to break easily if you screw withit. At the spark plug end they have a rubber spark plug boot with a built-in resistor, seen on the wire justbefore the spark plug cap. Here's a pic of Superchicken's spark plug cap removed from the spark plug wire,showing the resistor parts inside:

Q#18:What are spark plugs and what are they for?A#18:The spark plugs thread into the top center of the cylinder head in a 14mm hole, have a white porcelaintop half, a threaded silver metal bottom half with a small metal ground strap on the center pointing to aceramic center electrode with a small metal tip. They receive the high voltage electrical signal from the coiland produce a spark (imagine that) to ignite the intake charge and initiate the combustion process. More thananyone ever wanted to hear about spark plugs, but they are a vital part of the igntion system. For moreinformation about how to read spark plugs, check out the Jetting FAQ. Otherwise just be content knowingthat they oughta spark when you kick it over.

Q#19:What is a "voltage regulator" and what does it do?A#19:The voltage regulator is a small, square, silver box with a single (usually blue) wire coming out of itleading to the wiring harness. It is mounted just to the right-hand side of the CDI under the rear fender, andtypically one of the 12mm mounting bolts has an eyelet terminal with a black ground wire going to the wiringharness. The voltage regulator is NOT part of the ignition system, but part of the lighting system. It's purposeis to regulate voltage (you don't say) to the lights, preventing them from blowing because of too much voltage. The voltage regulator on a Banshee limits voltage to 12 volts no matter what RPM the motor is at, since thehigher the RPM the more voltage the stator will produce, the voltage regulator prevents the voltage at the lightbulbs (and the wiring harness leading to the light bulbs) from exceeding 12 volts. As you've no doubtwitnessed, at idle or low RPM, the stator's ignition coil does not produce much voltage, as the lights are realdim. When you wind it out they light up pretty well, but if it wasn't for the voltage regulator they would burnout quickly from the higher voltage.

Q#20:What is the TORS? (from the Jetting FAQ)A#20:TORS is the Throttle OverRide System found on stock Banshees. It consists of the large boxy carb tops,a switch on the thumb throttle housing, a switch on the parking brake perch, and a control box mounted to theframe rail above the left cylinder. The function of the TORS is to limit engine RPM if the parking brake isengaged, or if the throttle is released and the carb slides don’t shut (see Jetting FAQ Q#25). If the switch atthe parking brake senses that the parking brake is engaged, it tells the carb tops not to lift the carb slides. Similarly, if the switch at the thumb throttle senses that the thumb throttle has been released, the carb topswon’t lift the carb slides. The problem with the system is that often the switch on the parking brake perch willfail to sense that the parking brake is not engaged, and will then limit RPM (the motor won’t rev past idle);


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adjusting the switch is the first solution, eliminating the TORS is a better one. Other drawbacks to the TORSis that the carb tops are huge and makes jetting more time consuming, the entire system is one more thing thatcan (and usually will) fail, and the system adds unnecessary weight. Eliminating the TORS is well worth theeffort.

Q#21:How do I eliminate the TORS? (from the Jetting FAQ)A#21:Several companies sell TORS elimination kits (Toomey, Vito’s, etc.) that include aftermarket Mikunicarb tops, throttle cable, and an idle screw kit. The throttle cable and carb tops are a simple matter ofremoving the old and installing the new (be careful with the carb top threads and remember to check the carbsync, see Jetting FAQ Q#22). The idle screw kit requires removing the carbs, drilling a hole (on the left sideof the left carb and on the right side of the right carb), tapping the hole, filing the casting flat, and installing thescrews. Drilling the hole is simple, just place a small piece of wood inside the carb to prevent the tip of thedrill bit from dinging the opposite side of the carb when it goes through. Tapping the threads is also easilydone, however be careful to use a good quality tapping fluid and run the tap in slowly; half turn in, quarterturn out, etc. Breaking the tap off is an exceedingly bad idea. Make sure to file off enough material at theend of the casting, about ¼”, so that the idle screw can raise the carb slide. Once installed, you can removecontrol box, the parking brake switch and thumb throttle switch (follow the wires to a connector and eitherdisconnect it or cut the wires). Be sure to clean the carbs thoroughly and use compressed air to blow out anydrill filings, and check the throttle cable free play. More details on installing the kit can be found atwww.toomey.com in the tech section.

Q#22:OK I know the parts of the ignition system how does it work?A#22:Basically, the crankshaft spins the flywheel around the stator, the stator then produces electricity andsends it through the wiring harness to the CDI, at the same time the pickup coil senses the tabs on the flywheeland sends a signal to the CDI. Depending on engine RPM, the CDI takes the electric current from the statorand the signal from the pickup coil, and sends an electrical pulse through the wiring harness to the coil, whichsteps up the voltage and fires both spark plugs. For the ignition system to work (and the bike to run), theflywheel has to be indexed to the crankshaft at the right position with a woodruff key and the flywheel nuttorqued properly so the flywheel can't spin on the crank, the stator needs to be intact (not shorted or brokencircuit internally) to produce electricity, the pickup coil needs to be intact and positioned with the correct gapfrom the flywheel tabs, the stator plate needs to be mounted securely to the engine bottom end, the CDI andcoil need to be intact, the wiring harness needs to be intact (not broken wires or shorting to the frame), allwiring harness connectors need to be connected and making a complete circuit on both sides (not loose soelectricity can't travel through), the spark plug wires need to be connected between the plugs and the coil, thespark plugs need to be gapped and operational (not fouled), and finally both the handlebar kill switch and thekey switch need to be "on".

Q#23:That makes sense, sort of, but I want a basic electrical system overview…A#23:If you’ve never messed with an electrical system, check this out. On a relatively simple electricalsystem like a Banshee has, it’s all about generating electricity just to fire the spark plugs. When electricity isproduced by the stator and flywheel, it has a positive charge, and really wants to find the easiest path tonegative, or ground…like water flowing down a river. Along the way, we can use the electricity to do stufffor us, in this case we want it to fire the spark plugs at just the right instant, in the water analogy, it would belike having a waterwheel using the flowing river to turn. So it’s very important for the wiring and connectorsto make a complete path between the source or electricity (the stator) and ultimately the ground (the motorand frame), since the spark plug is connected to, or “grounded” to the motor, this is the end of the electricity’sjourney; making a fat spark between the electrical supply and the ground strap of the spark plug. If the riverwas dammed it wouldn’t flow, so couldn’t turn the waterwheel, with an electrical system the same is true if awire is broken or if the ground wire is loose, unattached, or not making a good connection to the frame. If thewater or electricity’s path is unobstructed, like without a dam (water) or broken wire (electricity), it makes a“complete circuit”. If it does have an obstruction to flow, it makes an “open circuit” and cannot operate.


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Another electrical term is “short circuit”, in which case the electricity has taken a path to ground before wewanted it to, as if the river was diverted away from the waterwheel before it got there, again rendering ituseless. While the CDI, coil, wiring and switches can make a Banshee electrical system seem much morecomplex, each part of the system has a function and can easily be diagnosed when problems arise, as long asyou know what each component is supposed to do.

Q & A, Testing

Q#24:What do I need to test the Banshee electrical system?A#24:This FAQ, an Ohmmeter, and some patience. A factory or Clymer manual is always a good source ofinformation, and usually will have good illustrations as well.

Q#25:What’s an “Ohmmeter”?A#25:An Ohmmeter is a small instrument used to test for “resistance” in an electrical circuit. Back to thewater analogy from Q#23, resistance is a measure of how much water is flowing down the river, or if it’sflowing at all. In electrical terms, you can test resistance through a wire to make sure that it isn’t brokenbetween two ends (this is important because even if a wire looks fine on the outside, the copper wire insidethe plastic insulation can be broken in half), this type of test is called “continuity”. You can also use anOhmmeter to test the stator and coil, in this case you would be looking for a certain resistance, or amount ofOhms, from the specs above to tell if the components are OK; if you tested it and found an abnormally highOhm reading, it’s possible that the internal wiring of the device is broken (an “open circuit”); if you see a verylow Ohm reading, it’s possible that it has a “short circuit” or the internal wiring is melted together where itshouldn’t be. Just remember that Ohms tell you how easily electricity can flow through a wire.

On a side note, I prefer a DVOM for testing, or Digital Volt/Ohm Meter, and one that emits a tone or “beep”when testing continuity is really cool. On these meters, when you set the instrument to check continuity, itwill beep at you when you have a complete circuit (like if you touch the two leads together, or touch a lead toeach end of a good wire). This makes it easier to make continuity tests, even if you have to turn down thestereo in the background to hear it, because you don’t have to be looking at the meter to know if what yourtesting DOES have continuity. The digital meters are also a little easier to read and can be found in many autoparts stores for around twenty bucks.

Here's a good link on how to use an Ohmmeter or multitester:http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/electrical/multitesteruse.htm

Q#26:How do I use an Ohmmeter to test continuity?A#26:To test for continuity, set the meter to “continuity check” if you have it, or “Ohms” if you do not. Some meters will have different test ranges, but for continuity you can just set it to 10-100 Ohms. Now simplytouch one test lead (it doesn’t matter which one) to each end of the wire you want to test. If your meterbeeps, listen for the tone; if you hear it then that wire has continuity through it. If your meter doesn’t beep,look at the meter reading; a very low Ohm reading (close to 1 or 0) means that you DO have continuitythrough the wire and it is OK; a very high reading (the needle pegs out on an analog meter or the digital meterreads “- -“, or infinite Ohms) means that the wire is broken somewhere and electricity cannot flow through it.

Be careful with connectors! Don’t cram the test leads into the connector you’re testing, as this will sometimesbend the little terminals (the tiny copper or gold colored metal things inside the plastic connector, which arecrimped to the wire on one side and make contact with another terminal when the connectors are puttogether) and when you put it back together they will not make a complete circuit. All you need to do istouch the test lead to the terminal inside the connector, and the terminals should be clean to make a goodcontact.


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Don’t test for continuity while the motor is running! Continuity is tested without electricity flowing throughthe wires. In fact, you can test for continuity with the wiring harness completely removed from yourBanshee. Although unlikely, it’s possible to fry your ohmmeter, and you probably won’t get the readingsyou’re after.

Q#27:How do I use an Ohmmeter to test resistance?A#27:To test resistance, set the meter to “Ohms”, if several ranges are available on your meter select the oneclosest to what you are looking for. For example, if you’re testing the ignition coil of the stator, set the meterto read 10-100 Ohms. Then touch one test lead to each of the terminals that the wire color you’re looking foris attached to (in the ignition coil example, put one test lead on the terminal for the red wire and the other testlead on the green wire’s terminal), then read the meter to tell how many Ohms of resistance are between thetwo test leads. When testing resistance, it DOESN’T matter which color test lead you put where, likecontinuity you are just testing how much, if any, electricity can flow through. In a Banshee application, thereare no components (other than inside the CDI) that you can test that will matter which way electricity canflow. So in the example, it doesn’t matter if you put the black test lead on the green wire or the red wire, orthe red test lead on the green or red wire, the results will be the same.

Again, be careful with the connector terminals and don’t test resistance with the motor running!

Q#28:How do I test for spark?A#28:One of the easiest and most common electrical system tests is to check for spark. You don’t needanything except a wrench to remove a spark plug to do this. Make sure both the key switch and the handlebarkill switch are “on”, and it would be a good idea to turn off the fuel. Remove one spark plug cap, and thenremove that spark plug. Stick the spark plug back into the cap, and hold the end of the spark plug against thecylinder head (the very tip of the spark plug that is usually inside the motor has a small metal strap on oneside, hold that “ground strap” against the top of the motor or one of the head nuts). Now watch the tip of thespark plug and kick the motor over. You should see a fat, blue spark at the end of the spark plug, that’s apretty good indication that your ignition system is operational. If you don’t see a spark, try kicking it a couplemore times, or try holding the ground strap against another metal part of the motor. It’s also easier to see thespark out of direct sunlight, so don’t panic, get it into a garage and it will be a lot easier to see.

Q#29:How do I test the Ignition Coil on the Stator?A#29:Using an ohmmeter and the specifications above, check the resistance between the red wire and thegreen wire on the four-wire harness coming out of the stator. Find the four-wire connector (usually white), atthe front of the airbox on the right-hand side of the bike. Depress the little plastic retainer on the connectorand disconnect the two connector halves. Take a look at the wire on the connector towards the front of thebike, it should run under the carbs and into the left-hand side of the motor’s bottom end. That is theconnector you want to test. On the back side of the connector where the wires enter, locate the red and greenwires. Set your ohmmeter to test resistance (and the correct range if you need to), and touch one test lead tothe terminal on the red wire, and the other test lead on the terminal on the green wire. Your ohmmeter shouldread between 13.7 and 20.5 Ohms, so if it reads 15 Ohms your stator ignition coil is OK, if it reads “- -“ orinfinite Ohms or anything less than 13.7 or more than 20.5, then the stator is shot.

Q#30:How do I test the Pickup Coil?A#30:Same as above Q#29, except you will be testing between the red & white wire and the green & whitewire in the four-wire connector. You should have between 94 and 140 Ohms between these two wires. Animportant note is that the pickup coil needs to have the correct gap between it and the flywheel tabs. Tocheck the gap, rotate the flywheel until one of the tabs on the outside lines up with the pickup coil (either byhand or by moving the kickstarter slowly). The gap should be between 0.015" and 0.020", if you need toadjust the gap loosen the two small phillips-head screws where the pickup coil mounts and relocate it, thenretighten the screws. If you’re in a real bind, you can use a matchbook cover to check the gap, it’s about the


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same thickness. Just like adjusting valves on a 4-stroke motor, the feeler gauge should slide easily into the gapwith just the slightest drag, it should not be a bitch to cram the feeler gauge in there (that’s too tight!) and youshouldn’t be able to bounce the feeler gauge back and forth inside the gap (too loose!).

Q#31:How do I test the Lighting Coil on the Stator?A#31:Similar to Q#29 above, check the resistance between the single yellow wire and the single black wirecoming out of the stator. Usually right near the four-wire connector at the front of the airbox on theright-hand side of the bike, you will find the two single wires with hooded bullet-style connectors. Simply pullthe connectors apart, and test between the yellow and black wire that leads to the stator. Your ohmmetershould read between 0.26 and 0.38 Ohms.

Q#32:How do I test the coil and spark plug caps?A#32:Locate the coil on the bike, it’s bolted to a frame rail just forward of the right cylinder. Unplug theorange and black wires from the wiring harness to the coil, and pull the spark plug boots off the spark plugs,then use a 12mm wrench to remove the coil mounting bolts. Many bike shops and dealerships have a benchtester for coils, if they’re nice they might just test it for free...in addition, resistance tests may test OK but thecoil can still be bad, so if possible have it bench tested or swap in a known working coil to be 100% certain,even if you gotta pay a little bit for it. To test the coil, use an ohmmeter to first measure the primary sideresistance between the "+" and "-" terminals that connect to the wiring harness, you should have between 0.28and 0.38 Ohms. Next test the secondary side resistance between the "-" terminal and the connector insideEACH spark plug boot, you should have between 4,700 and 7,100 Ohms in each one. If the secondary sidetest shows an open circuit (infinite resistance), remove the spark plug cap and test directly to the wire, if youthen get the right resistance, replace the spark plug cap and test again; if it's still infinite the cap is bad. If youstill show an open circuit at the end of the spark plug wire, remove the wire at the coil and test again; if it isstill infinite Ohms, the coil is shot, if not the spark plug wire probably is bad.

Q#33:How do I test the handlebar kill switch?A#33:Using an ohmmeter, test for continuity between the black ground wire and the white & black wire, whenthe switch is “off” there should be continuity between the two wires, when the switch is “on” there should bean open circuit. Find the connector for the handlebar kill switch and light switch, usually located around thebottom front of the fuel tank (you may need to remove the fuel tank to get to it). Depress the little plasticretainer on the connector and disconnect the two connector halves. Put the ohmmeter test leads on the blackand white wires on the switch side of the wiring harness, with the switch set to “on” you should have infiniteresistance or an open circuit (no electricity can flow). When you turn the switch “off” you should havecontinuity or a small amount of Ohms indicating that the circuit is complete (electricity can flow through).

Q#34:How do I test the key switch?A#34:Similar to Q#33 above, EXCEPT the key switch works just the opposite; when the key is “on” thereshould be continuity between the black & white and the black & red wires on the switch side connector, andwhen “off” there should be no continuity. On the wiring harness side of the switch (don’t ask me why thewire colors are different or why there are four wires on the switch), the CDI needs to have the black & redwire grounded to the black wire to run, and when that circuit is opened it will shut off. See Q#60 on how toeliminate the key switch. As above, test the key switch by checking for continuity between the black & whiteand black & red wires, except when “on” there should be continuity and when “off” there should be nocontinuity.

Q#35:How do I test the voltage regulator?A#35:Check the blue wire connector and the black ground eyelet on the voltage regulator’s frame mountingbolt. If that’s OK, and your headlights explode when you hit high RPM, it’s probably shot. To test thevoltage regulator, you'll need to rig a tachometer, and test the DC voltage at one of the headlight connectors attwo different RPM's while the motor is running. Remove one headlight connector by depressing the little


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plastic retainer and disconnecting the connectors. Start the motor, turn the headlight switch on to "high"beam, and have someone hold the throttle keeping the motor at 2500 RPM. With your DVOM (an ohmmeterwon't cut it here, you need a meter that can test DC volts) set to test DC voltage, touch the red test lead to theyellow wire on the wiring harness side of the headlight connector, and the black lead to the black wire in thesame connector; it should read 11.5 Volts (if the reading is lower, test the lighting coil, see Q#31). Now haveyour helper hold the throttle so the engine is turning 8000 RPM, with the meter test leads on the sameterminals you should read 16.3 Volts, if it is above this reading the voltage regulator is toast. If both testscheck out OK, repeat the whole test with the red meter test lead on the green wire, with the light switch set to"low" beam. You should get the same readings, if the voltage higher than specified, replace the voltageregulator.

Q#36:How do I test the wiring harness?A#36:Using an ohmmeter, check for continuity between connectors for each wire color. Simply unplug theconnector at each end of the wiring harness that you want to test, and put one ohmmeter test lead on theterminal for the same color wire on both ends. For example, if you wanted to check the wiring harnessbetween the stator and CDI, unplug the connectors for each, put one test lead on the red wire terminal at thestator, and the other test lead on the red wire terminal at the CDI. You should have continuity between thetwo, then move on to test the green wire, then red & white, then green & white. If you have continuity foreach wire color, then you know the harness is intact. If you do not have continuity, first make sure theterminals are secured to the wires at the back of the connector, and that the terminals are clean (no rust or dirtinside the connector). If there are no other visible problems, chances are the wire that has no continuity hasbeen severed inside it’s insulation somewhere and will need to be replaced. Here's a pic of Superchicken'sstock wiring harness:

Q#37:How do I test the CDI?A#37:The short answer is, you can’t. Since the CDI is a solid-state electronic device potted (or encased) insilicone, about the only thing you can check on it is to make sure the connectors are tight and the wires aresecured to the connector terminals. Short of buying an expensive replacement, the only way to test the CDI isto swap in a known working one. For this reason it’s usually best to test every other electrical componentfirst, if everything else checks out then chances are the CDI is toast. . If you’re lucky you can swap in aknown working one from a buddy to make sure, but that’s not always an option (see Q#61 if you can swap aCDI from a different year Banshee and the connectors are different, it is still possible to try it out by removingthe terminals in the connectors). It should be noted that MOST CDI failures are simply working or not (go orno go), so if the bike will run occasionally and other times it won’t, the CDI may not be the problem, but if itflat will not run and everything else checks out OK, it probably is the CDI that is bad.


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Q & A, Troubleshooting

Q#38:My Banshee suddenly will not run, with no prior symptoms, WTF?A#38:Many times electrical system problems will show up out of nowhere with no warning, one day you’reridin’ and the next day it won’t start at all. If this happens, start with the simplest possible solutions andproceed from there. Make sure it has fuel, the petcock is “on”, the handlebar kill switch is “on”, the keyswitch is “on”, and then test for spark (see Q#28). If it has spark but will not run, look elsewhere beforereturning to the electrical system: it might just need the choke, new spark plugs, the air filter may be clogged,or the compression may be way low. Kick it over 5 to 50 times and then take a look at the spark plug, if it’swet chances are it isn’t starving for fuel, if fresh plugs don’t work, move on. If everything else looks good, oryou tested for spark and had none, start by testing the stator (Q#29 above), as this is a common failure (seeQ#57 for tips on preventing stator failure). After that, it’s a process of elimination, focus on the ignitioncircuit and disregard the lighting circuit, so test the pickup coil, continuity through the wiring harness, the coil,the plug wires, the handlebar kill switch, the key switch, and if everything else tests OK and you still have nospark, chances are the CDI needs to be replaced (Q#30-37 above).

Q#39:I recently installed a degree key, it ran great for a while then died, why?A#39:If it was running after installation of the degree key, the most likely problem is that the flywheel nutcame loose and either ate the key or spit it out. Pull the stator cover and check the flywheel nut, if it is looseor fell off, remove the flywheel (see Q#48) and see if the key is intact. If it spun loose, check for damage onthe tapered end of the crankshaft and the inside of the flywheel. If you replace the key make sure to installthe flywheel correctly (see Q#48). If the flywheel did not come off and the key is OK, make sure the problemisn’t non-electrical; too much advance can cause detonation, and on some motors just adding a degree key willcause a lean jetting condition and could lead to piston damage. If everything else checks out, go through allthe tests in Q#38, it’s possible that another electrical component just failed without having anything to do withthe degree key.

Q#40:My Banshee runs fine until the upper RPM’s, when it cuts in and out, what is it?A#40:A high-speed miss can be a symptom of the coil starting to fail. If you’ve ruled out jetting or a brokenreed, test the coil. Also be sure to check the terminals from the wiring harness to the coil, as they willsometimes become loose and make a bad or intermittent connection (if loose, gently squeeze the female spadeterminals on the wiring harness so they fit tighter on the coil terminals), and make sure the plug wires aren’tloose at the coil or the spark plug caps.

Q#41:I hit a huge water puddle and my Banshee died, what happened?A#41:Banshees don’t really like water, and many times the stock carbs will stick wide open after hittingwater, but when it dies chances are water has made it’s way into the stator. Remove the stator cover anddrain any water present, let it dry out and try it again. For tips on waterproofing your stator cover see Q#57. If the stator was dry or it still won’t run, check all the connectors. If water has gotten inside, you can put adab of dielectric grease inside the connectors to prevent water from causing problems in the future. Again, ifthe problem persists start by checking for spark and then continue testing until you find the problem (Q#28-37above).

Q#42:I was riding and it started to cut in and out at various RPM’s, what could it be?A#42:Some of the hardest electrical problems to solve are the intermittent ones. These are hard to testbecause sometimes heat or vibration while riding will cause the problem, but testing afterwards may not showany failures. Some common things to check are the coil terminals (see Q#40), the wiring harness where a wiremay have rubbed against the frame and shorted out (this may not show up with a continuity test but will bevisible, although you may need to remove the wiring harness to find it), and the stator (along with testingresistance you can inspect it for any visibly loose wires or solder joints). If everything tests OK (Q#28-37above) and you’re certain it isn’t a jetting problem (which will usually be limited to a certain throttle position,


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unless it’s WAY off) or other mechanical problem (exhaust or intake restriction, broken reed, etc.), then mostlikely the stator is bad (see Q#29-30), with a slight chance that the CDI is dying (see Q#37).

Q#43:I recently replaced my stator and now it won’t run, why?A#43:Start with the simple checks; check the new stator’s resistance just in case you got a DOA unit (ithappens), see Q#29 & 30 and make sure to check the pickup coil gap; make sure the connectors are all tight;pull off the stator cover and check the flywheel (see Q#39) and the wiring behind the stator plate for the statorand pickup coil, it may have been cut or pinched against the motor during assembly. If everything checks outOK, test everything else (Q#28-37 above), there’s an outside chance that the stator was not the originalproblem (if you replaced it because of an electrical failure), or that another component failed at the same time.

Q#44:My headlights keep blowing, why?A#44:The most likely problem is the voltage regulator (see Q#35).

Q#45:I suddenly have NO lights, what’s wrong?A#45:Check the bulbs first, they may have just gone out from old age or vibration. Check the stator lightingcoil resistance next (see Q#31), then test the wiring harness connectors and continuity (see Q#36) making sureto check the ground, and finally take apart the handlebar light switch and check out the switch itself. The lightswitch may have gotten water (unlikely) or filth inside, or the contacts have simply worn out.

Q#46:I replaced the spark plugs and it doesn’t run right, what’s the deal?A#47:Make sure you use new NGK BR8ES spark plugs or better NGK plugs (there are various types of finewire, race, etc. plugs available, but opinions vary on how much they help; when in doubt stick with theBR8ES plugs unless you have a VERY highly modified motor that requires a different heat range). Check thespark plug gap, make sure the little tit on top of the spark plugs are tight, make sure the spark plug caps areclean inside where it connects to the spark plug, and make sure the plug is tight in the cylinder head (don’ttorque it like crazy! On new plugs about one full turn past finger tight will seat the sealing washer, on oldplugs it takes closer to a quarter turn past finger tight). Also make sure the spark plug wires are connected tothe coil securely.

Q & A, Removal and Installation

Q#47:I need to replace my stator, how do I do it?A#47:Removal-Unplug the stator connectors, coming from the left-hand side of the bottom end of the motorand routed under the carbs towards the right-hand front of the airbox, there is one four-wire connector(usually white), and a single yellow and black wire with a hooded bullet-style connector. Depress the plasticretainer on the four-wire connector to disconnect the two halves, and simply pull the two single-wire apart. Remove the plastic stator cover on the left-hand side of the bottom end of the motor (typically you’ll need toremove the shift lever with a 12mm wrench by removing the bolt and sliding it off the shift shaft splines,remove the left-hand footpeg with a 17mm wrench by removing both bolts, and then removing the sevenphillips-head screws on the stator cover). Remove the flywheel (see Q#48). Remove the three bolts securingthe stator plate to the motor with either a 12mm wrench or a phillips-head screwdriver. Push the wiring bootjust above the stator plate out of the hole in the bottom end of the motor, and pull the short wiring harnessthrough the hole. Pull the stator assembly away from the motor. If by chance you are not replacing the entireassembly (aftermarket stators typically come mounted to the stator plate, along with the pickup coil), removethe stator from the plate by removing the three phillips-head screws, and remove the wiring from the shortrubber grommet (this is a BITCH, once the electrical tape is removed if present, the wires don’t want to goback through the grommet without cutting off the bullet-style connectors, luckily you can find theseconnectors at most auto parts stores. You can remove the terminals from the four-wire connector to get themthrough, see Q#61). Make sure you note how the wires are routed around the stator plate.Installation-While not entirely necessary, it doesn’t hurt to test the resistance on the new stator before you


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install it, just in case it’s DOA (see Q#29-31). If your stator didn’t come mounted to the stator plate, install iton the plate with the three phillips-head screws and carefully route the wires through the stator plate andthrough the rubber grommet. Hold the stator up to it’s mounting location and push the connectors through thehole in the bottom end of the motor, routing the short harness under the carbs towards the wiring harnessconnectors, then push the rubber grommet in place in the hole. Use a little anti-seize compound on all thebolts and screws (I recommend this stuff whenever you’re putting a steel bolt into aluminum). Thread thethree stator plate mounting bolts through the plate and tighten them (if it is a tight fit, tighten the bolts in acircular pattern a turn or two at a time so you don’t warp the plate). If you are going to advance the timingwith the stator plate by slotting the holes (see Q#56), or you have an aftermarket plate that is already slotted,line up the adjustment mark that you want to set the timing to with the line where the case upper & lowerhalves meet just to the right (or rear of the bike) of the stator plate, and tighten the stator plate bolts. Installthe flywheel (see Q#48), and set the pickup coil gap (see Q#30). Reinstall the stator cover, footpeg, and shiftlever, and then plug in the four-wire connector and the two single wires to the wiring harness.

Q#48:I need to replace the flywheel or key, how do I do it?A#48:Removal-You will need to invest in a flywheel puller tool, these are available for $10-20 all the time onebay, or double or triple that at your local dealer. Do not use a jaw-type bearing puller! Same goes forprybars, hydraulic jacks and C4, these can all damage the flywheel and should be avoided. Some flywheelsdon’t want to come off even with the tool, so you may also need some of your favorite flavor of penetratingoil (WD40, panther piss, etc.). Remove the stator cover (see Q#47 above). Using a 17mm socket (19mm onRZ350's), remove the flywheel nut. The BEST way to remove the nut is with an impact wrench, you won’teven need to hold the flywheel, the impact will spin the nut right off. If you’re in a bind and cannot use animpact (really, the impact is way way better), you can use a rubber or fabric strap-type oil filter wrench tohold the flywheel while removing the nut, but if it's not the right length it may not work very well and you riskdamaging the flywheel tabs or busting your knuckles when the strap wrench invariably slips. Motion-Promakes a flywheel/clutch holder tool that would be one of the best options if an impact is unavailable. Ifyou’re industrious, you can fabricate a flywheel holder out of a short (about 12”) piece of metal and two 3/8”bolts; simply measure the centers of two of the holes in the flywheel’s center section, drill the metal with twoholes at the same distance apart at one end, and mount the bolts to the metal piece with a nut so that the boltextends past the nut. Then simply use the new tool to hold the flywheel by setting the ends of the two boltsinto the flywheel. Depending on how many holes are in your flywheel, you may need to use two holesopposite of each other (3-3/8" from center to center), in that case you’ll need a holesaw to drill a hole in thecenter to get a socket on the flywheel nut, like mine (shown with an RZ350 flywheel):


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Here's a couple pics of Holyman's flywheel holder, which will engage two holes on the side of the flywheel:

Here's a pic of Meat's flywheel holder, a good rubber strap wrench:

Once the flywheel nut is loose, carefully thread the outside of the flywheel puller tool into the center of theflywheel until it bottoms, remember that the fine threads on the inside of the flywheel are left-hand so threadit in counter-clockwise (you may need to back the center bolt out all the way first so it doesn’t hit the end ofthe crankshaft before the outside threads bottom out in the flywheel). Then thread the center bolt in until itcontacts the crank, finger tight. Using two wrenches, hold the outside of the tool and tighten the center bolton the tool fairly tight (not 6-foot cheater bar tight! the flywheel has very fine threads and is easily stripped,so just tighten it about a quarter or half turn, so that the tool is putting tension on the flywheel away from the


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crank…for you detail freaks probably about 20-30 ft-lb. of torque). Now take the wrenches off the tool andhit the center bolt on the flywheel puller tool with a hammer (not a sledge! a ball-peen, dead-blow or smallmallet is fine). If the flywheel hasn’t popped off the crankshaft after putting tension on it with the tool or acouple whacks with the hammer, remove the tool and soak the center of the flywheel with penetrating oil. Ifthe motor is out of the bike turn it on it’s right side so gravity can help the oil soak in between the flywheeland the crank. If the motor is still in the frame, flip it up on it’s right side wheels (turn off the fuel first) so theflywheel is pointing straight up, and use a short 2x4 or something against the frame to hold it up. Let the oilsoak in an hour or ten (you may need to hose it down with penetrating oil every day and let it sit for a coupledays if it really doesn’t want to come off), then thread the tool back in and try again (remember to just tightenthe tool enough so that it has tension on it and then hit it with a hammer, sometimes you’ll feel it move a littlebit but won’t pop off so as long as it’s moving keep going with the process of tighten, hammer, tighten,hammer). Once you get the flywheel off, DON’T DROP IT! Dropping it or hitting it directly with a hammercan render it useless, the flywheel is magnetized and an impact can demagnetize it, and if the tabs are brokenoff you got yourself a paperweight. The last thing to do is remove the woodruff key from the crankshaft, itshould pop right out but may need a little persuasion with a light tap. Here's a pic of Meat's flywheel removertool being threaded into the flywheel, then tightening the center bolt:

Installation-Get some anti-seize compound and coat the end of the crankshaft (not the threads!) and themounting area of the flywheel lightly, along with the woodruff key and keyway on the crank. Set thewoodruff key in the keyway on the crankshaft (this is a lot easier if you turn the crank so the keyway facesstraight up), if you are installing a degree key make sure the offset is in the right direction (with the crankshaftkey facing up, place the key in the crankshaft slot with the offset facing the left, or front of the motor). Alignthe keyway on the flywheel with the woodruff key, and make sure the key doesn’t move when you slide theflywheel in place on the crank. Clean the threads on the end of the crank, put some blue (medium) loctite onthem. Install the lockwasher and then the nut. Use a 17mm socket to tighten the flywheel nut, and use aflywheel holder tool (see Removal above) to torque the nut to 59 ft-lbs. Make sure you torque that nut!! Thelast thing you want is that nut to come off 50 miles from nowhere, so take the time to torque it right. Animpact might get it tight enough, of course it might just strip the nut out (or worse the end of the crank!). Double check the pickup coil gap (see Q#30), and install the stator cover.

Q#49:I need to replace the coil, how do I do it?A#49:This one’s easy, simply disconnect the orange and black wires from the wiring harness on the right-handside of the coil, remove the spark plug caps, and use a 12mm wrench to remove the one mounting bolt. Installation is the same thing in reverse, but one thing to check is that the coil makes a good ground to theframe at the mounting bolt, if it is painted or powder coated you may need to scrape off the coating so that itis bare metal where the coil mounting bolt secures the coil. You can also use a little anti-seize on the bolt toprevent rust, as well as a little dielectric grease on the wiring harness connectors to keep water out of thewiring.

Q#50:I need to replace the CDI, how do I do it?


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A#50:The CDI is even easier than the coil; all you need to do is unplug the two four-wire connectors (latermodels may have one five-wire and one four-wire) by pushing in on the plastic retainer and disconnecting thetwo connector halves. Remove the two 12mm bolts on the bracket holding the CDI, and remove it. Againinstallation is just the reverse, and you can use some anti-seize on the bolts and dielectric grease on theconnectors to prevent corrosion.

Q#51:I need to replace my voltage regulator, how in the world can I do it?A#51:OK don’t let the sarcasm get to you but a trained monkey, or even a dealer-employed mechanic isqualified to replace the volt reg (just kidding! damn!!). Unplug the single blue wire from the wiring harness,and remove the two 12mm bolts. Installation is just as painless, but you need to make certain that the blackground wire with an eyelet makes a good ground to one of the mounting bolts (see Q#49 above). Again youcan use anti-seize on the bolts and dielectric grease on the connector.

Q#52:How do I replace the wiring harness?A#52:Oh boy, you’re screwed, you might as well sell it right now. Not! The easiest way to replace the wiringharness is to start at the CDI, run the new harness alongside the old one, and simply unplug the old harnessconnectors and plug in the new ones. Take care to route the wiring harness along the same path as the oldone, and if it gets close to the pipes try to keep it far enough away so it doesn’t get burnt. Use the factory tiesif possible, and if you use zip ties don’t make them super tight or the wiring harness will be more prone torubbing the frame and causing a short circuit. You will probably need to remove the fuel tank to get to theconnectors and wiring to the handlebars. Also you can use dielectric grease in all the connectors to preventcorrosion.

Q#53:How do I replace the light switch, key switch, headlights or taillight?A#53:All of these are simply a matter of tracing the wires to a connector, unplugging it, and installing the newone. Headlight and taillight bulbs can be replaced by taking their housings apart (or removing the lens) andchanging out the bulb.

Q & A, Electrical System Modifications

Q#54:What is “advanced timing”?A#54:Advancing the ignition timing is an age-old method of extracting a few more horsepower out of a2-stroke engine. Typically when a motor leaves the factory it’s detuned for reliability and ease of use,advancing the timing can give you a couple ponies cheap or free, without risking damage, as long as you don’tgo too far. By advancing the timing, you alter the time that the spark plug ignites the intake charge. If thespark plug fires earlier due to advanced timing, more of the intake charge can be burned, and more efficiently,producing more power. In it’s factory detuned state, a Banshee will benefit from advanced timing, andtogether with other simple mods can quickly make a lot more horsepower (some dyno testing shows about 2hpgain from 4 degrees of advance). However, too much advance can quickly cause detonation and/oroverheating problems, so it’s best not to go beyond about 4 degrees of advance unless you are building adedicated drag racer or plan on running high octane fuel. Also remember that your jetting may be affected bytiming advance, and reading your spark plug can give you an indication of too much timing advance ordetonation (see the Jetting FAQ).

Q#55:How do I advance my timing?A#55:There are three ways to advance the timing; a degree key (see Q#10), slotted stator plate mountingholes, or an aftermarket CDI. Degree keys are relatively cheap, fairly easy to install, and are usually availablein 4 degree or 7 degrees of advance (typically 4 degrees is perfect for all but drag racing ONLY applications,where the 7 degree key is used on gas motors) . Aftermarket adjustable stator plates cost more and are a littleharder to install, but offer the advantage of being able to easily adjust the timing anytime by loosening thestator plate bolts and rotating the plate, or by loosening the pickup coil screws and adjusting the pickup coil


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mount. Your stock stator plate can be modified by elongating the mounting bolt holes (see Q#56 below). Adjustable stator plates also offer the benefit of being able to go much farther than 7 degrees of advance oreven retard the timing, however both of these scenarios only apply to seriously built alcohol or other exotic-fueled drag racers. Aftermarket CDI’s are by far the most expensive, but are also way way easier to installand offer the greatest adjustability (depending on model) and flexibility. An aftermarket CDI may also offerside benefits such as hotter spark or outputs for shift lights or nitrous oxide solenoids.

Q#56:How do I modify my stock stator plate to advance the timing?A#56:First of all, you need to make a mark on the stator plate to use as a reference for advancing the timing. Once the stator cover and flywheel are removed (see Q#47), etch a mark on the stator plate on the right side(or towards the rear of the bike) of the stator plate where the upper and lower case halves meet. This markwill be your “zero advance” reference mark. Next remove the stator assembly and find a tool to slot themounting holes. A Dremel tool with a straight carbide burr works well, or any other rotary tool that will fit inthe stator plate mounting bolt hole (about 6mm in diameter) and cut the aluminum material will work, a drillbit does not work very well, nor do most grinding stones since they will load up quickly. With the stator platesitting on a workbench, with the stator coils and pickup coil facing upwards, use your cutting tool to elongatethe three stator plate mounting holes counterclockwise, along an imaginary circle that is the diameter of allthree bolts. In other words, don’t just slot the holes in a straight line as the bolts won’t go in; you need tocurve the slot so that when the stator plate is mounted loosely with the bolts, it can rotate. You only need toelongate the holes about 1mm for every degree of timing advance you want to add, so if you’re going for 4degrees of advance slot the holes about 4mm longer. Remount the stator plate with the bolts finger tight andalign your reference mark where the upper and lower case halves meet. Now rotate the stator plate clockwise,one millimeter for every degree of advance you want to run, by using the reference mark relative to where theupper and lower case halves meet. Tighten the stator mounting bolts, reassemble everything (see Q#47), andverify your jetting just in case (see the Jetting FAQ). Here's a pic of BdBanshee's stator plate modded for upto 5 degrees of advance:

Q#57:How can I waterproof my stator?A#57:The stock stator doesn’t have the best water protection. The problem (I think) lies in the bottom casehalf casting. Just to the right (or towards the rear of the bike) of the stator and pickup coil is a notch on thebottom case half. This notch was used on the RD/RZ350 street bikes, which the Banshee motor is derivedfrom, for a short wire that goes to the neutral sensor. You’ve no doubt noticed the little white plastic cap justbelow the front sprocket, well on the street bikes there was a small spring-loaded nub on the inside of that capthat extended into a hole on the end of the shift drum when the transmission was in neutral, thereby signalingthe neutral lamp to light up. These bikes had a rubber grommet for that wire where it passed through thebottom case half (the wire was run alongside the stator wires through the upper case half hole and grommet)so that the stator was sealed off from the relatively open area where the front sprocket sits. For some reason,most Banshees do not have a grommet there and the rubber stator cover gasket doesn’t seal off the little


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casting hole. So if you are getting water into the stator, first check that the rubber gasket on the stator cover isintact and replace it if necessary, and then add a small rubber plug in that hole, or seal it with silicone. Youcan cut a small (about 1cm) piece off the stator cover gasket itself to plug that hole, just cut it off the veryrearward part of the gasket above the front sprocket where it really isn’t sealing anything off anyway.

Q#58:What’s the right way to install a tether kill switch?A#58:While some people run both wires of a tether kill switch to the coil, and this does work, it may causedamage to the CDI. The best way to wire a tether (or pushbutton) kill switch is to use the handlebar killswitch circuit. When the black/white wire on the handlebar kill switch is grounded, the CDI kills the motor. All you need to do is ground one of the tether wires to the frame (or splice it to the black wire for thehandlebar kill switch), and splice (see Q#59) the other wire onto the black/white wire somewhere. If youbought it new, the tether switch should have instructions indicating which wire should be grounded and whichone grounds when the tether is pulled (if you’re not sure which is which, temporarily splice the wires one waybut don’t cut them until you know it works). I prefer a solid ground to the frame just in case, so I like to use anylon solderless eyelet terminal on the ground wire (you’ll need a wire stripper and a pair of crimpers alongwith the terminal, but you can find all of it at an auto parts store) and attach it to one of the tether wires. Make sure you don’t cut the wire too short to reach a frame bolt, once the terminal is crimped in place makesure it contacts bare metal on the frame and tighten the bolt (you can use any of the bolts that thread into theframe, like the coil mounting bolt, the upper steering stem mount, etc.). Now splice the other tether kill switchwire to the black/white wire. If you’re eliminating the handlebar kill switch (not really a good idea unless youmount a pushbutton kill switch in it’s place, having a kill switch you can easily reach with your left hand whileholding on to the handlebars is a good idea in case of emergency, you may not have time to yank the tetherout or be able to get one hand off the handlebars), simply cut the black/white wire somewhere between the oldswitch and the wiring harness connector and splice the tether switch wire to it (you can also splice the othertether switch wire to the black wire if you don’t want to use a frame bolt for the ground). If you are keepingthe handlebar kill switch, you’ll either need to skin the insulation off the black/white wire somewhere andsplice the tether switch wire to it, or use one of those 3m Scotchlocks to piggyback onto that wire. Before yougo crazy with the electrical tape, test the tether kill switch! With the tether installed, the motor should run,and when you yank out the tether, it should die. If it doesn’t, first make sure the splices and/or ground ismaking good contact, then try swapping the two wires (move the ground wire to the black/white wire, movethe one that was on black/white to ground…some tether kill switches will only operate one way). Make sureany splices are thoroughly taped with electrical tape, use zip ties to route the wires if necessary (don’t makethem too tight or the wires can rub through!), and for a clean appearance tape the wires alongside or onto theexisting wiring harness in a spiral pattern along the whole length.

Q#59:What’s a splice and how do I make one?A#59:A wire splice is essentially just connecting two wires. If you are simply splicing the end of one wire tothe end of another, you can (in order of best to worst):1.Strip the insulation off each wire, twist them together, solder the joint, slide heat shrink tubing over theconnection so it extends past the insulation on both wires at least 2cm, and use a heat gun to shrink the tubing.2.Strip the insulation off each wire, twist each wire separately (just to keep stray wires from sticking out), andcrimp a nylon solderless butt connector between the wires.3.Strip the insulation off each wire, then take one wire and separate the conductors (all the little tiny copper oraluminum wires that were inside the plastic insulation before you stripped it) in half so it makes a “V”, andthen twist each side of the V together tightly. Take the other wire and do the same thing, so you have two“V’s”. Now push the two V’s together and twist one half of the V on each wire together, then twist the otherhalf of the V on each wire together, and finally twist both of your twisted wires together. Fold the twistedwires back onto the insulation of one of the wires and wrap the whole mess with electrical tape in a spiralpattern along the whole splice.

Now if you’re splicing the end of a new wire to the middle of an existing wire, you can:


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1.Same as #1 above except you’ll need to carefully “skin” the insulation off the middle of the existing wire toexpose the conductor wires. Be careful not to cut the conductors, and before soldering wrap the stripped endof the new wire tightly around the existing wire conductor. Once soldered, lay the new wire alongside theexisting wire and slide the heat shrink tubing over both wires on one side. You may not be able to get the heatshrink tubing over the solder, in that caseyou’ll have to tape over it with electrical tape.2.Use a 3M Scotchlock to piggyback the new wire onto the existing wire. These things have a small aluminumthing inside that (usually) makes contact with the conductor wires when you snap them shut. They don’talways make a good contact however, and you need to get the correct size for the wire you’re working with. The plastic tab that holds it shut is kinda flimsy too so it’s best to tape over them once installed.3.Same as #3 above, except your “V” will just be twisted onto the existing wire.

Q#60:How do I eliminate my key switch?A#60:The key switch operates just the opposite of the handlebar kill switch; when the red/black wire from theCDI is grounded, it is “on”, when the red/black wire is not grounded, it is “off”. To eliminate the key switch,simply trace the wires from the switch to the connector on the wiring harness (you’ll probably need to removethe fuel tank to reach the connector) and unplug it. Either cut the black/red and black wires off and splicethem together, or re-use the switch side connector to make a jumper wire. I prefer re-using the connector fora good weatherproof seal, to do this all you need to do is remove one terminal from the connector on theswitch side (see Q#61 below) for the black/red wire, uncrimp the terminal from the wire, cut the black/whitewire about an inch or two away from the connector, strip the black/white wire and crimp the terminal on, andstick the terminal back into the connector. Then simply cut off the red and brown wires off on the switch sideof the connector. When you’re done and connect the two connectors together, the red/black wire and theblack wire on the wiring harness side will be looped together and make a complete circuit. On a side note, youcan also re-use the two-wire TORS connectors instead of the switch side connector, as one of thoseconnectors will fit right on to the key switch’s wiring harness connector (just make a jumper connector asabove so the two wires are tied together).

Q#61:How can I remove terminals from a connector?A#61:You may at some time need to remove the terminals from a connector. One example is CDI testing;Banshee CDI’s have very little difference between year models from 1987 and up, so it is possible to use adifferent year CDI to test your own CDI, even if the connectors are different. In this case all you need to dois write down what color wire goes where in each connector, remove the terminals from both the old and newCDI’s, and then put the new CDI terminals into your old CDI’s connectors, and you can hook it right up. Toremove the terminals, you’ll need a sharp instrument like a straight pick or ice pick, or the end of a largepaperclip folded open. When the connector is disconnected, look at the inside of the connector at the terminalitself. You should see a small plastic retainer that you can push down with your pick. The retainer will looklike a small ramp, that when the terminal is shoved into the connector prevents it from coming out. Someterminals have the retainer on the terminal, in which case you depress the little metal tab. With one hand pulllightly on the wire that’s crimped to the terminal you want to remove (towards the wiring harness), and withthe other hand depress the little retainer. The terminal should slide right out the back of the connector. Toinstall the terminal into the connector, simply push the terminal in (make sure it is aligned correctly and notupside down) until the little retainer clicks in place and secures the terminal (unless you really mashed theretainer or have the terminal upside down it should not back out). It should be noted that terminals are oftendifferent depending on the gender of the connector, so you can only put terminals for a female connector inanother female, or male terminals in a male connector (typically a CDI will have one male and one femaleconnector). Here's a pic of Superchicken's CDI connectors, which are the same for '97 and up Banshees (onolder machines there will be two four-wire connectors, and depending on year can be round or square):


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Q#62:How do I wire in aftermarket headlights?A#62:The easiest way to wire aftermarket headlights is to cut off the factory headlight wires between theheadlight and the wiring harness connector. Then you can simply splice the new headlight wires to the blackground wire and either the green wire (which will be “low” beam on the stock handlebar light switch) or theyellow wire (“high” beam), or both if your new headlights have a high & low beam. If you want to removethe headlights you can just disconnect the factory connectors. It should be noted that the factory statorlighting coil can only handle two 30-35W headlights, or about 70W total (a little more for the taillight). If youuse higher wattage bulbs with a stock stator they won’t damage anything, but will not be very bright (possiblydimmer than the stock lights!). Also, if you are considering higher wattage headlights and want to upgradeyour stator, be advised that some stators have a 70W circuit just like the stock stator, along with a separate,higher wattage circuit that will require another voltage regulator. To my knowledge Ricky Stator’s higherwattage stators have only one lighting circuit with a higher wattage, so no additional wiring will be necessary.

Q#63:I want to eliminate the worthless junk in my wiring harness or make a new one…A#63:If by chance you wish to wire the headlights (stock or aftermarket) so they are always on “high” beam,eliminate the key switch and all the TORS crap, here is a color-coded wiring diagram:


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Q#64:I followed all your directions above and now my Banshee won’t run, my wife left me, my dog bit myleg, a giant asteroid is on a collision course for earth, blah blah blah…A#64:So you want a disclaimer? Allright: the thoughts and opinions expressed on this page are solely those ofthe author, who takes no responsibility whatsoever for the results of any actions that may injure or kill theplanet’s inhabitants if done at home or in the parking lot of a 7-11, and who by the way is NOT laying on abeach in the Carribean sipping exotic elixirs and tapping the asses of scantily clad beach bimbos right nowbecause he didn’t make a damn cent off of trying to help fellow enthusiasts by composing this document. Ifyou want to piss and moan, file litigation, protest in front of the White House, whatever…tough shit, I’m goin’riding.

One more big thanks to all the awesome members of the www.bansheehq.com forums for all your help andinput, I can't name you all but you know who you are, I couldn't have done it without you!!

This document is Copyright © Ben Boal 2004. Any unauthorized reproduction or sale of this document is unlawful and violators willprosecuted to the full extent of the law. In other words, don't sell it. Print it out and keep it for future reference, give it to your friends,link directly to this page, whatever, but it's intended for informational use and reference by people who would rather ride and have agood time than turn a quick buck on someone else's efforts. You know who you are, dumbfucks trying to sell what is free...somedayyou're gonna run into me in a dark alley and wish you weren't such a puss.


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