CDI compatibility

[gonzo19k]

Greetings! I've recently purchased a '87 XT600 Tenere (1VJ) and the CDI box is dead. Should I look for the same one as in my bike, or is there any compatibility between different model CDI's or even maybe I should purchase an aftermarket CDI box? Any help is appreciated, this is my first bike.

[Marcio_XT600_2TY]

I had problems with my 1VJ CDI and found a used one. It was not cheap, but apparently is the best alternative.
There are some CDI boxes that are fabricated for the 1VJ in Brazil, some people use it without problems, some prefer the used originals. I heard that some use CDIs from other bikes but I heard that it is not recomended.

[steveloomis]

There are several good quality aftermarket CDI's out there. I would NOT buy a used CDI as it can fail any time. I prefer a Zeeltronic made in Slovenia, there are some made in Belgium and New Zealand. www.zeeltronic.com. Email Borut, give him your model and year xt600, he will quote you a price. He ships quickly. This unit is programmable if you buy the programmer, however, he will program it for you before shipping. I have the programmer and have played around with curves. Since I have his cdi's for other bikes as well I only needed the free software to program the cdi for the xt600.

I have also used the one from New Zealand, check eBay, only problem is very long shipping delays. Have not used the Belgium made unit, but others on here have. Again my preference is the zeeltronic unit as I have several other units for other bikes and all have been perfect. If you do happen to have a problem, Borut is very quick to respond and will replace a defective unit quickly. (No he is no relation to me, just a good friend because of good service) He made the unit for the XT600 at my request by modifying an existing engineered unit.

My 2 cents

[gonzo19k]

I had problems with my 1VJ CDI and found a used one. It was not cheap, but apparently is the best alternative.
There are some CDI boxes that are fabricated for the 1VJ in Brazil, some people use it without problems, some prefer the used originals. I heard that some use CDIs from other bikes but I heard that it is not recomended.

Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, all the used CDI boxes I find are too expensive for me at the moment. And I tend not to trust used electronics, as there is much more chance of failure - just like my CDI box Yes, I heard too, that CDI's from other bikes are not recommended, because they have different spark firing curves (or smth like that)

[gonzo19k]

There are several good quality aftermarket CDI's out there. I would NOT buy a used CDI as it can fail any time. I prefer a Zeeltronic made in Slovenia, there are some made in Belgium and New Zealand. http://www.zeeltronic.com. Email Borut, give him your model and year xt600, he will quote you a price. He ships quickly. This unit is programmable if you buy the programmer, however, he will program it for you before shipping. I have the programmer and have played around with curves. Since I have his cdi's for other bikes as well I only needed the free software to program the cdi for the xt600.

I have also used the one from New Zealand, check eBay, only problem is very long shipping delays. Have not used the Belgium made unit, but others on here have. Again my preference is the zeeltronic unit as I have several other units for other bikes and all have been perfect. If you do happen to have a problem, Borut is very quick to respond and will replace a defective unit quickly. (No he is no relation to me, just a good friend because of good service) He made the unit for the XT600 at my request by modifying an existing engineered unit.

My 2 cents

Oh thank you, I will email him right away. And yes, I am with you on the used electronics, just don't believe in them. I've checked out Hyperpack products on eBay, but I'm not entirely convinced on them. Any information on these?

[steveloomis]

The Hyperpak units are the ones I've ordered from New Zealand thru eBay. Good units, long shipping delays. I think I waited almost 2 months for delivery. After ordering the Hyperpak units Borut built a Zeltronic unit, shipped and I received it about 1 week after the Hyperpak units arrived. I ordered two but only kept one which is running on my 84, the zeeltronic is running on my 86. I sold the other Hyperpak to another XT user in the states. Either one is good.

[Jaz1259]

I purchased a hyperpak from new zealand like said before took ages for delivery and when it arrived it didnt work, the seller just doesnt reply to emails and gave really poor service.

[steveloomis]

Sorry to hear you had problems. I agree, he is not good at answering email. I kept hounding him and he finally did answer me and shipped much later. I think he builds them to order. Mine were not configured for the USA model that uses the side stand switch and neutral switch. I had to alter the wiring a bit but they worked fine. Same with the Zeeltronic units, have to alter bike wiring just a bit. No problem. If anyone has questions about what this entails, please ask, I have it written down in my manual. I used to know it by heart but time erodes my memory.

One more thing. I am speaking of the older CDI ignitions not the newer TCI models. The CDI models do not require battery power to operate as they charge from the CDI charge coils from the stator. Zeeltronic does not yet have a TCI replacement as far as I know. The Belgium made unit can be purchased for either style. You just have to know what your bike uses.

[xtrider]

Greetings! I've recently purchased a '87 XT600 Tenere (1VJ) and the CDI box is dead. Should I look for the same one as in my bike, or is there any compatibility between different model CDI's or even maybe I should purchase an aftermarket CDI box? Any help is appreciated, this is my first bike.

I've gotten 2 of these cdi's http://hpi.be/item.php?item=CD4605 (the one from Belgium) and a Zeeltronics , they both worked the same , just go with which ever is cheapest . I can get a HPI from ebay through their US distributor for less than buying direct , possible to do the same over there. I won't recommend going the programmable route on these bikes. There isn't anything to gain in this non performance setup , even my heavy modded bike doesn't benefit on the 2 curves I have for it . Unless a person can get them to hold together at 9k rpms .

There is also a guy in the UK I believe that is now making cdi's as well , I can't remember where that thread is for contact info . I think it was on this site . He was resonably priced as well.


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[jibber]

Was it Rex's speed shop?

http://www.rexs-speedshop.com


There is an article in this month's practical sports bike magazine about them, they don't list one for the 600, just the 500