Editor’s note: If you’re having trouble with that old Suzuki, BSA or BMW, Keith Fellenstein is your guy. From motorcycle tuning tips to detailed motorcycle engine repair, he can draw from a wealth of experience to help guide you to success. Send questions to: Keith’s Garage, Motorcycle Classics, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609, or send an e-mail with “Keith’s Garage” as the subject.
Q: I just bought a 1972 Husqvarna 250 WR. It has been sitting in a heated basement since 1975. It was never raced and is all original. It even still has the original tires. What it doesn’t have is spark. I got a flywheel puller, but I have not removed the flywheel yet. Using a multimeter, I’m getting a reading of 4.32 ohms on the original coil. I’m not sure how to test the stator or if that is the correct next step? — Randy Kuser/via email
A: It sounds to me like the coil is fine, so next I would rotate the flywheel until I could see the points through one of the flywheel slots. They’re bound to be corroded from sitting and may not be conducting properly. You can take a thin piece of card stock like a business card and pull it through the points to clean them a little bit. Spray a little contact cleaner on the points and switch to a clean strip of card stock and repeat until the card is clean. You may find you now have spark.
