Aftermarket Ignition coils

[T.O.Jim]

Hi all, first time poster here. I had an issue come up on my ride this past weekend.

I was accelerating on a highway on-ramp when all of a sudden my 98 Tourer got down on power and the engine sounded different. I rode straight home and parked the bike. The next day I fired her up and checked each cylinder’s exhaust pipe to see if there was uniformity. Turns out cylinders 1&2 weren’t getting warm at all. So I’m suspecting ignition coil. I’m going to do a proper diagnostic before I order parts.

And here’s my question- is any of the cheap aftermarket coils any good? I could get a coil from Amazon for nearly a quarter of the price of an OEM. Even a used unit on eBay is getting close to the price of a new one by the time shipping and tariffs are applied (I’m in the GreaterToronto area). My gut tells me I’m best off getting a new OEM, but it’s hard to swallow $200+ for a coil. Anyone here have any experiences with aftermarket coils?

TYIA

[Pluggy]

Jim, only aftermarket coils are available for my 1980 Honda.  I bought a pair,  made in Taiwan, and they have worked good for five years.  They were about $20 US each.

[John Schmidt]

Before spending any money, do as you said and make certain the coil is bad. For #1 & 2 it's the front coil up under the tank ln the left frame rail. A bad connection can easily be the issue. For info purposes, the forward coil of the two by the petcock fire #3&5 and the rear coil of those two fire #5&6. They seldom go bad but does happen.

[98valk]

the valkyrie coils are the same as the goldwing GL1500 and ST1100, and other honda motorcycles. I did install a set of blackbird coils in my valkyrie, they provide a hotter stronger spark. the two under tank are not a direct fit since they are larger then the valkyrie coils, so made up an extension bracket and longer bolts are needed.  I need to re-install them later this yr after another dyno run.