Spark plug cable removal

[Dorien Berteletti]

On my 61 Falcone I am having trouble lifting the metal clip that keeps the spark plug cable hooked in to the magneto.

This is the clip just above the large cover covering the points.

Looks simple and obvious but no luck, so would apprecitae any suggestions.

Thanks,

Dorien

[RICHARD YAMANE]

I don’t have a Marelli magneto to look at but normally the plug lead goes into a Bakelite or hard plastic brush holder. Most are held in by screws so look at where the clip is attached to the magneto. There may be one or two small screws attaching the clip.

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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[Patrick Hayes]

On 5/10/26 15:10, Dorien Berteletti wrote:
> I am having trouble lifting the metal clip that keeps the spark plug
> cable hooked in to the magneto.

I haven't done this. But, it looks like you just remove the points
cover plate and then unscrew the hex pivot which supports both the
points cover and your spark wire cover in common. See pic. It would be
nice to know in advance that the hex pivot enters a threaded hole in the
magneto body. It would be a shame to suddenly learn that the hex pivot
has a threaded shaft and is secured by a nut INSIDE the magneto cover.
:-( Nice if someone can comment in advance.



--
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA
Falcone-NT and SuperAlce
www.motohayes.com

[Mike Peavey]

Patrick is correct, per the photo here, remove the points cover, then hold onto the blade that holds the cover on, then using an 8mm wrench, loosen the hex until the part holding the retainer ring, will move out of the way…. viola!

Mike Peavey
The Bean

[RICHARD YAMANE]

Just sipping my coffee at the shop and thought I'd go take a look at Chris' Falcone mag and a spare he has on the shelf.
The first photo is of the spare. It's an auto advance and like the one Mike posted. Probably what Dorien has. Yeah, you don't want to bend that hold down clip. It'll be near impossible to get it flat enough again without removing it. Loosen the hex bushing as Mike said until you can swing the clip out of the way.
The second photo is looking down at the manual advance mag on Chris' Falcone. As you can see it is entirely different and uses a single screw to hold a retainer bracket. I believe this is the same as on my GTV.
Always fun and good to learn this stuff. Although I'll probably forget by next week. Certainly by the time I need to know. LOL!

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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> > <magwire.jpg>

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[Dorien Berteletti]

Thanks Guys,

I was debating that but as Parick pointed out I was concerned about the other side. I suspect once I loosen the nut a couple of turns I should be able to move the ring off the brown bakelite cover.

Dorien

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[Mike Peavey]

Just loosen it until it moves easily off the bakelite…  apply no pressure…

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[Dorien Berteletti]

Ok thanks again. Loosened the 8mm nut a couple of turns and the arm moved forwards enough to clear the bakelite fitting so I could pull it out..

I wanted to make sure all my connections were  clean and ok.

After well over 20 years the bike is not starting as well as it used to, so I am going over the more obvious points !

I have spark at the plug and the bike starts, but sometimes needs a few tries. I've probably lost strength in my leg, and the mag may have lost some of it's strength also !

Dorien

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[Patrick Hayes]

On 5/12/26 08:00, Dorien Berteletti wrote:
> After well over 20 years the bike is not starting as well as it used to,

Black Magic!

Mike Peavey will attest. I was on a borrowed Falcone for the Normandy
tour some years back. Very tough starter. Multiple strong people
kicked until exhausted. Physically pushed down the road until we maybe
got it running.

Oddly, once running, if you stopped and parked then the next start would
fire right up. No throttle. No choke. No tickle. Just walk up and
kick it. Even after parked overnight.

Non Toccare!! (Don't touch.)

Piece of cake thereafter as long as nobody touched anything.

:-)

[RICHARD YAMANE]

Nothing I have is starting as well as it used to! Even my Hypermotard and it has a button and FI. Heck, I don't even start like I used to. LOL!
Seriously though, it could well be things out of our control. Fuel formulations come readily to mind.
A small change in your starting drill could be the reason. Do you pull the valve lifter and kick it through 3 times, or was it 4? Tickle till it bleeds or give it an extra split second?
How many bikes do you have and which need what to start easily? I think that's a big part of my problems on starting. At 70 I am having a harder time keeping all my bikes separated and straight in my head. 

That is a brush holder on the magneto right? Before you put it back together check the brush length and spring tension. I'd also poke a rag dampened with contact cleaner in the hole and turn the engine/magneto until it comes out clean.

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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[RICHARD YAMANE]

Haha! Black magic is right. More so with the Italian bikes because they have that soul that we all value.
I've had bikes that I kick-kick-kick as hard as a can only to have it fire off while I'm pushing the lever through looking for the compression stroke.

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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[Alan Comfort]

20 years! and it is not a Toyota. Cleaning and adjusting the points, installing a new non-resistor spark plug, some fresh fuel and a valve adjustment might get you another 20 years,

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[Andrew Nahum]

Oh boy. So true Rick. The other thing I always try if I'm not sure I'm getting full spark intensity is to unscrew the plug cap, cut about a quarter of an inch off the HT lead and screw the plug cap back on. In my view the threaded spike that goes into the HT lead is a very crude solution. In effect it is a coarse wood screw thread with sharp edges.  I believe that since the whole thing is not damp-proof, it allows the copper to corrode and oxidise so there is no longer a true metal to metal contact in there. The HT strands often look dull and hardly copper-coloured. 

And It looks like the screw thread also cuts through some of the copper strands. Anyway, it's a fix that's often worked for me. The other end of the HT lead also needs some thought too, but mostly it is better protected from weather and not moved so often.

Agree too about cleaning the HT track in the magneto, checking the brush is free, clean and springy. And it never hurts to brighten up gently the contact breaker points.

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[Andrew Nahum]

Very interesting observation. My 450 Ducati needed less choke than it used to, (or none).

According to classical theory the alcohol in the 'new gasoline' ought to make our old  engines run leaner, without re-jetting.  But they seem (for me) to often seem to show signs of richness, especially on the pilot jet and low-speed town running.  Has anyone else found that?

We always focus on ethanol but of course no one  knows what is in gasoline. I have wondered if there are more 'heavy fractions' in it because modern engines have such high compression and spark intensity that hey can eat them. 

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[pouma1954]

I've gone down on the pilots in all my Laverdas and use hotter plugs on a couple as well.

Paul

Envoyé depuis mon appareil Galaxy

-------- Message d'origine --------

De : Andrew Nahum <andrew...@gmail.com>

Date : 12/05/2026 18:56 (GMT+01:00)

À : guzzi-...@googlegroups.com

Objet : Re: [guzzi-singles] Spark plug cable removal

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[Mac Dennis]

Alcohol does evaporate at a faster rate…

 Mac

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  Mac Dennis

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[Alan Comfort]

One of my slicers gradually went from a one kick starter to a two kick starter and on to a five kick starter along with erratic idling and an increasing level of spit back through the carb. After chasing down the usual suspects: spark plug, points, magneto pickup, magneto timing, carb overhaul, etc. I decided to check the valve timing. It was out; way out. After opening the timing cover I found that one of the cam followers was on the verge of a catastrophic failure and the other wasn't far behind. After replacing those parts the personality of the old Falcone returned to its previous amiability. It turns out that cam followers are wear items and need to be replaced from time to time.

Alan in Roberts Creek

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[Dorien Berteletti]

Back to starting nicely as before ! I had forgotten the cleaning the spark plug cables as suggested by Rick. I cut them back about 1/4", and with my knife scraped them till they were shiny,

a fine file cleaned up the spring loaded pin and a lint free rag dampened in solvent for the mag.

After sitting overnight this morning I turned on the gaas, waited some 10 seconds 2 gentle kicks with the compression lever pulled, brought it around on compression and it fired on the first kick.

Thanks,

Dorien

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[RICHARD YAMANE]

That was some one else, Andrew maybe, that suggested cutting the lead wire back. One little known thing is that some times a little extra resistance will yield a higher voltage at the plug. It's an old trick if you foul a plug to remove the plug connector and hold it about 1/4" or less from the plug end. The extra resistance is easily jumped and the extra KV will help fire a fouled plug. It'll usually take the help of a friend to hold the plug wire or kick the bike. DO NOT do with an electronic ignition system!

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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[Alan Comfort]

that's the way a slicer should start. Often the simplest fix is the most effective.

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[Rick Yamane]

The alcohol in gasoline is also ethanol which has lower thermal energy, I think that’s the correct term, than gasoline and is primarily a filler. Like watering down your favorite whiskey. It does tend to leave a sootier deposit than straight gas. I remember the confusion it was giving a lot of SCCA racers that would run pump gas, and race gas in combination, back in the 80’s when ethanol was first being introduced. It can mess with plug readings. I think everything is burning cleaner nowadays. I would think our old bikes need to go richer but whatever works. My little Morini 175 has been a PIA to start and because of having to run a one step richer slide I went down on the idle jet. I went back to the stock jet and now going even richer. Just got them yesterday.
If you are looking for any parts, give “Santo di Motocicli” a look. William Kuehn has an ebay site. I went for a couple of pilot jets but ended up with a $300 order because I didn’t want to just order jets. 😊
I think some one told me he bought up the old Cosmopolitian stock.

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[steven s.]

I've found that ethanol makes the old bikes run hotter, at least up here at 4500' elevation (regardless of whether carbs are rejetted for altitude, or not). Factoring in our 100 degree-ish summer temps, I've resorted to going one step cooler on the spark-plug heat range. This seems to help, around here.

Steven S.

SLC, Utah

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[Andrew Nahum]

It is a mystery.  When alcohols were used as racing fuels the jets were huge because you’ve got to get much more in to get a proper  mixture.  Which is why I wrote that in principle alcohol in our new gasoline should make our bikes run leaner. But it doesn’t seem to work that way down here at sea level.  I’ve had to go for hotter plugs to keep them alive. In Ducatis the NGK BP7 grade was maker’s recommendation in the twins and singles but the insulators  turn slate coloured grey in a few days - not sooty - and give poor starting.  So BP6 is my standard. 

Also we are going so much slower generally than when the bikes were built because of traffic and law so most of us don’t live in regions where you can cook the plugs properly.  Never thought I’d have to put a speedometer on my 65 ccs. Guzzino but London is 20 mph almost everywhere. 

On 13 May 2026, at 19:20, 'steven s.' via Guzzi Singles <guzzi-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[Mike Peavey]

There’s the old saying about being careful of speaking negatively about farmers with your mouth full, though, I find in regards to ethanol and the effects it has on small engines, I am forced to bite my tongue…. often.

Here in Massachusetts where it is the only option when buying pump gas, I pickle all my bikes with 100LL aviation fuel for he winter, every Fall. 

Mike Peavey

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[Andrew Nahum]

Interesting.  I agree.   The chainsaw makers like Stihl , Husqvarna and the others market here a special long life fuel so your powered  tool starts again in the spring after being in the shed under snow for months. I buy it at agricultural machinery stores

I try and make that my last tankful of the autumn.  Avgas is surely just as good and cheaper. This agri stuff costs about £25 uk for a gallon though our gallons are bigger than yours!  The same makers sell a fuel preservative additive and although I also use it I’m been sceptical about how it could stop rubbish gasoline turning into varnish in our carbs. 

On 13 May 2026, at 20:12, 'Mike Peavey' via Guzzi Singles <guzzi-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

There’s the old saying about being careful of speaking negatively about farmers with your mouth full, though, I find in regards to ethanol and the effects it has on small engines, I am forced to bite my tongue…. often.

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[Andrew Nahum]

I agree about the farmers! I sometimes think about the fact that modern gasoline is formulated for modern engines with very high compression ratios, super-lean mixture ratios and fantastically high energy sparks. 

So I’m grateful that pump fuel works at all for us. It’s not intended for us . So we do whatever we have to do to set up our motors  for it. 

Andrew

On 13 May 2026, at 20:12, 'Mike Peavey' via Guzzi Singles <guzzi-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

There’s the old saying about being careful of speaking negatively about farmers with your mouth full, though, I find in regards to ethanol and the effects it has on small engines, I am forced to bite my tongue…. often.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/guzzi-singles/49F5C8C0-6AD9-4DBD-9C95-4E6B17C3763F%40icloud.com.

[Andrew Nahum]

Yes I mentioned the bit about cutting back the HT cable to get back to copper and past the oxidised end strands. It's often helped me.

You are right about some resistance sometimes being good. When I was a kid I remember a trick where you cut the HT cable and bared the copper inner on both sides. Then you pushed each inner through opposite holes in a plastic shirt button and twisted up the wires to  lock them.  So there is something like a 1 mm  gap in the HT supply.  The idea is that a magneto doesn't deliver maximum voltage all at once. Voltage builds as the armature rotates into the position of maximum magnetic flux. The new gap holds back the spark  as the voltage builds and when it is approaching the optimum and the spark then jumps both  the button and the plug with more vigor. You could buy an aftermarket screw on gap device for the HT lead back then which was tidier than the button. This is really for magnetos, not coils, where the voltage rise curve is far steeper.

My trusted very experienced magneto guy, sadly now retired, agreed that sometimes some resistance helps. I normally avoid resistor plugs like the plague, but I ran NGK iridiums for a couple of seasons in my '56 magneto BMW and they performed really well and starting was great.  Only later I found they were resistor plugs.

A 

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[Rick Yamane]

I trimmed this message down to save some cyber space.
The other, and I think the major issue with modern ethanol fuels is, in modern vehicles it lives in a sealed space. Modern vehicles are equipped with sealed fuel systems keeping vapors in and moisture out. With a old school vented system air and humidity passes in and out of the fuel tank allowing the contamination issues that lead to corrosion and deposits especially noticeable in carbs.