It seems that 23 years is about the lifespan of a Digiplex S2 on my 906 Paso. My mechanic and I have all but certified that the Digiplex has gone south. So, it’s time to look hard at alternatives.

Koko64 seemed to ask this question in his conversation, “Ignitech for 906?” But there are no clear answers to a broader question: of the three systems listed below, does anyone have any real world experience with installing any of these three systems on a plug-and-play basis on the 906?

The three Digiplex S2 replacement possibilities seem to be:

Ignitech:
(click the TCI unit)

Silent Hektik:
(site can be translated into English by viewing in Google’s Chrome browser. Seems to require installing the aluminum flywheel, which might have other consequences for the 906 motor)

Sachse Electronics:
(Seems to be dedicated to the Pantah, not the Paso. Also, it seems to require two pickups, where our Paso’s have only one)

I’m looking for real-world experience with any one, or all three units. What compromises did you make? Did you have to add sensors? Other modifications? What difficulties did you encounter? What worked? What didn’t?

My long suffering mechanic likes the non-programmable Ignitech SPARKER TCI for the 906 Paso. But the lack of a vacuum advance has given him pause. And the Ignitech email quoted in Koko64’s thread doesn’t tell him how the bike advances the spark without a vacuum sensor.

So, dish. What were your experiences?

I don`t have a 906 but there`re still some things I can add.

Pantah refers to the engine and the 750 Paso & Sport have a modified Pantah engine. It`s mentioned in the instructions of the Sachse unit that that kit is a Bosch & Kokusan replacement. So you can remove that from your list.

Determination of ignition advance by vacuum operation is not the only way. No 750 Paso, Sport, 750/900 Supersport, 600/750/900 Monster etc has that. Their CDI units count the flywheel revolutions and calculate the ignition timing based on that. At certain rpms they switch to a different ignition advance. (it`s a bit more complicated than that of course )

The flywheel is not part of the Silent Hektik kit but optional. Strangely they don`t list the flywheel seperately and you cannot find it on their webpage either. It says that "on some Ducati flyweels the gap between the two triggers is too small with 8-10° instead of 20° which can cause misfiring at higher rpm. This can be cured by adding a new trigger finger."

If that original flywheel shown is the one that can cause problems then you won`t have any as it`s no 906 flywheel. The one of a 906 has no trigger fingers. (it`s not a 907ie flywheel either as that has 4 trigger fingers)

In case you try to get in contact with SH - good luck. They will either answer late or not respond at all or be (let`s say) less friendly. (which is not only my personal experience. Don`t get me wrong they do make great products. I have a few of them on my 750)
The Digiplex replacement kit is the same for 750 & 900cc engines and for Moto Guzzis and it can also be used for twinspark ignitions which means that from the possible 16 ignition curves you can set, max 4 are of interest for a 906.
An Ignitech ignition is more flexible.

There are btw companies that fix Marelli Digiplex ignitions like
http://www.cdidoctor.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1031

G.

Philly Paso, Was that you I saw at Quaker City a while back ?



E-mail Don on tech@autoecu.com for more details. The repair was $249 and comes with a 2 year guarantee.

Paso750, thank you for the detailed reply. Helpful to know going forward.

While I haven't yet tried to reach out to Silent Hektik, I did hear back from Sachse:

Hello,

Ducati did not change the dimensions up to the year 2000 so it should be fit.
The alternative is the mounting onto the belt drive:

phone: 00495152 8330
The site is in German but he speaks English as well

And there is still a sales office in US:


Best regards

Volker


Interestingly, I had an email exchange with the Australian offices of Carmo Electronics just last night. They also sent me to the US subsidiary at the same website you provided:

This looks a lot like the answer I've been seeking.

Higgy - Thanks for the recommendation. I like what I've discovered so far.

And yes, that was me at Kenrick's open house 2 months back. I've since missed First Friday, and will do so again. At least until the bike is fixed.

Shoot me a PM, and we'll find a way to contact each other.

Hi, I have a 906 with a Silent Hektik and it runs great, at least on the ignition side, the mikunis is more troublesome , but that is another story.

There is a fine story about a guy fitting a Ignitech on a 900ss
http://www.ducati-upnorth.com/forum/sho ... d0c1e1ebd1

It seems that you can adjust the timing almost as you like with the Ignitech

Hope you can use it.

Why not get one of these, cheaper than the other options and they work just as good.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ducati-750-9 ... 577wt_1277
I've been using one for the last couple of years with no dramas.

MicPaso, thanks for the link. All installation stories have their uses.

Duc906, you hit the jackpot! A day or two before you posted, I found the same seller on eBay, and bought one. Allegedly, it's built for our 906's, and not the Motoguzzi. which used the same box, programmed slightly differently (or, so I'm told). It's winding its way to me here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA from Australia. I highly recommend others keep looking at this same eBay seller, as he has some useful items for Paso's in general, and our 906's in particular.

If I were to wind up this thread here, I'd say that I got lucky finding an New Old Stock Digiplex S2. Future owners might not be as fortunate, as supplies of unused Digiplex S2's dry up. In that case, we might best be served looking to adapt the Ignitech product to our mounts.

What I would ask is that folks post detailed experiences of how they mounted their Ignitechs, and how they supplied the unit with advance information in lieu of the stock vacuum advance not being used on the Ignitech unit.

So much to learn, and so few evenings in the garage.....

I am bidding on one currently, and sent him a note to ask if he had more, and he replied that he had plenty. Get yours while supplies are plentiful.

Cheers,
Phil

Sounds like good advice. It's nice to know you're bidding...so I won't I might bid on another in a few months. If anyone bids on these please post it on the forum so we don't have a bidding war between members, might save a few bucks I will let everyone know when I am bidding

No worries, will do. If $100 is the standard price thats cool with me. i thought you may have just got an unusual ebay bargain coz noone else bid! (like i did recently with my Dynojet kit which i got for $10... )
I just bought some fork seals from ian direct so I'm not adverse to that

Duc906 and lane1feathers will have all of the luck. I knew I was on the wrong side of the planet....

My emails to Italspares are returned in two or three days by someone signing as "Jim", never Ian. A partner, I assume?

Got my new Digiplex in the mail last week. Installed it yesterday, and went for a ride today. Yes, it runs better. Mostly because I installed new vacuum advance hoses to the new box. New is good, and the price was outstanding. Get one while you can.

Cheers, Phil