Are we then able lay a new good magnet on the old ones to “enhance” their field?
Sneezles61

No but there are ways to do it...  these guys are in the USA.  Not sure if their machine will do a Yamaha.  I might try it someday 

www.scooterwest.com/flywheel-re-magnetizing-labor-remag.html

One reason you don't want to smack a flywheel puller with a hammer if flywheel is stubborn...  beyond knocking the crank out of alignment which is bad enough already...  is that the shock of a hammer blow can affect the magnets.

We magnetized nails in Physics class by aligning them north-south and smacking them with a hammer...  you get a weak magnet, but the experiment shows a sharp shocks can realign the magnetic fields.  You can demagnetize the same nail by smacking it with a hammer when it's not North-South.   

Here's an annoyingly long video on this...  fast forward to about 5 minutes. 

Right after I asked, I found a video from an old outboard motor guy that checks and recharges magnets as well.. Now my new question evolved into, how much is enough or too much?
I remember playing with wraps of wire around some iron and making “electro magnetics”…
Sneezles61

Like it or not, the quality of a capacitor, will not alter the fact that it's something that will degrade as it ages!

That of course is the reason for caps being changed on high-end audio equipment, and why it's often also carried out on things like welding robots.

Replacing a less than effective CDI is as easy as changing a worn out carb, and both provide a very useful and easy way to improve performance, and will mean better starting and fuel economy.

I have somewhere a fact sheet on CDIs, put together by an expert on this type of ignition, and will post a link to it, if I can locate it.

 

Sneezles, to put things in perspective I wouldn't worry at all about the magnets or capacitors (condenser) unless you're having an issue. 

Original Yamaha condensers are very good no need to change them in my experience unless they fail or are starting to fail.  And again, if you have "enough" spark for your engine, that's all you need. 

If you are having ignition issues, then there's the choice of restoring what you have or buying a newer CDI...  nicest thing about "modern" systems is many have much more lighting power if you want to convert to 12v. 

Try closing the plug gap right down. If it starts, then, the problem is related to the spark not being that great.

If you are using ethanol type fuel, heat the plug before you try a start, as the ethanol seems to mean centre electrode, earths out through the insulation easily.

I ended up getting it to start very easily, I installed a new spark plug and ignition coil, now it starts by 4th kick

Sounds good. HT coils rarely fail though, so might just have been your old plug screwed by ethanol fuel?

Yamfan, I'd love to see some factual documentation on exactly how "ethanol fuel" hurts a spark plug.

Sounds like made up BS to me. 

 

I hope you find this old information film useful MarkT.  Professor Unwin explains the dangers of ethanol in fuel.

[Media][/media]