Replace a coil that is growing white crust. Skip a listing that calls the same part a CDI coil for a CB750. This is a 1976 CB500T, points ignition, two coils. The right coil was pushing white foam out of the case. The coils on this bike were replaced.
The silver cylinder sitting above them is the condenser. One pass through the photos got it called a compressor. It is not. A condenser was tried on this bike, unbolted and then bolted, and the right plug wire was still dead. The crusted coil was the part that matched the dead side.
What to order, and what the listing has to say
| Part | Must say | Reject | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ignition coil pair | CB500T 1975-76, about 5 ohm primary, points | CDI, or a fitment list that runs from a CB350F to a CB900 | View Ignition coil pair (affiliate) |
| Mount | A bracket, if the new coils are the Magna pair | Assuming the stock clamp fits | — |
| Condenser | Two cans, bullet connectors, Honda 30250-369-004 | A green lead with a two-prong fork that will not meet the harness | — |
Affiliate Link • Earns Commission
Before the new coils go on, measure the primary of the old one with a meter on ohms, across the two small terminals, plug cap disconnected. A 5 ohm coil that reads open, or a fraction of an ohm, is finished. The Klein MM325 in the CB meter guide does that. The same meter is how you catch the next trap on this bike: lights dead after the coil work, which was a fuse, and no voltage on the black/white feeds once the lights were back.
Leave the Amazon condenser kits alone unless the connector is the bullet the harness already has. The first replacement offered for this bike had a green wire and a two-prong fork. Green on these Hondas is ground, and the fork never met the bullets. The Honda number on the condenser is 30250-369-004.