What a concept - A Girl Bringing Back Her 1966 Super Hawk
I heard back from Bill Silver regarding the 'high-output' vs 'low-output' rotors: They were overcharging at about 2.5 amps so they reduced it to about 1.0 amp. He also confirmed the 12.8 volts that I was getting from my stock system and said that if you put in a regulator-rectifier they can reach 13 volts. So there you go!
My friend showed me how to re-magnetise rotors so, potentially you can choose your output.
The regulators on sale now are just packaged versions of the Zener diode 'regulator' that BSA / Triumph fitted in the 1960s. The Honda alternators are pretty-much a copy of a 1950s Lucas systems so it's a pity they didn't use the Zener diode instead of reducing the strength of the rotor. G
'60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F I've never actually checked the my battery voltage with the engine running, or even tried to measure the charging current, difficult as it is actually a strange waveform the frequency of which varies as the engine revs rise. I much prefer to check the 'no load' battery voltage before and after a decent run. More simply, if the battery doesn't go flat and I don't blow a heap of bulbs I'm happy to assume that the charging system is working OK, fortunately that is the case with my two bikes.
One obvious point, the rotor should be always be 'stored' inside its stator assembly as this helps it to retain its magnetism. Even a N.O.S. rotor which hasn't been stored correctly will have lost some of its magnetism after fifty or so years. Hi Sara
I run solar panels to charge batteries for remote monitoring systems on the railway. We can see up to 14v on a 12v battery (with a regulator) but over 13v is not uncommon for a fully-charged bike battery. http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... id_battery G
'60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F
Hi Graham,
I asked because I've understood for years that a 12V battery needs to see over 13V (in most cases) before it will start to accept a charge. I was surprised, because I assumed 12.8V wasn't enough to force a charge on a lead acid battery. As aside, how did I know the charging system was delivering 12.8V to the battery? I measured the voltage at the battery, with the engine running, by connecting the positive cable to the battery, taking a measurement, and then measuring the battery disconnected. The battery was always lower. You guys are brilliant! I am always so amazed at what I DON'T know! And I'm always learning! 1965 CB77 305 Super Hawk
1989 NT650 Hawk GT 1981 Yamaha XJ550 Seca
I fired her up yesterday, but didn't get a voltage measurement. There were other issues that got in the way, all of them stemming from being in a hurry when I put her back together. 1) The neutral light didn't work. It used to. It will again! 2) The kick start return spring unwound itself when I had the cover off, and I didn't check it when I put the cover back on. You know what that causes. Don't say it, I know I'm a buffoon.
So, I have to pull the exhaust off again (such a joyous experience), remove the side cover, and sort the issues. As soon as I REALLY have the uninterrupted time, and I'm in the mood to battle that exhaust system, I will do it. 1965 CB77 305 Super Hawk
1989 NT650 Hawk GT 1981 Yamaha XJ550 Seca
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