Marginal Charging...
Marginal Charging...Hello! I'm wondering if other CB77 folks have this issue: My charging system is only putting out 12.29 volts (my bike is a '66). Everything is newish -- NOS rotor and stator, new rectifier, etc., plus I have the electronic ignition. Is this as good as it gets, particularly with the electronic ignition? My mechanic suggested that perhaps the rotor's magnetic power has weakened over the years from simply sitting, and might benefit from having the rotor 'remagnetized'. I contacted a magnet manufacturer here in Baltimore, and they seem to think that they can do it, though they need to physically look at the rotor to make sure. This could be an option for boosting the charging system, as having additional windings added to the stator is a lost art, at least in the Baltimore area. Has anyone tried the remagnitizing of their rotor to increase the output of their charging system? Is there something that I'm not doing to cause the present alternator situation to only put out 12.29 volts? The rectifier is one of those new solid state ones (small 1" x 1" silver thing), but it doesn't seem to be any better than the selenium type. I know that my old CB900F had a marginal charging system too, and am just wondering if this is a common Honda issue. Help!
Marginal Charging...Hi Steve -- Thanks for your feedback. I heard about the middle position on the headlight switch too, but haven't tried it out. I've spoken to a few folks about this remagnetizing of the rotor -- including Michael Stoic -- and they all seem to think that it would help out. And really, we're not talking about boosting the output all that much. The fellow at the magnet company with whom I spoke is up in Maine at the moment and won't be back to Baltimore for a couple of weeks, so it may be a little while before I find out whether it will work or not. Another thing that we've done in the meanwhile is to make a bit more room under the seat to accommodate a larger gel-type battery. So we'll see where that goes, and if it helps I'll let everyone know what was done and the specific type of battery used. Of course, one of the things that concerns me is whether the timing is thrown off because there isn't enough of a charge to work the electronic ignition properly. Right now there is a popping that is coming out of the right side and I'm not sure if the charging system has anything to do with (maybe) causing a weak spark.
Vince, I'd like to hear about how you come out with the remagnetizing, what a help that could be to most of us here. I use alot of electronic ignition stuff in our drag cars and the street rods I build. I don't see any problems till the battery gets down to about 9 volts, so I doubt that would be the miss/pop on your bike. I'm trying a gel battery on my current build, but time hasen't been my friend lately so I don't know when I'll know how well that works. Sounds more like carburator or valve adjustment to me,or a weak coil on that side too. There are guys (on this forum) that are way better than me on this type of trouble shooting, my knowledge comes from a lifetime of working on cars so hope it's worth somthing ! Good Luck ! Let us know how you come out. Steve Greer
Marginal Charging...Hello Again -- Okay, here's the deal with the gel battery (I just came from the infamous Wolf Cycles in Arbutus, MD., where all the magic happens!). The battery is a Power Sonic PT14B-4 and it is an expensive mother (Wolf's cost is $ 119.95), so the logic is that it must be good then, right? It's also heavier than the stock battery, so if you're looking to 'crack the ton' you may want to cut back on the desserts to compensate. Anyhow, in order to fit it properly, all the rubber from the existing battery box area (top and bottom) must be removed. Next, the tabs in the battery box that are nearest the forward down tube of the frame need to be bent forward. As well, the area on the bottom of the battery box that is nearest that front tube needs a good whack with a hammer to put a dent in it. Then, you can cut an old inner tube in half and put two layers of it on the bottom of the box. But wait, there's more....the poles are opposite what they are on a stock battery, so you'd have to fashion new connector cables. That's it! If you want more info on the battery itself, you might be able to find it an www.power-sonic.com. And, from the research that we've done, this is the only gel battery that will fit (of course, I am subject to correction). We'll see how that affects the electrical system....positive or negative! The remagnetizing of the rotor is a few weeks off, but I'll report back when it's done and the subsequent results.
Marginal Charging...Just a post script to the Power Sonic PT14B-4 battery: It's 12.5AH, 135 CCA, and it weighs 9.5 lbs. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had gel battery experience in their SuperHawk.
Marginal Charging...Hello Again -- Well the fellow at the magnet company (Jobmaster Magnets) is still looking into the remagnetizing the rotor business. He did ask me a question: If they were able to remake the rotor, does the weight of it matter? I wasn't able to tell him 'yea' or 'nay', so I thought I'd ask the assembled 305 masses. Here's another thought: Is there another rotor out there from another bike that might work? I saw a new rotor for a CB750 from a company called Electrosport Industries (www.electrosport.com), and wondered if that possibly could work. I'm thinking that if I simply bought another CB77 NOS rotor, it would merely be yet another 41 year old rotor that would have a diminished magnetic power. So, any thoughts on either one of these questions? If the problem could be solved, then it would probably help all of us, as I'm sure we're all in the same boat as far as this is concerned......thanks!
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