Hitchcocks Forum

My recently-acquired Enfield has an electrical fault. The battery is fully-charged (over 13V measured across the terminals.) When the bike is running at 1500 revs or more, the ammeter shows a charge and the lights are fine. However, at tickover, the lights (side or main) flicker, just like an old direct-lighting system. It's as if the battery were flat, but that's not the case; more a case of the lights don't know there's a fully-charged battery available to make them glow properly at tickover.
In the r/h box is a separate regulator and rectifier. Which is the likely culprit, and what is the best way of testing? I have a multimeter available. Thanks!

Or, on the other hand, are 'they all like that, sir?' BTW, the bike is a 2003 350.

If this is not an EFI, the lights run direct off the alternator and at tick over they run almost yellow and pulsate. This is normal. The battery does not have any influence on the lighting.
Cheers

Thanks trevorch. It's good to know that it's designed not to work properly! Note to self - investigate possible wiring changes so I don't have to rev the engine at traffic lights when the lights are on.

Another Allan, It sounds like you might have AC/DC wiring, where the main lights run off the alternator. Common for India use, where the nights draw in at 6:30pm !! darkness there after and city traffic drains off the battery !. Hemant

note to ANOTHER ALLEN }------------with regards to rewiring for battery-fed lights have a look at a posting between NORM & myself recently about this very subject. On my 2005 Classic 500 I actually have 2 regulators (one for the AC current and 1 for the DC current) and 1 rectifier( to change the AC to DC).On the other hand my headlight flasher works directly off the battery !!!

If you do any of these wiring alterations, do yourself a favor, and everybody around you,and us, and solder and heatshrink the joins. Waste of time twisting wires together and wrapping in insulation tape. If that is the best you can do better not to bother.

Thanks for the info, Alan R.

Hi Hemant, it seems that you're right!