Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all,

Proud new owner of a 1957 Clipper - I think it's the model G or deluxe with a 6 volt battery. I have a couple of questions...

1) Will it start if the battery's flat? ...I mean completely flat - like if you leave the lights on until the following weekend.

2) It's a 6.3 Ah battery. With an 11A 6v charger the "fast" setting (presumably 11A) charges at about 7v. The "slow" setting (which I'm guessing is probably around 5A) charges at about 6.5v.

What's the best way to nurse a completely flat battery back to optimum health? I charged it overnight on 'slow' and off the charger it now reads a healthy 6v so I don't think the plates aren't buckled.

3) And for future reference - what's the best way to maintain the battery over the winter?

Many thanks for your guidance

Cheers,

Chris

Starting should not be a problem it should be magneto ignition which doesn't need a battery. A monthly charge should keep the battery in good order when not in use.

What Revband says. (I thought the Model G Deluxe had alternator and coil ignition but I checked and it is Magdyno so your sparks are independent of lighting.) Your battery voltages sound a little low, what are you testing with, a decent multimeter? Winter storage should work as the Rev says but be aware modern batteries are not as tolerant of lay-ups as they used to be. You could consider fitting a solid state "Cyclon" type battery but you may need to buy a special charger for these depending on type. They are compact too and will fit in an old fashioned case if appearance is important.

REgards, Mark

Thanks Revband and Mark M.

So this begs the question - what is the battery actually for? Is it only to maintain lamp brightness at low revs / tickover when stationary etc?

Mark - yes it's a half decent digital multimeter but the 6v I measured was a nominal 6v (I can't actually remember what it actually measured - it may have been nearer 6.5).

Cheers chaps

Chris

The magneto takes care of ignition, the dynamo keeps the battery charged, which powers all the other things like lights, horn etc.