Forum

[simon]

I finally gave up on the original 6v alternator setup on my bitsa with its early 90's setup. A weird rather crude affair that switched in additional coils on the alternator as the demand is increased by the switching on of side and headlights etc. the trouble is that the charge was always too high even on the supposed trickle charge setting and after a while it would boil the battery dry. A few weeks ago I bought a 6v regulator/rectifier. I could have converted to twelve volts but chose not to probably mostly out of bloody mindedness. What a worthwhile change though. The charge is now a gentle trickle when nothing is on and no more than required when the lights are on. No more boiled batteries and blown bulbs happiness!

[Alan R]

Hi SIMON ------------ did your original set-up not have a diode mounted in a finned heat-sink then ??... the general idea being to dump any excess voltage in the form of heat via that finned mounting..... Back in the day the "switching-in" of coils according to needs was a fairly normal thing. The problem being that the generator would be on full output at all times and so there was always a varying degree of excess voltage to be dumped, hence the diode for detection.... Mechanically the 6v bulb has a thicker filament than its' 12v equivalent so is probably less likely to fail through vibration ?? PLUS }--- these days there are plenty of parts available for the 6v bike so no probs. there then..... What is your bike ?? Give us a few more details, please.

[simon]

No Alan there was no Zenner Diode and I believe they only come in twelve volt form (I stand to be corrected) . Setting up as a 12v with a diode was my other plan if I couldn't get a solid state 6v reg/rec but Pazon had one.
The bike is a mixture of bits but mainly a 1992 350 frame and motor with a 1951 or 2 front end and a similarly elderly half width rear wheel. It all went together rather well and with a SR1 mag and ported head, 8:1 piston, a 1 1/8 389 carb and a set of the improved Hitchcocks cams it goes rather well.

[Norm]

Can't get anything in 6 volt out here, ask for a 6 volt globe and you get stares of disbelief, like you are from another planet

[simon]

There is a bit of that over here too but there are still some bike shops that keep a stock of stuff for the older six volt bikes. Te hardest thing to find was a ba15d six volt headlamp bulb but fortunately the Internet sorted that for me.

[Alan R]

Glad to hear all is well now. The bike sounds interesting----- good to see you keep it on the road as well !! Best regards----------

[Norm]

Simon,
I can only think of one bike shop in Melb that would have any 6 volt stuff, that hasn't changed since the sixties and the woman running it is now close to 90 years old and I can remember her scaring the crap out of us back in the sixties when a mob of leather clad teenagers would go into her shop on a Saturday morning. Always wanted her husband to serve us because she had us worried. No computer, no internet, but she does have the phone connected (no mobile) even the cash register is the old manual type, push the buttons down and the pull the lever. She is still sharp as a tac and just ask her about any partfor any British bike and she can tell you straight away if she has it. Then she brings it out, dusts off the fifty years of dust and the price on it is usually written on it in pounds, shillings and pence and we changed to decimal currency in 1966. The shop is 3 stories high and is packed with parts throughout the three floors and away she goes up the stairs to get what you need. Total step back in time. I took my brother in there a couple of months ago ( he lives in Sydney) and he said he thought the motor on the counter was there the last time he was there in 1965

[simon]

We've just lost one of those, Lloyd at Kingsland Motorcycles died maybe a year ago and his shop that was in a rapidly gentrifying part of town has now been replaced with yet another grog outlet. He had all sorts of stuff in there for bikes from the 60's on but could be prickly so you needed to approach him with care if you wanted anything old. There used to be so many shops like his in the Auckland of the 70's and 80's but now that I can afford the bits they are all gone. I must check out your ladies shop next time I'm across the ditch.

[Norm]

Simon,
It is Modak right in the heart of Melbourne, joint is worth millions plus all the stock, directly opposite Melbourne Central station. Can't get better real estate than that

[Norm]

Simon it is hard to spot because there is no signs, I think there is only one light bulb in the shop and it has a few motor bike bits in the window that have been there for 40 years or more