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[Les H]

Boiled down method:.........Connect Powerbox + OUPUT to Red/Yellow wire (At old Reg/Rect Unit position)....................Use Yellow Wire at nacelle and take it to the Ammeter + Terminal.................Connect existing Amber headlight wire to Earth.........Remove/discard old AC reg and old R/R unit.

[Yamaha1]

Reading this thread with interest - LesH, do you think the existing switch / wiring would stand the extra power headlamp, as i guess anyone doing this mod would upgrade the headlamp bulb - I would tend to use a relay, switched by the existing switch - which then switches a direct feed from the battery?
Mike

[Les H]

Hi Mike (Yamaha 1). Doing the DC headlight mod won't effect the current consumed by the headlight, it will just run on DC rather than AC. It is true that switching AC is kinder to the switch contacts than switching DC but I would assume that the switch was well up to handling the 4 or 5 amps which is not particularly that much especially when a 6V system would have double the current flowing in the wiring. I wouldn't even start to worry in the slightest about the switches handling the current and as said 5 amps will provide the current for a 60watt headlight so what power do you have in mind? I can't think why you you feel a direct wired relay is required to power a headlight bulb of 60w max. Feel free to include one if you should wish though, and remember that the relay will absorbing another 1-2 amps from the electrics on top the headlight power.

[Yamaha1]

Hi Les H - well. my reasons for suggesting a relay is I would imaging a lot of folks will own older British-made Bullets, not reasonably new Indian-made models, like myself - and the older switchgear may well have built up high resistance over the years, causing voltage drop, particularly with an upgraded 60w bulb, as I can't see anyone bothering to do this mod and keeping the poor 35'ish watt original bulb. I agree that if the switchgear was originally designed for 6v operation there shouldn't be a problem - but we all know that even plugs and sockets on bikes can give problems as the years go by. Mike

[Norm]

Mike, we are not talking about old bikes with old switches, this A/C headlight deal is on new bikes starting from around 2003 running a 4 wire stator. The old 3 wire stators were fine (just) but it was with the intro of the electric start that they decided to run the headlight off the A/C side.

[Yamaha1]

Hi Norm - ah, didn't realise that. Although a newby Enfield owner just getting to grips with their foibles, I have needed to resort to relays on other bikes in the past over 50 happy years messing with bikes!! Sorry, gents. Mike

[Norm]

Hi Les,
Thanks for that, you have confirmed what I was thinking, the bikes I rewired I combined the yellow and yellow red to the ammeter so they work no problems, what I was trying to achieve was a simple swap over for somebody trying to do it. Your second post on it certainly simplifies it. Thanks once again, I'll write it up in simple terms so if somebody wants the info in the future it is readily available