Model 65A-12v

[Mose]

After setting for 24 years, what are the odds this can be rebuilt?

[cdndewey]

I'd say pretty good. There's still lots of parts available for it.

[Mose]

That's good to hear. Considering the price of replacements.

[Bosheff]

Given enough time/money, anything can be rebuilt. The question is, is it going to be worth all the time/money invested when it's finished. Quality innards should be available for yer generator. Unless you absolutely must run a stock H-D piece, it may be cheaper and/or easier to run a quality aftermarket unit....bosheff

[jdpan]

Install it, I bet it still works...

[panbagger]

before you take the time to install it i would take it to a rebuild shop and have it tested....why waste the time to install it to find out it may not work. Just my 2 cents. Scott

[john HD]

odds are it still works. you can make it motor on the bench.

ground the field to the frame of the generator. then connect the + from a good battery to the armature, and then apply the - to the field terminal.

if it runs as a motor it will generate when installed.

oil the bearings before you run it.

john

[Bigincher]

Wouldn't hurt to look at the brushes, too, and make sure they are not hung up in the holders.

[Lynrd]

before you take the time to install it i would take it to a rebuild shop and have it tested....why waste the time to install it to find out it may not work. Just my 2 cents. Scott

My responding 2 cents is that it is only 2 extremely easy to get to bolts and 2 wires to install it - I could install it and test it on the bike faster than I could drive to the shop to test it. As for me, it would be - pop the endcap, look at the brushes, look at the armature, probably hit both with contact cleaner, put it back together, and run it.

With the bike turned off, measure the charge in the battery - it'll likely be around 11.80 volts if the battery is fully charged. Start the bike, raise RPMs until the Gen light goes out, then measure voltage at the battery again. Should be around 12.5 -13.8 volts. If the voltage is still measuring the same as when the bike is turned off, mutter under your breath, doublecheck all your connections for continuity, and it that is all good, yank it off and either rebuild it (not hard and instructions are in the factory manual) or take it to a shop to rebuild it.

If when the bike is running you see over 14v to the battery, your regulator isn't. You should fix that, but the generator works.

Those old generators are generally really rugged and don't have a lot of parts to go wrong. A rebuild is about 2.7 beers in my flat rate book.

[Mose]

Since it's already on the bench, bench test it will be after I get it apart.

Wondering what this custom part was for?

[Lynrd]

well, it would keep oil from splashing on the timing cover and maybe lessen the chance of an oil leak...can't see where it'd hurt anything.

[Cotten]

Mose!

If you are referring to the large washer for a slinger,
it spells sportster to me.

Which means you might as well go all the way through it.

....Cotten

[Huck]

Sad story to share, after carefully removing the metal that was peened into the field coil screws and completely going through my model 58. I used blue Loctite on said screws and strongly installed them. My joy of another problem conquered ended in less than 200 miles. I did not re-peen the screws. Just thought I’d share.

[Mose]

I've searched the site high and low and haven't been able to find a diagram to show the dis-assemble or assembly of the 65A generator. I can do it without but if I have a diagram I won't have to snap a bunch ofcell phone pictures whil I'm taking it apart. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Mose]

Foundit...