Replaced alternator with CycleElectric gen.

[57pan]

Well, I finally replaced the piece-o-junk alternator on my bike. I have long suspected that most of the strange noises I was hearing were coming from the alternator and I have always suspected that it was not putting out anywhere near it's rated 17 amps, but the biggest problem was that I have always had trouble keeping the mounting bolts secure. One of the original screws with the tapered head that fits the countersink in the cam cover broke and I replaced the screws with grade 8 bolts (had to make a spacer to match the countersink). The bolts kept backing out so I cross-drilled the head of each bolt and used safety wire to keep them from backing out.

A couple of weeks ago one of those bolts broke and the alternator was rattling around and making a horrific racket. I had to call a buddy to come pick me up and take me to the nearest hardware store to get a new bolt.

When I got the alternator securely mounted again it was making a LOT more noise than it used to; it sounded like a rod knocking. So, I finally broke down and ordered the CycleElectric generator.

What a difference!!!! Now I can actually hear the engine noises that were being masked by all the noise that the alternator was making before.

[108]

57pan, Do you think the alternator was out of balance/bent and the vibration was causing the noise and the bolts to keep coming loose ? OR-- I've seen car alternators with one of the three stator windings dead which results in a "magnetic imbalance". and the symptoms are---vibration,moan,whine in certain rpm ranges and low output .!?!

[Panacea]

108, sounds like my ol' lady! Mike

[57pan]

57pan, Do you think the alternator was out of balance/bent and the vibration was causing the noise and the bolts to keep coming loose ? OR-- I've seen car alternators with one of the three stator windings dead which results in a "magnetic imbalance". and the symptoms are---vibration,moan,whine in certain rpm ranges and low output .!?!

It could very well be that one of the windings was bad. When I first got the bike it was really cobbled up and I couldn't figure out why the headlight was so dim. Found out that the PO had a short in the headlight circuit Not enough to burn the wires but enough to significantly reduce the voltage to the headlight. So maybe that destroyed the alternator... who knows.

[DuoDave]

I have a mini alternator on my pan. It has been totally reliable since I put the bike on the road a few years ago, but I can't recommend the alternator because it suffers from a major design fault. There is only one bearing supporting the shaft and all the weight of the rotor is hanging out on one side. The result is a slight amount of play in the shaft, which gets worse as the miles mount up. From day one I had a constant scuffing sound like the primary chain rubbing on the chaincase. There are also knocks and clunks just to add a bit of variety. It sounds like the bottom end of the motor is about to let go. It drove me crazy trying to figure out what was going on until one day I removed the alternator and went for a quick spin. What a revelation! The bike ran as quietly as the evo I used to own. If the alternator was redesigned to incorporate a second bearing to support the end of the rotor shaft it would be an excellent piece of kit, but until then I will also be switching to a Cycle Electric generator.

[Cotten]

Just a reminder:
Cycle Electric makes the best OEM design generators on the market....so you do not have to opt for their ultramodern endmount regulator design.

They are also the makers of the best solidstate 'box' regulators, also available with a 'low voltage' output for batteries mounted within oiltanks.

....Cotten

[captainharley]

DuoDave,

Thanks for the heads-up on the aftermarket alternator replacement for generators. I had been pondering buying one, but definitely not now!
I'll stick with my trusty 'ol Delco-Remy 65A and Accel "magic box". I am
still looking at maybe trying out a Hitachi 65B or C generator.

AMF/Ride Safe