6 volt battery standing voltage

[birdieman]

Does anyone know the correct standing voltage for a 6 volt battery.
Have a stock '54 Pan with new battery, coil, and Cycle Electric generator (with built in regulator).
When I shut her down, the voltage across the posts reads 6.7, but drops to 5.7 within 10 minutes.
Same results on bench.
Is this normal?
Starts much easier on full charge (duh)

Any input is greatly appreciated.........

[john HD]

mine is usually somewhere between 6.4 and 6.2 at rest and 6.7 when it has been run.

what are you using for a voltmeter?

they do vary some.

john

[108]

Birdieman, Does it keep dropping, or stay at 5.7 indefinately ?

[awander]

mine is usually at 6.2 after a few days of not running.

[flthead]

this may or may not help , if your running a 3 brush gen. 32e there is no replacement headlight out there that will charge your battery with lights on . all headlights [6006 ,4030 ] other than a motorcycle 6 volt light will draw to many amps and not charge battery , eventually you'll have a dead battery .read factory shop book under headlight

[awander]

flthead:

You keep posting this, and while I agree that a car headlight is not a good idea for several reasons, I have a 6V "motorcycle" headlight on my pan with 32E-it's a 50/40W unit, and I can go at least 2000 miles without any battery trouble.

I still have not seen any data(other than anecdotal) as to what the original rating of the stock headlight lamp was-but I know that my bike does fine with the commonly available headlight from V-twin or a number of other sources. I think it is the 6006.

[flthead]

just letting pan owners know what i found out . if you go to don's bulbs web site there are specs for the 4030 and 6006 , in my testings on my 50 pan both bulbs had a draw of more than what the battery would need to charge battery . took a while to figure out it was headlite ,so maybe another pan owner is having same problem ,just trying to be informative. heres a 4030 on ebay -http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... OTORS:1123 heres the link to don's bulbs ,4030 specs of just one brand ,notice the amps .http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl ... ctric.html and here is the 6006 specs ,again notice amps http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/6006.html now here are the specs on a springer bulb http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/2320.html . if i remember correctly my 32e was putting out 7.1 amps , i could be off as i did all this awhile ago,my findings along with Ron "Mr. Gadget" was that both bulbs would draw to many amps an not charge battery while running ,eventually while riding with light on the battery would lose power from not being charged. again just trying to let pan owners know what i found out by testing and reading the factory shop book where it states a car headlamp will not work . if yours does your in good shape . if any of this helps great

[keiser]

Seems like the real solution is don't run your headlight on unless it is dark. Start thinking the same as when the bike was sold. Anyone with their headlights on during the day in 1950 was considered quite odd.

[PanPal]

I believe a while back someone stated that even the owners manual stated that if you rode your bike all night with the headlight on, the battery would be dead by morning.

[flthead]

I ride it without lite on in daytime,an at nite time it comes on. a properly adjusted 3 brush will not kill battery if lite is correct an on all nite . now that mine has right headlite works fine with no discharge