Bruce, my guess is that you have an earlier direct drive type judging by the year, this will not have the internal gearbox issues the later mid 2000's type has. So no more gentle riding for you....go wild!
Alton Alternator- Podtronics regulator???
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There was never a direct drive type in 1999. Bruce has steel gears, both for the ring gear and the drive.Bruce, my guess is that you have an earlier direct drive type judging by the year, this will not have the internal gearbox issues the later mid 2000's type has. So no more gentle riding for you....go wild!
Just my luck to purchase a duffer!! I bought spares very aggressively soon after the purchase of my basket case Shadow in 2006, reasoning that i would save money in the long run by storing the parts rather than buying them later with inflation/increases etc. The best laid plans.....
If , as it would seem i have the single phase, but dodgy indirect drive unit, have Alton made amends for this i.e. issued any re-call?
I have had it in its box for five years now so the 2 year warranty is well spent, but i am less than impressed at the thought of fitting a brand new unit that was A) expensive, and B) not fit for intended purpose because is is likely to fail before a reasonable service life has been achieved.
Has anyone taken up the problem with Alton, and if so any luck? Bob.
If , as it would seem i have the single phase
, but dodgy indirect drive unit, have Alton made amends for this i.e. issued any re-call? I have had it in its box for five years now so the 2 year warranty is well spent, but i am less than impressed at the thought of fitting a brand new unit that was A) expensive, and B) not fit for intended purpose because is is likely to fail before a reasonable service life has been achieved.
Has anyone taken up the problem with Alton, and if so any luck? Bob.
So no more gentle riding for you....go wild!
I'll have to buy main jets then; have you seen how much they cost?
The guy at Alton was actually pretty good with me, he sent several nylon gears (at one point both bikes had the nylon gear type) and eventually just sent a new direct drive replacement, however at that time they would have been under warranty, but there was never any hassle with alton. There must be a reason why they went with a nylon gear but i don't know what it is. I don't know the dates of the design changes, maybe yours is an older unit that sat on the shelf for a while. I'm not sure how to tell which one is which without taking the back off, although there are several styles of front cover, some plastic and some ally. I think, from memory, which is suspect at best, the nylon gear type has an ally front cover with a little alton badge in the middle. If no-one else can help I could take a look at the two dead units in my shed tonight. I have often wondered if i could get a bronze gear made to replace the nylon one, but I can't help thinking that Alton would have done that if it made more sense, maybe the nylon one was meant to be sacrificial under extreme circumstances? Somebody must know?
The type Bruce has need quite a lot of speed to put out full power. The type with the plastic internal gears is geared up much higher plus may also have stronger magnets.
It really kicks out a lot of powe even at very low revs. Too bad the gears let go. Never could figure why the early single phase with the lighter load got the steel gears while the later heavily loaded type got the disposable plastic gears.
The current single phase direct drive seems to be a good solution. It kicks out good power at lower revs than the type Bruce has, but nothing like the plastic gear model does.
Marcus Bowden fills the plastic gear type with oil, then the gears are constantly lubed and kept cool. He had good luck with this method. The original lube on the plastic gears is grease. .Marcus says that the grease flings off afterawhile and then there is no lube. At that point the gear teeth come off.
Ive got one of the dead plastic gear type here, might try the oil filled method. The unit put out about 100 watts at just over tickover, which was nice for night riding withcheated vest on.
Glen
It really kicks out a lot of powe even at very low revs. Too bad the gears let go. Never could figure why the early single phase with the lighter load got the steel gears while the later heavily loaded type got the disposable plastic gears.
The current single phase direct drive seems to be a good solution. It kicks out good power at lower revs than the type Bruce has, but nothing like the plastic gear model does.
Marcus Bowden fills the plastic gear type with oil, then the gears are constantly lubed and kept cool. He had good luck with this method. The original lube on the plastic gears is grease. .Marcus says that the grease flings off afterawhile and then there is no lube. At that point the gear teeth come off.
Ive got one of the dead plastic gear type here, might try the oil filled method. The unit put out about 100 watts at just over tickover, which was nice for night riding withcheated vest on.
Glen