Alton & electronic ignition

rapcom

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VOC Member
No Y-Fronts

I haven't gone as far as heated Y-fronts yet, but my heated jacket liner (55W), heated gloves (15W), heated grips (15W), and heated SOCKS (another 15W) enable me to ride in comfort down to at least -5C.
One drawback is that I have to keep reminding myself that there may be ice on the road, it is easy to forget how cold it really is.
Originality ? I'd rather be warm.
 

timetraveller

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VOC Member
There I was on the beach in my sub tropical paradise, my every whim being catered for by scantily clad young ladies, all paid for by the profits from selling power to the national grid when Tom suddenly introduces a note of harsh reality into my reveries. I run a 120/90 headlight bulb and that take one third of the total power available. I also use coil ignition, have indicators (2 X 21 watts whenever they are working) and have a 21/5 watt tail light bulb. Others have intercom either to their passengers or to other bikes, some have satnavs. Some have sidecars with an extra headlight on the chair. All this before one has warmed ones bits and pieces. Ask the chaps who cross the Alps going from the heat of the plains to the ice of the mountains. Most of us do not use the 120 mph potential of our twins regularly but it is nice to know that it is there if needed. The same with the potential 30 amp output of the alternators. Modern regulators mean that no more is generated than is needed so power is not being wasted.

Must get back to the young ladies now!!:rolleyes:
 

Len Matthews

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VOC Member
I have a Comet with a Kirby Rowbotham electronic ignition, a Boyer regulator & a three phase Alton alternator fitted.
When the battery is showing over 12.2 volts everything runs very well.
Over a period of 50 or so miles the battery discharges to about 12.05 volts, despite the ammeter showing 2-3 amps over 30 mph in 4th. It then stalls & stops etc. This, with nothing other than the ignition working except occasional use of the stop light (LEDs)
The battery is nearly new & works well in an old Triumph m/c.

Anyone any idea where the current is going?

This tale sounds exactly the same as I experienced with a Comet. The owner complained of a flattened battery although the ammeter was showing a 2-3amp charge. Having no previous involvement with Altons, how does one distiguish a 3phase unit from a single phase one?:confused:
 

Prosper Keating

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I have an early three-phase Alton that is still going strong on a bike that sees some respectable mileage. Even Hervé is surprised.

The battery will drain unless the revs are kept up but high cam engines are meant to spin rather than lug and I am currently running LEDs in the back and a car-rated halogen up front with a small-ish battery so I live with it. I did bin the electronic ignition as the advance curve was odd and resulted in vicious kickbacks. Now running a K1F with an ATD made up from the best bits from three knackered ones.

I gather that the new Alton spins more easily. Timing the motor with the old one is a bear-ish experience as the Alton's magnets are strong enough to turn the crank, pulling the piston away from the point BTDC. If my Alton didn't work, I'd probably just stick a 6v E3LM in there with a standard electro-magnetic CVC box. This set-up works on all my other bikes.

PK
 

scout

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Non-VOC Member
three phase alton

Thank you all for your help in this matter. This is my first post on the forum, & it has been most informative.
I have tried contacting Alton, but the factory is closed until late August.
I am not sure why these three phase Altons gave so much trouble, as alternators are fairly simple things. Is it not likely that the regulator packs up rather than the alternator or is there some known fault with the alternator which caused the reintroduction of the single phase version?
 

Tom Gaynor

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VOC Member
Low voltage and electronic ignition

Apparently the problem is that some electronic ignitions with electronic advance, Boyer Bransden being one, default to full advance when the voltage drops below 10 volts. As, for example, it does when cranking an electric start Norton Commando. What happens to a starter sprag clutch when the engine backfires? Nothing good.
Pazon ignition, set up by ex-BB guys, claims to have overcome this. If this information bears an astonishing similarity to information I absorbed from the Pazon website while looking for a system for a Sunbeam S7, it's just coincidence.

-
I am not sure, but think this is a quirk with electronic ignition when the battery voltage is a little low. My Vincent did it with Lucas Mistral, still does it with Pazon, and my old Commando does it with Boyer. Whether the ‘movement’ in the advance curve is also causing the wasted spark to have an effect, on a twin, I don’t know. I suppose it all depends by how much it moves and in which direction..........

If my bike hasn’t been run for a little while, I give the battery a charge before starting her up.
 

Pete Appleton

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Alton Failure

is there some known fault with the alternator which caused the reintroduction of the single phase version?

My first Alton failure occured at 1000 miles and was due to the nylon gear in the cyclic gearbox shedding all of it's teeth ( a number of people have suffered from this). I think that this was due to excessively thick grease sticking around the inside of the gear housing and not flowing back into the gears.

I replaced the gear and put in 'OOO' weight grease from truck chassis lube systems. This worked ok for another 6000 miles until the windings fried themselves.

I haven't heard of a regulator failing unless it has been subject to a short circuit or reversed polarity.

Unfortunately inability to communicate with the manufacturer seems to be a common problem
 

Alan J

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VOC Member
Some interesting comments here {I've been away again on another long holiday} I'll stick with my 12 volt Lucas car dynamo that has served me well for 30 years-more watts than I will ever need! Mr. Sherwin has the best system if you don't mind it not looking original-this topic is never ending!:confused::confused::confused::confused:
 
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