Ok my Norvin has an Alton alternator and sealed Bosch battery. In 3 years I have done about 1500 miles. (I know pathetic but..) When first fitted the ampmeter would show about 2 amps charge and then slowly drop back to about 1/2 an amp. No amount of revs would improve on this. If the dynamo drive was disconected it would then show a steady 2 amp discharge as it fought to run the electronic ignition system. I took it that this showed that the Alton was putting something into the battery and assumed the low state of charge in normal operation just indicated a well charged battery. When not in use I would leave the battery connected to one of Paul Goffs little trickle charge devices.
So last October I did a slow ride in the evening and ended up with a dead engine and battery at the top of a hill, the bike started on the bump down the hill but would not start off the kick starter.
Later that month I had an evening run at dusk, glow worm lights and a scary ride home. All the way through winterI had the battery on trickle charge, not all the time just occasionally.
Last weekend I found I had a totaly dead battery. With a good charge it would run the engine but eventually die, no chance of running lights, this just resulted in a dead engine! Kill switch!
I connected up a lead acid battery I use on the Shadow. When I run the engine I get a good 8 amps charge! The battery charger indicated that this battery was "charged" before I fitted it.
So I have bought another Bosch battery, I am stuffed in this respect as I built the bike to fit that battery and a change will need serious metal work. I mentoned all the above to the counterhand and he said. "the problem is you are not using it enough, (story of my life) you need to turn on the lights and discharge the battery and then recharge it". When I pointed out the low rate of charge from the Alton he went on to say "you need to contact the manufacturer, these battries are designed to be pulse charged, they don't work on the normal sine wave". Now I thought that sine wave indicated AC and I belive batteries need DC, so it sounds like bull shine to me, but I open it up to you learned fellows, what am I doing wrong? How do I put it right? Is there really a "special" way to charge a sealed battery? For those of you in the know I do not accept this as Australian revenge and long range Knut removal, no voodoo answers please? I am an electrical muppet, I can follow a circuit diagram, wire bikes and houses, but I don't get all that stuff about volts/amps and ohms, so construct your replies accordingly please.
Many thanks.
Jim Burgess, Norvin S.O.
So last October I did a slow ride in the evening and ended up with a dead engine and battery at the top of a hill, the bike started on the bump down the hill but would not start off the kick starter.
Later that month I had an evening run at dusk, glow worm lights and a scary ride home. All the way through winterI had the battery on trickle charge, not all the time just occasionally.
Last weekend I found I had a totaly dead battery. With a good charge it would run the engine but eventually die, no chance of running lights, this just resulted in a dead engine! Kill switch!
I connected up a lead acid battery I use on the Shadow. When I run the engine I get a good 8 amps charge! The battery charger indicated that this battery was "charged" before I fitted it.
So I have bought another Bosch battery, I am stuffed in this respect as I built the bike to fit that battery and a change will need serious metal work. I mentoned all the above to the counterhand and he said. "the problem is you are not using it enough, (story of my life) you need to turn on the lights and discharge the battery and then recharge it". When I pointed out the low rate of charge from the Alton he went on to say "you need to contact the manufacturer, these battries are designed to be pulse charged, they don't work on the normal sine wave". Now I thought that sine wave indicated AC and I belive batteries need DC, so it sounds like bull shine to me, but I open it up to you learned fellows, what am I doing wrong? How do I put it right? Is there really a "special" way to charge a sealed battery? For those of you in the know I do not accept this as Australian revenge and long range Knut removal, no voodoo answers please? I am an electrical muppet, I can follow a circuit diagram, wire bikes and houses, but I don't get all that stuff about volts/amps and ohms, so construct your replies accordingly please.
Many thanks.
Jim Burgess, Norvin S.O.