Electrical question

Bazlerker

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Last fall I went for a ride and forgot to turn on the headlight on my Alton equipped beast...I remembered that this is forbidden half way through the ride and switched it on - the headlight came on, so I thought I had got away with it..
I just put the bike back on the road, and discovered that the headlight would not come on with the bike not running -( the headlight comes on when the bike is running, but gets brighter as the engine revs..) so I assumed that the battery had died, and replaced it..
I just tried the headlights with the motor not running, and a fully charged battery - no lights..

Does this mean that I have fried the voltage reg?
 

Howard

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Sounds like something duff in your battery circuit. I'd start by checking battery earth, then from battery to ammeter with a circuit tester (bulb and wire), then accross ammeter. Difficult to say from a distance, but it only sounds like duff connection or broken wire from your description (or as Bruce says, a dead fuse).

H
 

Bazlerker

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There is a fuse, Ill check it tonight..thanks for the link to Podtronics..And one of the Canadian dealers is owned by a Vincent owner-John Oland..
 
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roy the mechanic

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If the headlamp gets brighter with engine speed the generator must be working. Check the battery connections, mine did this a while ago, one of the two power wires had come adrift.
 

Monkeypants

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I also have an alton and sometimes forget to ride with the headlight on. I have run a couple of hundred miles this way, then turned the light on for awhile, then accidentally run the bike another 100 miles or so with the light off again. I have been running like this for a few years now and so far no problem, except the memory is deteriorating.
Perhaps I have had a problem with the Alton and I've forgotten.

No, I'm certain, the thing has worked just fine.

Glen
 

Howard

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Not sure why running with headlamp off should cause a problem.
Headlights aren't compulsory in the UK, sometimes I use the lights and sometimes I don't. Cars have pulled out in front of me when I've had 60W headlight and high vis jacket on, on bright Summer's days (not this Summer, obviously), so I don't see the point of using lights permanently.

H
 

Len Matthews

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On a slightly different subject not connected to Altons, my problem concerns Miller and Lucas dynamos. I usually test them on the bench using a power drill to spin them. By shorting F&D together, putting a voltmeter across these two and earth a good output is shown but when put back on the bike-nothing. Can't be incorrect rotation because my drill turns the armature the same way as on the bike. I've tried flashing the field coil to ensure correct polarity and ran a small bulb between D and battery Positive. The bulb should go out but just dims. What's wrong?
 

Howard

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Have you tried a headlight bulb in place of the voltmeter? I'm not sure the voltmeter creates enough load.

H
 
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