Electrics 6v or 12v? who knows.
EDIT:
Due to some recent events, its time to update this page>>
At the start, the main question was 6v or 12v. - fundamentally is it worth the upgrade.
I would now say this -
6v is fine, if you want to retain originality, only ride quite occasionally, and don't plan on doing much - if any - night time riding.
If not, then i would go for the 12v. - Components are more readily available, more reliable, and allows for more modern peripherals - dare i say x1 USB charger maybe!
From the start of my project, i had some financial constraint, which ment it wasnt fisable at that time to do the whole 12v convert setup.
Ironically, over time, now i have probably spend more on maintaing, fixing the 6v components than the 12v would have cost to begin with.,
anyway.
Here is what i have learned.
If you are considering 12v, then bite the bullet and just do it. SO MUCH less hassle than you may imagine.
Ok - you will need 12v versions of COIL, BULBs + BATTERY, but after these, you are good to go.All of these parts are easily available from various retailers on the internet.
Don't faf around with any of those (in my opinion - ridiculous) generator conversions (i think theres a few variations knocking around) re appropriating a generator from a VW or FIAT and bodging it on to our engine case somehow, unless of course you enjoy chop shop challenges!
I would recommend getting one of these pre-made setups, it fits right in the hole, and works with existing mechanical components:
http://www.old-motorcycle-parts.com/dynamo-c-m72-5.html
It basically comes with a "if you installed it correctly, it will perform perfectly and never break" type of claim. And for me this is accurate so far.
They are custom made, to fit exactly the same dimensions of the original G414 gen -but constructed from modern (read "good") components, comes with a years warranty! (holy crap - a warranty associated with dneprs!) and is set up to almost to plug and play (with one or two minor wiring tasks)
There's a variety of models to cover different outputs, I went for the max of 150v, which is more than enough for my rig, mostly for the case if i want to add any extra peripheral components.
More of a thought/discussion process..
As progress is getting towards completing some main components of the bike (and even some reassembly!), my thoughts turned to the electric system, (of which was ripped out, as it was a primary example of how not to bodge an electric system). A re-wire was in order, and that initially sparked a debate about 12v over the original 6v.
A fair bit of research has been completed in to this area, sifting through old forum posts, examining options for each scenario of conversion or not, and more importantly pricing out each option.. And ultimately weighing up the pros and cons. However with all of this i think a conclusion has been reached.
i think there are a few paths to take here for the conversion :
- keep original generator, no mods (many say it can cope with the required output for 12v - but that's pushing it to the max)
- change the generator and associated components (there are people who sell converted generators that fit dneprs and urals)
- rewind the original to 12v / get a new 12v rotor for the original gen (some do sell them)
- sod the conversion and stick to the original 6v and don't do to much night riding
Things that are affected by converting to 12v:
- Generator (obv)
- all bulbs
- regulator
- battery
- other electrical components (horn (debatable), indicators, side car secondary light - if installed)
below i have tried to simplify to the bare essentials and how / what i thought about them
Currently the K750 stock system is 6v.
Pros:
- NOS / original parts designed for 6v output,
- generator wont be pushed to the max,
- no problem if day riding is the majority of riding done.
- original (to keep the anoraks happy)
- no need to change other components (coil, bulbs, regulator etc...)
Cons:
- Bulbs are a not as available,
- 6v has an inherently lower illumination level due to its lower voltage making night riding difficult especially in adverse weather conditions,
cleanliness of electrical contacts has a significant impact on overall system.- according to other posts i have read - only starts outputting enough to charge the battery from around 900 - 1000rpm and upwards
12v conversion:
Pros :
- Bulbs are more available
- modern energy efficient 12v regulators are easily available,
- if the generator fails to output enough (and still using original), its fairly easy to change it back to 6v (only swap out bulbs,battery, regulator and coil),
- can be converted with no cosmetic differences
- night riding is good as you can see where you are going
- Less impacted by unclean contacts.
Cons:
- Change all bulbs
- change ignition coil
- change regulator / build regulator
- change battery
- slower night time riding/city riding at lower revs could cause the generator to struggle to make enough output,
- I guess it would no longer be 'original'
- expensive
looked in to the option of rewinding generator rotor from various uk companies ranging from £65 to £200
i did also find a place on eBay that sells replacement 12v rotors for the stock G414 generator. It seems this is quite a common thing to do, and not overly expensive.
a great option was buying a new manufactured one from these guys. Its made exactly for 12v conversion purpose, but made to fit and look as the original (web page is in polish - so use google translate):
http://www.motocyklejacka.pl/ruski_dynamo.php
unfortunately this option is a bit expensive for me at present - but im keeping it in mind for future.
looking at the above, for now it, seems easier to keep the 6v system.
but i will consider the 12v options for the future. I guess if i go for a conversion ill just get a new 12v rotor to pop in my G414 gen. I dont really want to start messing around with generators/alternators that went meant to fit. (unless i win the lottery, then i can jut buy that nice new 12v polish made one)
i found this which could be a usefull guide.
http://www.vicus.org.uk/johnash/m62charging.htm
and then if you really want to go in to detail, i found this which covers a regulator's functions if you plan on making one (which i considered an option)
http://home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/GPZweb/RegRec/GPZvRegMagnetField.html
EDIT: conclusion
in the end i kept the 6v setup,replaced the fuse with a modern blade one, got a load of spare 6v bulbs (as i found a good local supplier), cleaned up the insides of the existing generator.
I also adjusted the wiring diagram a bit, every component now has a wired earth, rather than relying on the frame to carry this - helps enormously with troubleshooting.
Im still using the old regulator. Everything seemed to work nicely!
I also got my front light reflector re-silvered which massively helped with its illumination. And in addition painted the insides of the rear lights white to help reflect more light and make them appear brighter. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. - i do plan on upgrading to 12v later, as i dont really do a lot of night riding, for now 6v is fine.
EDIT 2:
recently my other generator packed up.
However i managed to get a steal of a deal on a NOS 6v G414 gen.
This, however, has presented an excellent opportunity to take my old gen apart,refit all its insides, replacing with a nice 12v rotor (when i can get my hands on one). when i get this done ill run some test to see the viability of a swapped out rotor - as from all the 3 options i placed earlier, its the most cost efficient (ignoring the fact of having to replace everything else, battery, reg, coil etc....ill deal with that when the time comes.)
