12v upgrade questions

[Lipdog]

Thanks to folks here I'm sorting through most of the issues on my '48 Chief and even had the bike out for a 40 mi ride last weekend. It ran well and was really fun. These old bikes are quicker than I would have thought and the brakes were fine as long as I didn't go too fast.

Now that it started raining I'm getting to a couple of new projects on the bike. The first is upgrading the charging system. I sent the generator out to Indian Frank yesterday so he can go through it and also upgrade the regulator to solid state. My goals are to be able to ride with the lights on at all times, and to get rid of the battery I have to fill. If I go with 12v I'm aware I need to change the bulbs and coil, and Frank tells me the points and condenser should work fine with a 12v system as long as I have the right coil.

I have a few questions:

- I still haven't decided 6v vs 12v, but I'm leaning toward 12v. Frank can do either for the same price. Right now I'm not going to get the bike judged, but I may some day. If I convert to 12v and the generator and regulator look completely stock, and I use a good battery shell from Starklite, would this be acceptable to a judge? What about a 12v headlight?

- Can anyone provide parts/links for 12v LED tail bulbs?

- What 12v battery have people used in a shell without problems?

Thanks!

[ChiefTwoKicks]

Lipdog- good question about which battery to use with the 12V system and an electronic solid state regulator.

Heres what I think, ...anyone please correct me if I have it wrong. It depends on the regulator, for which battery is better. I have heard that the electronic solid state regulators are NOT compatible with the Lithium-Ion batteries. The electronic regulators work best with a glass-matt, gell-cell or lead-acid battery. Not sure about any other type.

I use an Odyssey pc535 glass-matt sealed battery. It has a very long shelf life and I believe about 20 amp/hrs capacity. I have to trim off alot of the plastic outer case, the "fins", and some of the edges in order to get to fit inside the Starklite fibreglass faux battery cover. That takes some work !! But, its the only battery that has extended amp/hrs. All the others I have researched only have 13-15 hrs. I've been using this battery for close to 15 years. I'm on my second battery on my skirted chief. and still on the first battery I installed on my rigid frame in '08. The Odyssey battery is claimed to have a shelf life of six years in some of the literature I have. I have an electronic regulator on a 2 brush 12V built by Indian Frank. It has worked flawlessly for 8yrs now. Its just me, but I would not recommend running the lights full time. The generator gets pretty warm.

The Odyssey battery is very dependable. I have run the battery down to completely dead, then recharged it at a 10amp rate to see if it would recover. Simulating leaving the switch on by accident. The battery passed the test and lasted without incident for just over 5 years. I do ride and use my equipment on a very regular basis, so cycling the battery regularly is part of the final analysis. I believe you could leave the battery sit (not on a trickle charger) for an extended period, but I have not left a battery sit for more than 60 days without boosting them on occasion. The battery costs about $135 on EBay. Not cheap, but it works for me.

Just be sure to do your homework about which battery is right for you. Alot of guys are using the LITH-ION type battery and they like them. But I dont know what kind of regulator they require. I also believe Gene Harper builds regulators, but I am not familiar with his work. He has a stellar reputation... I don't know him.

If anyone would like to enlighten me for my contribution, I welcome the critique. Good Luck, C2K

[gharper]

CTK, Thanks for the Kudos! I'm fazing out of the regulator business........I want to work on my own projects and my supplier for the machined parts has retired as well.

Lipdog, Frank will do a good job with your generator, either 6 or 12 volt! Judges will not be able to tell either way, plus you want to use it, so 12 volt is OK. If done correctly, and especially if you go with LED lights, you can run them all the time, the generator will be fine. Regarding batteries, I've used the Shorai Lithium Iron battery with good results. The one big thing is, it ABSOLUTELY cannot accept an input voltage above 7.20 for 6 volt systems or 14.40 for 12 volt systems other than for a very short time. It can handle 20 amps charge rate, as long as the input voltage remains below those levels. Talk with Frank and see exactly where his regulator will limit voltage. These numbers also go for using a 110 volt battery charger. I've cooked 2 of these batteries using a conventional battery charger and a "trickle" charger because the input voltage is too high. Ran the Cannonball with a Shorai, lights on and a cell phone charged all the time, no problems.

Gene

[PaulCDF]

I am running 12 volt Cycle Electric Generator with internal regulator. For battery I'm using Battery World LEOCH LP-12-6 dirt cheap at ~ $20.00. only been on the road one year and so far so good (fingers crossed). Fits well inside my fake shell. My shell was quite old and the box terminals were loose so I removed them and as they were iron I used them as a template and fashioned a pair out of cleaned and flattened copper pipe which I then rubber cemented back into the shell.

[Lipdog]

I'm guessing people use an LED bulb just for the tail/brake light? I don't have spots and the instrument panel bulbs don't need to be brighter and shouldn't matter. I'm planning to use a more modern headlight bulb and not an LED. Would a judge deduct points for a halogen headlight?

[ammorest]

Lipdog, go to LEDLight.com. They are in Phoenix, AZ, they have the bulbs. I bought a selection of bulbs to see how they would work. They are somewhat brighter than incandescent bulbs and they draw very little power. When using the led 1157 in a tail light you have to specify a red bulb. They come in different colors, a white one won't work under a red lens and a red one won't work under a clear of white lens. I tried it and sure enough, it didn't work. Check out the website, it's very informative. They have a good selection of 6 and 12 volt bulbs.
Dave

[gharper]

Lipdog,

Use LED lights! They are plenty bright if you get the right one and it's aimed correctly. The big advantage is the power draw is a tiny fraction of what an incandescent bulb is, so less strain on the generator, regulator and battery. That's why all auto manufacturers have gone to LED's. A halogen bulb will draw even more power and produce a lot of heat as well. I cracked a glass lens with one....

Gene

[ChiefTwoKicks]

Lipdog- check your PM box C2K

[Lipdog]

What 12v headlights do people like to use with a rebuilt generator (20A output), either AGM or LiIon battery, and solid-state regulator? I'll use an LED for the tail/brake light for the brightness, and all the other small bulbs (instrument panel and the Indian head) will be standard.

[Lipdog]

Update: I decided to go with a 12v system. I looked at a ton of batteries and ended up choosing this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It is essentially identical to the Interstate one but 1/3 the price. The reason I went with this one is that it is one of the few that can fit in the width of the battery shell from Starklite (and it barely fits lengthwise), and the company that sells it seems to be a real company that offers good support. It's only 10.5 amp-hours, but most of the ones I found that would fit inside the case are less. With LED head and tail lamps, it should be fine.