new generator

[stan]

Several shops sell a new generator for the Indians. The generator has a built in regulator.. I wonder if anyone has installed one? are they that much better? Are they made in the US? Thanks for any info.. stan

[ammorest]

I put one on a '38 Chief made by Cycle Electric. High quality , works well.
Dave

[T. Cotten]

I have the original CE prototype for sale, Folks,..

Without the ugly end-mount regulator! (Its development is chronicled at http://virtualindian.org/projgen.htm#cepic.)

Instead it has a detachable Bosch, as shown on its testbed Chief at http://virtualindian.org/8eventpontiac.htm and can be used with Chummee assist springs. (Endmount regulators interfere.)
It saw only a couple of hundred miles of duty.

12V Generator, regulator, and a fresh pulley for $300. Please email me direct at liberty@npoint.net.

....Cotten

[slamiste]

Cycle Electric products are made in the USA. I'm running both 6 volt and 12 volt models (with the build in regulator) on Indians and H-D'd. Never had any problems with any of them.

[indian301]

I installed a C.E. generator on my 1948 Chief and it works well. And YES they are better than a stock Autolite.

Dave

[Lipdog]

I had Indian Frank rebuild my stock Autolite and convert it to 12v with a solid-state regulator in the original housing. It would pass judging and looks completely original, and his work is very nice. I personally don't like the look of the CycleElectric ones, though I'm sure they work well.

[indian301]

I have my old Autolite generator if anyone is interested.

Dave

[T. Cotten]

If I knew IndianFrank@yahoo.com then, Folks,...

,,,The way I do now, the CE Indian offerings wouldn't have happened.
(I have already apologized to Frank, more than once.)

It was entirely CE's idea to offer the flying-saucer endmount, and push it ahead of their "Standard" model like my prototype.
The VirtualIndian community's intent was to provide a cheaper, "runner" conversion; Please note the several other alternatives in my previous link, none of which would pretend to be an Autolite.

....Cotten

[tfburke3]

I had Indian Frank rebuild my stock Autolite and convert it to 12v with a solid-state regulator in the original housing. It would pass judging and looks completely original, and his work is very nice. I personally don't like the look of the CycleElectric ones, though I'm sure they work well.

I have to agree on the CE looks.Personally I think the Bosch VW generator/regulator looks better,but its nice to have options.
Tom

[clae]

i purchased a cycle electric 12v that looks to be made in the USA

[ChiefTwoKicks]

About two years ago, I asked Indian Frank to build up a 12v Autolite generator for my '36 rigid frame Chief (the gen mounts in front of the frame center post). The Kabota alternator that I built, kept burning up the regulator heat sink, mounted inside the gen case. We determined (?), that because the regulator was located too close to the source of heat, it would not cool enough, thus causing an intermittent break down after operating only a few hours.

I did wonder about this anomoly when I first built the Kabota alternator (as per Virtual Indian article by Greg Yerex, back around 2003) at first, the unit worked flawlessly for about 4 years, then developed intermittent failure. Back to square one... I needed help with this one.

I finally decided to regroup, and put a generator on the bike instead. I called Indian Frank. He suggested I use a remote regulator eliminator, an item from JP Cycles, # 380-132, mounted up between the tanks, totally hidden. After moving the regulator away from the rear cylinder, the generator now works and looks perfect, as it should. Indian Frank offered a solution to the problems I was having. Although the remote elilimator is designed for 6v, it works fine for my 12v conversion, which looks exactly like a stock generator/regulator (mounted with the correct small relay cutout, up next to the rear cyclinder head.) no more problems . Frank had told me about the J&P eliminator, although he had not personally used the J&P item, said it should work fine, and if it didn't... just call him. well, I did call him. I told him his suggestion was the correct solution, and all was well. I now have about 700 miles on the bike, with no worries.
Thanks again, Indian Frank.

When it was all said and done, the cost of Indian Frank rebuilding an Autolite (12v) with a solid state regulator (plus the remote eliminator) was about $60 difference from the CE generators with the goofy looking endplate. CE now offers an end plate and regulator which looks better (still not like original), I'm not sure about the increase in cost.

C2K

[T. Cotten]

IndianFrank is doing okay, Folks!

He just called me; his veteran PEEK seals need service, so maybe they don't always last forever, especially if the top end gets hot and 'tired'.

Back to CEs, let me make it clear once again that they offer both an end-mount regulator model, and a standard model with no regulator that looks virtually like any Model58-and-later Harley generator, because much of it is built with the original machinery that produced them. The hope of the VirtualIndian effort was to take advantage of widespread producers of replacement parts, even if CE ceased to exist, and a wide choice of regulators as well.
Their end-mount models, however, use some hardware that is their proprietary design. (Not to mention that it interferes with footclutches on Harley models as well as Chummee assist springs on Indians.)

At least Indians don't have to worry about a a "low-voltage" regulator to avoid boiling the battery.

....Cotten

[blacknight55]

How I made [ kinda ] my C&E look presettable as a normal genny

2 different sizes of coupler nuts brazed together. high school geometry the end plate .... now more of a heat sink. I needed a 10x32 and a 1/2x20. to center this a 10x32 long countersunk screw joins them during the weld.

.


thumb_IMG_1191_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1192_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1190_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1531_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1522_1024.jpg

[blacknight55]

thumb_IMG_1194_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1193_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1195_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1514_1024.jpg thumb_IMG_1520_1024.jpg

[T. Cotten]

I assume, Blacknight,...

You have no intent of running Chumme assist springs, as just the funky endmount alone interferes.

The standard CE model, without the regulator adaptation, would be a whole lot easier to fake.

And troubleshoot,.. and find replacement parts, as they are identical to HD OEM.

.....Cotten
PS: I have a Chumme assist assembly if anybody needs it.

And the CE standard prototype in post #3 is still on my shelf!