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Question: Harley mechanics please help?

(Posted by: Tim on 2010-03-02 21:31:03)

I have a 1979 1000 ironhead sportster. The generator light was on all the time. So i replaced it with a brand new generator & now the light still stays on . But only when it idles..as soon as i give the bike throttle. the light goes out..any ideas??? to vtwin do..How do i flash the feild coil terminal ? & yes it is a new generator. its idle is set just a little over 1000 rpms. CHICKEN HEAD. I own a honda also. Would not trade my harley for 5 hondas. Ive had the harley for a long time & hardly ever have to work on it. YOUR JUST A HATER..

Posted by: vtwin_doc on 2010-03-02, 21:42:00

First off, what is your idle speed set to? It should be at 1000 rpm. If the idle is too low, this will happen. At 1000 rpm, the light should flicker at most and then turn off as the rpm's increase....this is NORMAL, with a flickering light, this would be called your "break-even speed ", the generator is only producing enough voltage and current to run the lights and ignition, but not enough to actually maintain the battery. It is a generator, not an alternator, generators produce DC voltage which is not very stable, especially at low rpm's, if the RPM's are too low, the generator will not produce enough voltage and current to equal the draw on the system by the lights and ignition. When you installed the generator, did you "flash " the field coil terminal to polarize the generator? Did you install a new regulator? Is your battery fluid at its proper level and does the battery have a fresh full charge? One recommendation for Ironheads that I ALWAYS make....eliminate the generator and get the alternator conversion...MUCH better...MUCH more stable voltage and current.

Posted by: Harley Drive on 2010-03-02, 21:38:47

Idle might be too low, regulator might be faulty, drive might be slipping

Posted by: Andy on 2010-03-02, 21:42:25

I would say it's probably ok.My 1956 Panhead generator light flickers at idle but as soon as the rpm's come up it goes out.The generator doesn't put out much til you rev it up.

Posted by: Chicken Head on 2010-03-03, 06:49:46

Why dont you trade it in for a honda you wont ever need to waste a weekend working on

Posted by: Duck Bill on 2010-03-03, 14:07:06

Why dont you read the tech book for the bike. i am sure you think i am a madd hatter. the truth is why spend all my time on here smoozeing the other low lifes for answers when i can open the book right in front of me. so Tim owner of a vintage bike thats proably worth more for scrap. please splain why you bought such junk with out a clue as how to repair it. was you just looking for email pals or needed something to impress the real men at the bar with. you know the one with dirt under there nails. The ones that can care less about your trimed goatee, loop earring and tat that you got to peak under your sleeve. the ones that put more miles on in a average weekend than you do all year. if there is one thing i hate it is this venue. its a perfect waste

Posted by: bikinkawboy on 2010-03-03, 18:07:48

All the indicator light says is that the electrical system voltage at that moment is less than battery voltage. It doesn't mean you have generator charging problems. Since it goes out as soon as you rev it up a bit, then you shouldn't have to polarize (the proper term, same as flash) the regulator as long as you haven't reversed polarity (swapped battery leads). The only time you need to polarize a regulator is when it's brand new and is of the mechanical type. NEVER try to polarize a solid state regulator. Many times, even brand new replacement mechanical regulators are pre-polarized from the factory. The only reason it was ever done was because way back when ( <1960) some (actually most) charging systems were positive ground. If you don't polarize the regulator to match your grounding system, the points can stick and after you shut the engine off, the regulator fails to disconnect the ground/ battery circuit. When that happens, the whole wiring harness goes up in flames as well as frying the armature. I know, we once bought a used tractor that had the polarity reversed. The result wasn't pretty and you find out just how fast you can run.

Posted by: sn00p on 2010-03-03, 22:29:19

Sounds normal, a low idle is low output also, and flash means the same as polarize (thats what us canucks call it anyhoo is polarize)