Bert
Club Member
I've been playing with my 1977 Sportster. I've owned it six to eight years now, but never had it on the road as it was in a pretty bad state when I bought it
and I go to sea to earn my wage.
So I'm on home leave at present and the one real issue left on the list before I try to get the local equivalent of an MOT is the charging system.
I've had trouble with the charging system on my 1972 Sportster in the past so was a little better equipped this time.
All the tests I could do at home pointed at the regulator being the issue.
When newly purchased I'd bought a NOE regulator with what I hoped was the correct socket to connect straight to what is close to the original loom.
Not the same as the OEM wiring diagram I notice.
Anyway, the OEM regulator would not work.
The dynamo was giving 2-4 vote on low charge and 40-50 volts maxed out, so no issue with the dynamo.
So I bit the bullet and bought a Cycle Electric Inc. regulator for a 1977-1981 Sportster.
This to failed to function. So I tested it in the only way I know how and it failed.
I'm not a specialist or anywhere near well experienced enough with this stuff so I took three regulators and the dynamo to the 'old boy' specialist in town.
Bugger! He's retiring this year.
The two solid state regulators failed, but an old mechanical regulator I received with the bike although requiring a little adjustment worked.
Am I the only one to have solid state regulator failures with units straight out of the box?
This is the third Cycle Electric Inc. regulator I've bought, always from a reputable dealer and the second one to be faulty out of the box.
The dealer has always played fair and reimbursed my money, although I still don't get my postage or time back.
OH yes, and Pau, the old boy who is retiring soon, questioned whether it really should be negative earth.
I've no information that suggests any of the 70s Sportster would be positive earth.
Any thoughts anyone?
and I go to sea to earn my wage.
So I'm on home leave at present and the one real issue left on the list before I try to get the local equivalent of an MOT is the charging system.
I've had trouble with the charging system on my 1972 Sportster in the past so was a little better equipped this time.
All the tests I could do at home pointed at the regulator being the issue.
When newly purchased I'd bought a NOE regulator with what I hoped was the correct socket to connect straight to what is close to the original loom.
Not the same as the OEM wiring diagram I notice.
Anyway, the OEM regulator would not work.
The dynamo was giving 2-4 vote on low charge and 40-50 volts maxed out, so no issue with the dynamo.
So I bit the bullet and bought a Cycle Electric Inc. regulator for a 1977-1981 Sportster.
This to failed to function. So I tested it in the only way I know how and it failed.
I'm not a specialist or anywhere near well experienced enough with this stuff so I took three regulators and the dynamo to the 'old boy' specialist in town.
Bugger! He's retiring this year.
The two solid state regulators failed, but an old mechanical regulator I received with the bike although requiring a little adjustment worked.
Am I the only one to have solid state regulator failures with units straight out of the box?
This is the third Cycle Electric Inc. regulator I've bought, always from a reputable dealer and the second one to be faulty out of the box.
The dealer has always played fair and reimbursed my money, although I still don't get my postage or time back.
OH yes, and Pau, the old boy who is retiring soon, questioned whether it really should be negative earth.
I've no information that suggests any of the 70s Sportster would be positive earth.
Any thoughts anyone?