electric upgrade?

i am thinking to put a Cycle Electric generator on my Servi. has anybody put one on a 45 b4? which model fit?
mine is a 1973, last year.
i assume all the cases were the same. . .is that correct?

Your 73 should be equipped with a belt driven alternator.

Servitrike!

CE's Indian model of generators accept Indian pulleys. A fixture to hold it would be an issue, although an Indian reproduction clamp could probably be made to work.

(But I would opt for their standard models with their separate regulator, rather than the gawdawfulugly endmount regulators, as the parts are more interchangeable with OEM generators.)

A junkyard alternator may still be the cheapest and easiest way to go...

....Cotten

Pa. . .
my Servi did have the AC Delco alternator when i got it.
i could jumpstart a truck with that thing.
i did not have the shield covers for it. i had many times when the spinning blade made contact with the front fender.
but i had lots of troubles with the bracket/bearings in the pulley mount/ i eventually abandoned it for one of those mini alternators.
after more issues with faulty regulators i have had that working for quite a while. but i am not happy with it overall.


Cotten. . . .

the indian bracket idea is interesting.

i do have the CE with the end regulator on my Chief.
to my taste, i don't find it as repulsive as u seem to do.
that is what i was thinking to use.
didn't the OEM generators use the same 2 bolts as my Alt pulley bracket?
does the CE item mount the same way?
the CE website specifies years that match my bike, but not the models i want.

[Dusty-Dave]

I have had good luck with the Toyota forklift alternators on my Scouts. You can get them cheap I bought a brand new one with the internal regulator year before last for about $75. Just be sure that you are getting one with a internal regulator.
Dusty

Servitrike!

Sorry I cannot answer your questions, as I am not familiar with the Servi alternator assembly at all.

Chief owners' greatest complaint about the end-mount regulator is (beyond looking like a piece of flying saucer on an antique) it usually will not allow the use of Chummee assist springs.
(If if weren't for lady passengers, I would never have gotten into motorcycles at all!)
And interchangeability with OEM hardware seems most practical, in the long run.

Even though I spearheaded the development of CE's Indian replacement, I second Dusty's motion,

....Cotten

I saw recently someone was manufacturing the alternator covers and they were exactly like the oem ones. I can't recall who is doing them but a search using the oem part number should lead you to them, that is if you wished to return to that setup again.

ok.. let me ask from a different point of view. . .
how many different generator models were used? were they the same on big twins and little twins?
CE lists one model that is supposed to fit from '38 to '81. if the genny's were all the same, that should probly fit my 45. . . no?

Good question, Servitrike!

The right motor case should be the same, so why not remove what ever blocks off the case and bolt up a generator?
(Servis are out of my zodiac, but even if the case bolt holes are 1/4", Helicoils in the modern generator would allow original 1/4" bolts, and a special tap isn't even needed: 1/4"-24 is the one size of Helicoil that fits in the next size hole!)

....Cotten
PS: Once again, I have no clue about Servis, but I do know that the fugly end-mount regulator can interfere with a common footclutch.
And face it, if the regulator goes out, you could only use a CE replacement. There are many separate units available, although not the quality of CE's separate regulators. We all hope CE stays in business forever, but...

servitrike wrote:

ok.. let me ask from a different point of view. . .
how many different generator models were used? were they the same on big twins and little twins?
CE lists one model that is supposed to fit from '38 to '81. if the genny's were all the same, that should probly fit my 45. . . no?

I also see it as a good question. Early machines were 6 volt systems and used the 3 brush 32E and 32E2 generator. Then came the 2 brush generators. The 6 volt system was discontinued in 1963. Several generators were used throughout HD model history. I've named two already but there were many more such as the model 52, model 58, model 61, model 32E2R, model 48, and model 52K.

u guys sure sound like u know ur genny's.

Cotten. . .

a servi is just a 45 from the transmission forward. the only difference were in the rear end .
if u know 45's, u know Servi's
i put one of those old fiberglass Chief front fenders on mine(because i knew i would never afford a real Dispatch Tow.
so when the AC Delco unit started bumping into the fender, it dug a hole right thru it.
after that i decided i thought that set up really cluttered up an otherwise attractive engine.
the mini alt i went with mounts right into the original mount hole and is only about 3-4" wide.
as i said, i don't see the CE unit as such an eyesore. i am aware of, and have not yet checked the clearance issue with the clutch pedal.

Pa. . . .
u went far beyond my question. i didn't realize there could be so many internal differences.
i was asking about the mountings. and i gues, in a way, that would imply the external cases of the Genny. were they as varied as the number u mention? or were they all stuffed into the same genny shell? did all the years mount to the engine case with the same 2 bolt system?
i understand that not all the drive gears are identical. i would expect i can use the gear i have regardless of which Genny is used.

Dusty? didn't the original scout Genny use a belt? was it tricky to get a gear drive on there?

The mounting of the bodies were all the same with the exception of the screw threads.

Thx Pa. . .that clears up my fog.

i guess if i had asked that in the first place this could have been a much shorte thread. . .
but this was much more interesting. . .

[Dusty-Dave]

servitrike wrote:

Dusty? didn't the original scout Genny use a belt? was it tricky to get a gear drive on there?

Only the 34 Sport scouts used a belt People were not happy to remove the outer and inner primary to replace a belt They changed to a number 35 chain in 33. Chiefs and all the older Scouts used a belt with the genny mounted to the seat post.
Dusty

The -65 12V generator will work just fine. Be sure you have a correct 45" drive gear on it.

i have heard that caution before. so far, the gear that was on the original AC Delco set up has done well with the mini alt replacement. i think it should continue to be ok.

i stayed with the funky mini alternator after all.
so far, so good.