'47 Trumpy

[TheTractorman]

I have a 1947 Triumph which I use as a daily ride,problem is she's 6volt and that makes riding home after sundown dangerous.Can anybody offer some insight on what I might do,to improve the candle power.Thanks

[Big Dave]

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[Motu]

You can get solid state generators that fit straight in,and 12 volt too.Dunno where,but I've seen them fitted to old generator British bikes.

[jonbuoy]

I have a 1947 Triumph which I use as a daily ride,problem is she's 6volt and that makes riding home after sundown dangerous.Can anybody offer some insight on what I might do,to improve the candle power.Thanks

Hi, this is a bit pricey though....

http://www.pressenter.com/~cmeyer/MES612PG6A.html

Only other thing I can think of is fitting a seperate 12 volt total loss battery just to run the headlight - not sure how far you have to ride. Your bike is a positive earth right? - So you would have to be carefull not to get any ground loops through the lighting switch gear or bulb holder that could give you potentially -12 and +6V on your wiring.

[calmone]

One of the problems I have had in the past with older Triumph and BSA lighting has been the type of bulb fitted and the state of the reflector. I found that in one instance a clean up and a newer type bulb gave me adequate light, certainly not to the standard of a 12 volt sealed beam or Halogen but a vast improvement.
Check with British Spares www.britishspares.com in Upper Hutt as they did have some options a while ago

[Ixion]

You should be able to get the 6 volt system adequate for night riding.

My Velo was 6volt. The lights were OK, good for 60mph anyway. Voltage doesn't in itself affect the light output, 30 watts or whatever is 30 watts regardless of voltage.

The headlamp reflectors on those old cars and bikes often get tarnished which massively reduces the light . It used to be possible to get them resilvered, may still be. Sometimes the glasses get slightly cloudy , too. Also check wires and connections 6v is more susceptable to voltage drop.

Also, what state is your battery in? I assume the bike is magneto ignition, and I've seen many cases of mag ignition bikes where the battery has been quite munted, to the point where it's actually about a 4 volt battery. Cos of the magneto, you don't notice it the way you would with coil ignition.

Try giving a vintage car club a call, they usually are oonto that sort of stuff. Or, if you get the right person, sometimes the AA can be quite helpful.

[calmone]

Hi Ixion do you recognise the Velo in my Avatar?

[Blackbird]

I have a 1947 Triumph which I use as a daily ride,problem is she's 6volt and that makes riding home after sundown dangerous.Can anybody offer some insight on what I might do,to improve the candle power.Thanks

What model Triumph? I have some service manuals going back to the 40's. Great year - when I first emerged on the planet in fact

[TheTractorman]

She's a 47 Thunderbird,morgo kitted to 800cc.Very reliable and tight.

[Paul in NZ]

Which is pretty amazing since the 650cc Thunderbird was introduced in 1949....

But seriously, the bits are all interchangeable with the 5T and 1947 was a nice year as (from memory) it would have the instruments in the tank and no nacelle (which I never really liked btw)

Can we assume you have a DC generator or dynamo?? Later rigid Thunderbirds and 5T's had an alternator with coil ignition. Since we know you bike is not exactly as it came from the dealer, it may well have a magneto and an alternator (best of both worlds)

First step is to make sure the std system is actually working as the maker intended. Frankly, I've never managed to get one of those poxy 6V generators to go any good but some manage it.

OK - So lets look at the supply side. There is a generator, a regulator (CVC Box) and the wiring between.

If you have the generator off the bike, you should be able to connect it across a battery and get it to 'motor' . If you connect the D and F terminals together and connect to the battery. Connect the earth side of the battery to the generator body and it should turn in the direction the motor drives it. If it is reversed, either the field or brush leads need to be swapped around.

If the polarity is wrong, it wont charge. Restore it by arcing a lead from the live side of the battery to the F terminal a few times, there will be sparks!!!

In my experience, regulators either go or don't. Clean up the contacts and if it goes OK, leave it, if not, replace it with a solid state one. I would check with British Spares.

Wiring and batteries and no brainers. Inspect both for good connections and condition, if in doubt replace them.

The problem with 6V is it's hard to get good bulbs and relays etc. If it's not a pristine collectors jobbie I'd convert to 12V and go for a semi sealed lamp running an H4 bulb via relays.

The supply or distribution side of the system is a matter of making sure all the wiring, switches and connections are clean and tight. Seriously, you loose a lot going through ancient wiring and switches. The megre electricity made by the 6V DC system is often wasted as heat in dodgy connectors.

Let me know if you need any more infor or if I have confused you enough for 1 day!

Paul N

[TheTractorman]

Thanks Paul,the ownership papers say 1947 Triumph GT.I was just under the impression it was a Thunderbird.The generator seems to be working well,I've never had a flat battery.I'll talk to my friendly auto electrician about testing some of the wiring for voltage drop.The lights aren't terrible but they're not high intensity either.Thanks again.Dan

[Paul in NZ]

No worries

If you want the ultimate in pre unit electrical 'cool' at a big ticket price. Check this out!!!!

http://www.btinternet.com/~hawkshaw....natorpics.html

It looks like a lucas generator BUT its a brand new alternator giving enough power for 'modern' class lighting at 12V. However, since it looks like the charging is OK I'd concentrate on making the best of what you have.

From memory it's a pretty std 7" reflector clipped into the rim so a cheap replacement from supercheap would be a start.

How about a picture?? I'll bet the GT is actually meant to be 6T (engine case) for the Thunderbird engine. If you let me know the engine number / frame number I can look it up in the book and tell you what it was...

Paul N

[Paul in NZ]

Check this out..

http://au.geocities.com/wellingtoncl...ratorTalk.html

Paul N

[TheTractorman]

Those units from England look the part,but I think you are right about sticking with what I have.I have started stripping her tonight and some of the wiring does have an aged look about it.I think I'll replace the headlight wiring with some heavier core wire and add a relay and a better quality reflector.Will grab those numbers tomorrow and post them.

[Blackbird]

Tractorman,
I've found my maintenance and repair manual for Triumph twins from 1945 (!) and there are wiring diagrams, assembly drawings, technical specifications and so on. I see that you're in the Waikato like me. If you ever want to take a look at it, let me know. No probs in copying the relevant bits. Also have a service manual for Triumph 350 and 500 twins up to engine number 29733 (1965 I think).

Cheers

Geoff