12V vs. 6V Generator

Production K Models

12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 1:57 pm

Straight away, I hope I am not asking for too much advice, but you guys seem to know your stuff. I am about to purchase the necessary electrics for the K Model I am restoring. I have been told by a few people to convert it to a 12v system and I will have less problems finding parts, better lighting, etc.

What are the pro's cons? Also, it appears I can find a few different 12v options...any recommendations or experiences to share would be appreciated.

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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 8:35 pm

Her are a couple pics of the current generator. DOes anyone know if they can be rebuilt anymore?
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Generator  Model Number.jpg
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Generator  Model Number (2).jpg
Generator Model Number (2).jpg (118.65 KiB) Viewed 18771 times
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby sean » Sat Feb 07, 2015 8:50 pm

i just rebuilt my 52k genny.,bearings i used closed new timkin.brushes and feild coils were both found on fleabay.gaskets and seal i picked up at toms nos..if you collect the items any good vintage car genny rebuilder could help you get it together and test.
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 10:16 pm

Thanks sean
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby EKHKHK56 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:12 pm

Hello gentleman. 12V vs 6V. Well it is a matter of choice. Keeping it original is best if the K is original. With a properly working Generator, Regulator & Battery and correct tune up it will start and run fine on 6V system. The lights won't be as bright surely. 12V does give you a bit better spark and brighter lights. Like Sean says, any local alternator-starter etc electric rebuilders should be able to service, adjust regulator and pre test your generator for you. Erik
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:12 pm

Thanks for the information, the armature turns freely and the case is in good shape so I will bring it to a "genny" mechanic to see what they can do with it. I always want to stay with the original if possible. If it is bad I was just recommended to put in a 12v.

Thanks again,
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby sean » Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:02 pm

switching to 12 means a different genny,bulbs,coil,battery and maybe im overlooking something else...unless your driving across country on the cannon ball at night id stay 6 volt for two reasons,keeping it as orig as you can for greater resale and the cool factor,it will run fine with 6,just not as bright lighting.
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:54 pm

Thanks for the advice. I am looking and finding a hard time finding 6V lighting and accessories, any recommendations?

Also, one change we did decide to do was to go with a magneto; I know it is not original but all the advice I received seemed to point in going that way since I am not building it to win a classic bike show or anything.
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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby hennesse » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:34 pm

Mayday53 wrote:Thanks for the information, the armature turns freely and the case is in good shape so I will bring it to a "genny" mechanic to see what they can do with it. I always want to stay with the original if possible. If it is bad I was just recommended to put in a 12v.


Before you ship it off to a generator shop, you might consider looking it over yourself. Some generator shops can't get the brushes, as they're not real common these days. So they might call you in a week and ask you to get them. Especially painful if the shop is far away. Most of the time the generator is not "bad", it just needs a little refurbishment - like cleaning and new brushes.

That the armature spins doesn't tell you much, except that it's not totally rust inside.

The first thing to do is to motor your generator. Yes, a generator is a motor, and a starter motor is a generator. If you apply electricity to a generator, it will spin like a motor, and if you spin a starter motor, it will generate electricity. The only real difference is that each is optimized for a particular purpose. Some small equipment even has a dual-purpose starter-generator.

With a good 6-volt battery, run a wire from the positive battery terminal to the REG terminal of the generator. Run a wire from the negative battery terminal to the case of the generator. Run another wire from the negative battery terminal (or from the gen case), and touch it to the F. You should get a spark as you connect/disconnect it. Should be a noticeable spark, but might only be a tiny one. Now hold the wire on the F terminal for a few seconds - the generator should start spinning. If it spins, great - it's basically working.

If you're using a little gel-cell or lantern battery, the battery won't have enough juice to spin the generator. In this case, hold the wire on the F terminal, and see if you can turn the armature by hand. If not (feels locked up), that's good - it's trying to spin, just not enough oomph to get over the hump - and it's basically working. Disconnect the wire from the F as soon as possible! (Note that when it's hooked up but not spinning, it's a direct short through the brushes, so you want to disconnect as soon as possible)

Next is to examine the brushes. Pull off the big end cap, and remove the one screw that holds each brush down. Watch for the spring which will pop out. Remove the brush and examine. Old brushes are often worn way down, or be cracked or broken. The spring may have rusted and broken in half. Or be jammed sideways. You will almost always want to replace the brushes, unless they appear like new.

A spray can of Brake-clean will get most of the gunk and grit out.

Take a look at the commutator. It should be shiny and flat. You'll have to do a little more disassembly, but you can clean it up with some fine emery paper. If you take off any wires, be SURE to mark where they came from!!! You can follow in the service manual and undercut the mica separators between commutator segments with a broken hacksaw blade. If there is a huge ridge where the brushes were not riding, you may need professional help to clean it up.

Now try the motor test again. If it motors, or tries to, it works. If you got nothing before and nothing now, it has bigger problems. But now you know whether it works or not, and you can send it off to the shop to replace the bearings and do a more thorough cleaning inside and painting outside.

You should send the voltage regulator along with the generator so they can test them both at the same time, and adjust the regulator. You should have a 1118307 regulator - it is marked "307" on one of the mounting feet. It may have been replaced sometime along the line with a '794 or '989 - they look a little different, but work the same. The specs for the regulator adjustments (including the original D-R service bulletins) are in the Technical:Regulators section of this site. An internal wiring diagram for the 52K generator is shown in Technical:Generators.

One problem with the '307 regulators - the cover is held down by little bend-over tabs. These often break when someone tries to take off the cover to make adjustments. Your shop may still have a little tool to help do this, but that metal is old and brittle. Harley (and D-R) used to sell a replacement cover because of this problem.

Oh, and you may want to pick up the oil seal too - your generator shop may not be able to get one. My generator shop (who let me copy all their great old D-R docs) could not get the brushes or the oil seal - I had to get them. Since they're far away, I bought the parts on-line, and had the parts shipped directly to the shop. Had I known, I would have bought the parts in advance, and saved a lot of trouble.

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Re: 12V vs. 6V Generator

Postby Mayday53 » Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:01 pm

Dave, that is very helpful...thank you for your time buddy, I really appreciate you helping out a "newbie" to the motorcycle restoration passion.
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