back to the manual

[luckee13]

  thanks!

[jmanjeff]

Yes you need a voltage regulator points or not . It is part of the charging system it is not part of the ignition system

[luckee13]

well i been riding it without one and the battery stays fully charged without a problem.  would not having one affect the no-start when hot problem? thanks for the reply.

[dirtywhitewalls]

voltage regulator should have no effect on starting, but not having one is going to eat your battery..... then it will effect your elect start.

- check your coil
- i have no knowledge of electronic ignition(i don't go in for that sort of thing), but if you have contact points, I'd say replace condenser
- did you have this problem before you replaced carburetor?
- you have a good vent on fuel tank or good vented cap?

mike

[eglideic]

 First I don't think going back to points is the right idea.
You might as well also go back to using candles instead of electric lights.
Harley had a VERY GOOD V-Fire electronic ignition in the 1980s that would work just fine for you.
And if you don't even know that you need a regulator you had better stop working on your bike altogether.
I'm not saying you're not a nice guy, it's just that you are attempting something you have no business doing.
Stick to what you know. It's hard to tell what damage you might do to your bike.
Find an experienced friend that can show you the ins and outs while he's working on it.

[dirtywhitewalls]

"First I don't think going back to points is the right idea.
You might as well also go back to using candles instead of electric lights".

he should also maybe loose the carb and get some kind of electronic fuel injection.


what you really should do, need to to do is, get a manual, if you don't understand what the book says, then ask questions. that's how you learn; you read, watch, ask, repeat as necessary, and do it your self!

[eglideic]

 I strongly disagree.
With the Harley ignition system I'm talking about you just set it and forget it.
There's no need for replacing and adjusting points and no advance springs and weights to be lubed and replaced and everytime something needs serviced you have to recheck it with a timing light.
Harley actually used pop rivets to hold the timing cover on instead of screws because there's no need to go back in there.
I've never had any problem wth them.

[dirtywhitewalls]

i am not familiar with the electronic setup you speak of, sounds to me to be a good low maintenance system.

me and all the cats i run with use points or a mag(you know they're in there too) when they can afford one.
i have no problem with electronic ignition if that's what you want to run. i still like simple mechanical points that always get me home.

the fact is, no matter how much money, time, or upgrade parts one throws at a forty year old, push rod twin, it is still going to rattle, shake and break. to me, it is just part of it, if you are going to put a lot of miles on it, you better know how to pull a wrench on it as well.

bottom line here is, luckee13 needs to hit the books.

mike

[saltcaveminer]

the manual spells out the tests for the delco and the bosch regulators.without a regulator you run the risk of voltage and amperage problems.(hi and low)the low side may leave you stranded someplace but the hi may cause you injury (like an exploding battery)think about it if harley could get rid of regulator they would have done it years ago.Salty

[Ironhead RON]

Luckee13 has been given some good advice on this forum. It's up to him to use it. Had a bro somewhat like him. Got away with bad practices for years till it caught up with him. Like I say, "had" a bro. Luckee, w/o a regulator you should be checking and re-checking the battery electrolyte level. Only add distilled H2O, never acid, to refresh. As to the ignition: whatever works best with the least amount of maintenance or problems or $$. Depends on their pockets and needs. 13 "needs" to pay attention, but it's his call. Just my $0.02 worth.

[Skelly]

Luckee the "no start when hot" problem could easily be loss of compression from valves not seating after expanding from heat...otherwise may need to loosen pushrods ever so slightly as being a little too tight will let her start when cold but after warming up and stopping she won't start again untill cooling back off...don't ask me how I know...