Gift horse - part 10

The R80/7 is equipped with a 12v system comprised of a brush-type alternator, an electromechanical voltage regulator (which is an interesting bit of retro-tech), and a diode board rectifier. Ignition to the sparking plugs is via contact breaker points and coils.

The alternator, diode board, points and condenser are all neatly housed at the front of the engine case behind a single aluminum cover, which makes access for inspection and maintenance fairly convenient. However, it is imperative to disconnect the battery whenever removing or refitting this cover, as contact between it and any of the electrical components could cause a short and inadvertently damage them.

We replaced the brushes with a new set; an improvement has been made here, in that they no longer need to be soldered to the stator, but can conveniently be bolted to it thanks to ring terminals that are pre-fitted by the manufacturer (available from Siebenrock).

The contact breaker points are housed within a canister at the bottom of the engine case to improve protection from the elements, while the condenser is bolted immediately outside (top right in the next photo):

There's nothing wrong with points & condensers, so long as everything is in good shape and your machine has a healthy battery (or you have a strong leg to kick the engine over); even so, it's prudent to carry a spare set, just in case.

The rotor was cleaned up on a lathe to ensure maximum conductivity to the new brushes:

Below, you can see all the components back in place within the front engine compartment; the diode board at the top, the alternator with the new brushes towards the center (it's the crankshaft that spins it, just as it spins the clutch at the other end), and the canister housing for the contact breaker points towards the bottom. Notice also the condenser at the 2 o'clock position outside the canister:

It is worth noting that the engine components are laid out in such a way to maximize efficiency: as mentioned, the crankshaft also spins the generator and the clutch, while the camshaft riding below it in the engine block spins the contact breaker points (through an Oldham coupler!) and an Eaton oil pump at the rear of the engine housing. Marvelous.

While many impressive (and expensive) upgrades to the entire electrical system are available for these motorcycles, there is something to be said for relatively simple components, that are cheap to obtain and easy to replace by the roadside in the rare case of failure.