cheap alternator/generator

i have been wanting a light but batteries just don't seem like what i want so a gen/alt
would be better
i know dc brush motors will generate but i don't know if the brushes will last very long
other thing i thought of is putting a couple of coils (not ignition coils regular enamel wire coils)around the flywheel
anything you guys can think of would be great
i'm trying to make this happen as cheaply as possible while still being fairly reliable i don't
want batteries only though

its a center mount weeder bike

are you telling me no one has any thoughts ideas
i find that hard to believe

hi i guess i give it a try go the search button and type cowboy rider he just got done doing a light system for his bike and i think you are going to like it it has a bunch of reliable information that you may like i just gotdoing my lighting system for under 40.00 bucks the only thing i am missing is my chareger but other than that its good to go

had searched didn't find much
looked up cowboy riders build but hes just running batteries not really what i'm after

Norm sells lights that will work off the white wire if you are running a china 2 stroke. No batteries needed...................

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Norms lights run great and are very simple reasonable priced too!

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its a homemade weed wacker bike

Here check this out
Generator idea. - Page 7 - MotoredBikes.com: Motorized Bicycle Forum
i don't think anyone tried it out yet but this is an eight page thread on the subject
i suggest reading the whole thread but if not then just read page 7
keep us posted if you are succesful
or even if you are not so we know what not to do

thx that was a great thread how long do you thing the brushes would last on the dc motors

I have no clue I never even thought of that.
I'll try asking the guy from page 7 that gave the equations for which motor to use.

Also If you go with an electric motor with specs similar to the ones on page 7 like 24v 200w they are easy to find in a wide variety since they are used for electric scooters like Razors.

So what are you running on your bike.
2 or 4 stroke and how do you plan to spin the power source?

I have got a 4 stroke and am using a Firebelly Hardbox(very sturdy by the way). I am unsure of mounting though because Evan just came out with a shift kit for the Hardbox and that would totally change the sproket and mounting location of the powersource.

The only thing I can come up with is to fabricate a custom bracket, mount it on the frame then spin it off of the drive chain and base the rpm's for the power source on my average top speed. Of course I would also suggest a rechargable battery and a voltage regulator.