How do I run a headlight off the white wire

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Moto

Moto

Member
Jan 7, 2012
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San Francisco, CA.
Hi guys, Im a complete noob at wiring these chinese engines. I have been looking at photos and I would love to wire up a headlight using the engine's magneto. Can somebody give me some tips on how to get started / what to do? I know that the white wire gives out 6 volts ac, but how many watts could I run off that? Some say 3watts? I dont want to rob spark from my engine...Thanks!

brnot
 
Ilikeabikea

Ilikeabikea

Active Member
Jan 27, 2008
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Ptown, Texas
I've been running a headlight and tail light off the white wire for 3 or 4 years now. Works great. I'm not sure what the wattage is on the bulb. I took it out of an old flashlight. I had the wrong bulb at first and it would kill the engine........
 
Dave31

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
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Aztlán, Arizona
Still running Normans light off the white wire. Not only do I have a on/off switch for the lights; I also added a kill switch to Normans Light housing so i can kill the engine if I want. I usually just stall the motor out.

I also added some quick disconnect on the wiring so i can remove the light easy and fast if I don't need it so my handlebars is not all cluttered up.

So my white wire when the light is hooked up runs the light and can also be used to kill the motor.

The bulb I am running is 6v and 3watts

I also run two cheap battery operated lights in the flashing mode to help grab attention.

** Hmmm, I have seem to lost all my photos of the light. I'll have to take some more and get them posted.
 
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ivan H

Member
Oct 8, 2011
622
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australia
To answer ur question of how 2 run headlight, connect the white wire to one connection on the light, the black wire to ur cdi or a wire connected 2 ur motor to the other connection of the light. Like u've already been told, keep the wattage low or it'll kill the motor, just like the kill switch. Cheers
 
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ivan H

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Oct 8, 2011
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yeah but paint on the frame, oxidised aluminium doesnt mke for a good conection. The cdi uses far higher voltage than the light so would pass current thru a bad conection with less voltage drop than the light (which, being 6V max cant afford 2 lose much) & they run the negtive half of the sine wave to it thru a wire for a reason. FWIW, silver is the only metal that becomes a better cuunductor the more it oxidises. Cheers
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
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I ran a simple bared out wire under my handle bar clamp and never ever had a problem. They ground wires to the chassis in automobiles all the time lol.:)

I suppose if some body was trying to do the dreaded rubber engine mounts on their china it would need a ground back to the engine. I mount my engines directly to the bike frame and never break engine mounting fasteners that way. All the rubber does is transmit the vibrations to the fasteners and the bolts will fail or the bike frame can crack. cheers
 
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ivan H

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Oct 8, 2011
622
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Yes, that is true of automobiles. They use EARTH STRAPS, to bare metal to ensure good conections, not a contact conection thru the body paint so they dont have them forever coming back with voltage drop problems all over,,, bad conections.
 
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ivan H

Member
Oct 8, 2011
622
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australia
the loom contains a good many earth wires running all over as well, especially with ECU's, these being sensetive to any fluctuations or bad conections
 
GearNut

GearNut

Active Member
Aug 19, 2009
5,104
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San Diego, Kaliforgnia
Food for thought:
If the ground path for the electricity passes through the fork stem bearings, think of what that does for electrical resistance as well as bearing life.
That is why all motorcycles have a dedicated ground wire or sub-harness for any electrical accessories that would otherwise ground out through the bearing assembly.
 
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ivan H

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Oct 8, 2011
622
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I personally run the black wire to 1 of the water bottle mounting screws. The bottle genorator is rectified (full wave) & the negative is also conected 2 the same screw, meaning the frame conducts AC superimposed over DC. Every AC & DC negative requirement runs to 1 of the 2 screws, as there isnt really many of them. Cheers
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

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Apr 28, 2008
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A lowly inferior Happy Time motor hardly has the currant to harm a bearing lol. My kill switch to my Morini gets it's ground through the metal ring that mounts to handle bars that is the way the manufacture of the switch made it. The switch came off of a commercial grade dirt bike.. yes only one wire goes to it and it works perfectly.. Cars with sensitive computers use the chassis for a ground all the time. The only bearings on any of these cheesy M.B. bikes that will ''Absolutely never ever wear out'' are the head set bearings.laff

I have seen bearing grease used on battery terminals many times in the automotive field as a anti corrosive agent on the terminals. Just betcha I can check over the whole lot with a Ohm meter and not spot any significant resistant on a MB. Last and even more precise would be all the extra wiring going in a said automobile to run a ground wire back to a battery every time something was wired in lol. They just don't do that as it is not necessary... especially for a light bulb. cheers..
 
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BarelyAWake

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
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Maine
If it helps any... I've run my aluminum winter beater Schwinn for years & thousands of miles with a chassis ground & white wire powered lighting w/o issue *shrug*
 
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ivan H

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Oct 8, 2011
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australia
Chassis grounds work fine, direct hook up with wires work fine, current will easily pass thru bearings & bad conections r easily found & 2 remidy. Some one wanted to know how to run a headlight & thats been answered a while back. Personally, I think if he wanted to c an arguement started just 4 the sake of argueing or to hear HT motors have sh_t put on them, he would have started a thread with the title stating that. Cheers
 
Goat Herder

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
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ivan H said:
Chassis grounds work fine, direct hook up with wires work fine, current will easily pass thru bearings & bad conections r easily found & 2 remidy. Some one wanted to know how to run a headlight & thats been answered a while back. Personally, I think if he wanted to c an arguement started just 4 the sake of argueing or to hear HT motors have sh_t put on them, he would have started a thread with the title stating that. Cheers
Click to expand...
Exactly right should prolly just take the easiest simplest route to wiring the light as a potential abomination of extra wiring mayhem just clutters things up and makes it all look unattractive anyway:D Ha Ha nananana...

IMHO and personal experience I have run a chassis ground from day one on all my M.B. including that of the Happy Time infamous China Girl. Yes I used those motors too!! ... No all the bikes did not have any issues at all with thousands of miles and worked flawlessly in every conceivable way like this.

So what stuff did this said H.T. motor have put on it that was crap? Must have missed that part? :rolleyes:
 
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