OK, well the weather here in Nashville hasn't been the best for riding, but today was pretty nice. My bike has a headlight, a motorcycle tail light with automotive type (1157) dual filament bulbs which draw a good bit of amperage, especially when the brakes are applied. I also put in a horn relay (probably overkill) for the horn. I say all this because your bike setup and current needs are probably different.
Anyway, I rode for about an hour with the lights on, beeped the horn a bit, and cut the switch off when I got home. I have a 6 amp trickle charger with a meter which I connected to the 12 volt battery. It started charging at 3 amps, but quickly dropped to zero in about 15 minutes! My conclusion is the 12 v generator is supplying a charge when riding, but not enough to keep it fully charged. The 3/4" section of heater hose fits perfectly around the top of the generator and keeps the side of the tire from getting chewed up! I'm happy with the results.
Tom, I would recommend NOT getting a 6 volt generator unless you have a 6 volt battery. Just Google 12 volt gen and you will find them. Also, I would definitely put a diode in there, as my ohmmeter shows it will cause a drain.
A little off topic: The Thunderpipe from Barry Wallace looks great, but was a little too loud. He said someone told him a VW bug muffler would fit precisely in the exhaust tube and soften the noise. It worked great!!!!
Also, I found a large dished gas tank cap cover from my local Harley dealer. A few dabs of silicone later, it now makes a nice clutch cover and also quiets things down. Hey, beats a mouse pad!
I also wrapped (one time around only) the motor mounts with a strip of bike inner tube. It has helped for my application, and the motor has not shifted a bit...........just keep the clamps tightened down.
That's all from Nashville. I've got a bad machine. HAPPY MOTORING!
