Battery Cable Question
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 868
Likes: 6
From: Kentucky
Battery Cable Question
Okay, please don't stone me for my stupid question. As I've said before, I am not a mechanic and am just learning as I go along with this old bike. I should be firing this thing up for the first time in months by the end of this week. I've stripped the fender and tank, had my son do an admirable rattle-can job on them, changed handlebars, added riser bushings,a speedo, shifter, grips, oil tank, and a number of other things.
Here's the problem, I cannot remember which cable goes to the negative/positive on the battery. They are not color-matched. Is the cable that is hooked to the starter the positive? I think it is, but I really want to make sure as I've had a batter blow up on me before.
Thanks for not laughing. I'll have another electrical question as soon as I can get a pic to post.
Barry
P.S. Just a recent observation...for some reason I am having more fun messing with this old, cantankerous, oil-leaking, somewhat unreliable ironhead than I am with my brand new Sportster! I feel safer and have more power on the new one, but there is something about this old bike that just draws me in.
Here's the problem, I cannot remember which cable goes to the negative/positive on the battery. They are not color-matched. Is the cable that is hooked to the starter the positive? I think it is, but I really want to make sure as I've had a batter blow up on me before.
Thanks for not laughing. I'll have another electrical question as soon as I can get a pic to post.
Barry
P.S. Just a recent observation...for some reason I am having more fun messing with this old, cantankerous, oil-leaking, somewhat unreliable ironhead than I am with my brand new Sportster! I feel safer and have more power on the new one, but there is something about this old bike that just draws me in.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 17
From: Houston Texas
RE: Battery Cable Question
Good point Cal!
To polarize the generator fields you need to do this before starting the engine:
It is called flashing the fields.
After all the wiring has been connected and before starting the engine take a piece of wire and momentarily jump the Bat terminal and the Gen terminal on the voltage regulator.
This will polarize the generator and will prevent the points in the voltage regulator from burning up. You must always do this after you have disconnected wiring and before starting the engine.......pg
To polarize the generator fields you need to do this before starting the engine:
It is called flashing the fields.
After all the wiring has been connected and before starting the engine take a piece of wire and momentarily jump the Bat terminal and the Gen terminal on the voltage regulator.
This will polarize the generator and will prevent the points in the voltage regulator from burning up. You must always do this after you have disconnected wiring and before starting the engine.......pg
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Havent done it
I was reading some of the old posts for information, i have removed my battery several times playing with things and i never polarized the generator. everything is ok so i guess am lucky.
Neal in Texas
Neal in Texas
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I always polarize if the gen itself has been disconnected, especially if removed for service.
Here's the theory ...
http://web.utk.edu/~tprather/Foothil...Generator.html
Last edited by IronMick; Jan 19, 2011 at 03:25 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Mr Mick.
Just a little kiss **** here, i have seen some other posts of yours detailing how to, i personally save them on a file in my computer for future reference because they go in to pages of detail, so thank you and there is also a gentlemen from near me in texas that has a 57 and another from Ontario.
I have talked about my feeling out of place in another post when i go to Harley dealers today, the reason is that i dont see those people there that know harleys like this, and are able to detail everything because they done it, there use to be people i could talk to that guided me a little specially getting parts, am talking 30 years ago, the new Harley i have to say something about, i was recently in Seoul South Korea and visited a HARLEY DEALER there, i was a little surpriced to see that it looks identical to our harley dealer in sugarland Texas, if i was to change the faces of the people (asian) to caucasians i could have said am stateside and not across the other side of the world. I hate being a mechanic full time, but i love doing it as a hobby, i went last night to the warehouse and took off the foot peg, shifter just to clean and detail that side then put it back, also checked plugs and cables, 2 1/2 hours later i dint even know where the time went, but i love feeling what the machine is doing, so thanks for helping me with that.
Neal in Texas
Just a little kiss **** here, i have seen some other posts of yours detailing how to, i personally save them on a file in my computer for future reference because they go in to pages of detail, so thank you and there is also a gentlemen from near me in texas that has a 57 and another from Ontario.
I have talked about my feeling out of place in another post when i go to Harley dealers today, the reason is that i dont see those people there that know harleys like this, and are able to detail everything because they done it, there use to be people i could talk to that guided me a little specially getting parts, am talking 30 years ago, the new Harley i have to say something about, i was recently in Seoul South Korea and visited a HARLEY DEALER there, i was a little surpriced to see that it looks identical to our harley dealer in sugarland Texas, if i was to change the faces of the people (asian) to caucasians i could have said am stateside and not across the other side of the world. I hate being a mechanic full time, but i love doing it as a hobby, i went last night to the warehouse and took off the foot peg, shifter just to clean and detail that side then put it back, also checked plugs and cables, 2 1/2 hours later i dint even know where the time went, but i love feeling what the machine is doing, so thanks for helping me with that.
Neal in Texas