LRB wants Motorrad Electrik's 400 watt conversion

[suecanada]

I am seriously thinking of purchasing the 400 Watt upgrade from Rick Jones so LRB won't have to whirrr away at over 4000+rpm all the time if we go on long trips and get stuck in traffic or I need my electric vest on a lot!  May I have your comments, please.

Also, I am considering asking Oak to take in LRB and get him up to snuff. Ted Porter will have completed the valve job and it might just be a plan to have him send the refurbished heads to Oak in Ill. for final assembly. So that would be one thing done right. Next, Oak could maybe do some upkeep on the internals of the transmission so I guess I'd ask him to lube the spline while he's at it and see to anything needing attention at the clutch arm, throwout bearing, neutral switch etc. There is the question about the main seal and Oring for oil pump job too. I have a leak from somewhere and wouldn't I just love to have an expert deal with it so i can stop worrying about it!

It would cost a fair bit of money for Oak to do this work IF he was willing to take it on but I figure LRB is worth it to me; and rather than spend an extra $3500.00 to buy an F800GS I might as well buy the F650GS twin, then spend the dollars saved towards making LRB a pretty reliable bike for his next 87,000 miles! There are places I would rather ride LRB than a new bike....eg. Gathering of the Clans Rally for airheads and the Boxerworks rally maybe and Ken's in Okla. get together that Rob went to.

Any comments?

[MrRiden]

Some of the "Airhead Club gurus" can be a curmudgeonly bunch to associate with. Having Oak [if he was accepting] work on your bike would be great. How about this. Ship LRB to Ted let him do the work and I'll personally pick it up and test flog..er um, ride it to Meaford?   If not, I think your original plan is sound.
rich

[Bob_Roller]

Sue,

As far as your upgrade for the charging system, I think it's a smart move if you plan on keeping LRB for a few more years. You've got 26 year old components on the bike, and if you plan on long trips in the future, it's 'cheap' insurance in the long run.

When the first component fails in my charging system, I'm getting the Omega system.

If you can find a shop or individual that you can trust, I say go for it.

If you can get to the Phoenix area, there are two great shops here, one overhauls transmissions, and the work you need done, I just completed the same maintenance that you need, on my '81 R65.

I don't know if it was worth it, but I spent $2000 on my last maintenance cycle, and did all the work myself, except the transmission overhaul.

It seems like even the independent shops are charging around the $75-80 per hour of labor, if I had not done the work myself, I don't know if in my situation, it would have made financial sense to spend an extra $1000 on labor to get the bike back into tip-top shape.

Just in case you have not given any thought to what else might be 'worn out', here's a few that I found at 80,000 miles : front rotors ($350), clutch, both pressure plates and diaphragm spring ($400) , carburetor 'overhaul' ($130) and a good check of the driveshaft universal joint, if it's never been changed.

[Semper Gumby]

I like my Omega Charging system.  It has one quirk which takes some getting used to:  It takes some RPMs for the Gen light to first go out.  First thing in the morning it usually goes out at about 2700 rpms on mine.  Once the light is out (and the system is charging) it will stay out to about 12-1300 rpms.  But once it comes on it takes a large amount of RPM again to get it to go out.

Of course I like the Omega because I get to use the Omega Ignition on the front of the Alternator of my old fashoned 1980.  But since you have the factory BMW electronic ignition (which works just fine and does not need to be replaced) you might consider the other Alternator: http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/enduralast.html

It is rated at 450 watts but that rating is good at only 6000-7000 rpms.  At a more sedate and realistic engine speed of 5000 rpms it has a 400 watt rating just like the Omega and (this is a plus) no GEN light woes - Something to consider on LRB.

Also it's a Brushless design like what on my BSA's.  Simple.  As I get older I'm starting to apreciate simple.

Good luck on your choice!  

[suecanada]

Thank you so much! I could save over $100.00 with the euromotoelectrics choice and I think that is the best route!  No brushes? Yah!!! [smiley=clap.gif]

[Semper Gumby]

Hey Sue,

Let us know how it works on LRB please!

t'anks

BTW its 26'F and going down to 19'F tonight and I am contemplating driving around on the R65.  I must be ins.....  


It starts!  I'm away......

[Bob_Roller]

There was a comparison done on the Omega and Enduralast aftermarket charging systems on Snowbum's airhead maintenance website.

It was a few years old as far as updates, but it cast a doubt on whether it was realistic to expect to get 450 watts out of the Enduralast system, as far as I can remember, 339 watts was all they could document getting out of the Enduralast, at the time of the test.

[Semper Gumby]

Wow.  Found it:  Sue read this article!  A bit techincal but quite interesting.

http://www.cdegroot.com/cgi-bin/mirror/pweb.jps.net/~snowbum/AftrMrktAlt.htm

He says that Omega is the best (and I guess the enduralast web site is hype?)

[Paul]

I installed Motorrad Elektriks 400 Watt charging system on my 1983 R65 about 1 year ago.  Since then I have moved to a place where it is impossible for my to use a battery charger and the bike sits out in the cold, completely unprotected.  I ride with a Gerbing Jacket Liner on at the highest heat setting, a BMW Gel battery is installed in my bike, my commute is about 13 miles freeway and 7 miles city.  So far, I have not had any trouble.  The bike starts and gets me to work and back monday through friday.

The thing I remember is the fellow at Motorrad Elektrik has been friendly and helpful the couple of times we have spoken.  That is worth something.

Paul

[Bob_Roller]

There were some quality of parts issues right after the Omega system came to the market , and to the best of my knowledge, Motorrad Elektrik is the only source for the Omega ( but I could be wrong!).

Rick Jones is the owner of M. E. , and he will do everything in his power to make something 'right', if you have a problem with one of the products he sells.

I highly recommend  doing business him, if he has want you need !

If you have an electrical problem or question, email him, and he will get back to you usually within 24 hours, with trouble shooting help.

Back to the comparison of the two different after market systems, before the tests, it was noted that all of the electrical connections were cleaned and 'tightened up', as well as heavier gauge wiring used in the 'heavy' power areas, the diode board and associated areas , before the tests were done.

This can probably help any bike, regardless if you have any problems with the charging system.

As far as rating either system as 'best', it is stated that for commuter types, the Enduralast had a bit of an advantage over the Omega, it seemed to provide more power at lower engine rpm's.  

But both systems would be adequate in most applications.

The Omega was the better if you are a high speed longer distance type rider.

Too bad we can't easily retro-fit the oilhead charging system to our airheads, for those of you unfamiliar with oilhead bikes, they use an automotive design alternator operated by a multigroove belt, like most cages today. I think the average output rating is around 600-700 watts. With upgrades available to increase the output to a higher level.

[drewboid]

Just to follow up - I installed the Enduralast unit yesterday on my girlfriends 1984 R65. Took between 4 and 5 hours working slowly but had no real problems with the installation. The space behind the battery where it is recommended to install the regulator is smaller than on the larger airheads and I needed to bend the angle iron mounting bracket but it did fit.
the electrical parts are Ducatti and should be available if there was trouble while touring.
All in all it looks great and although I did not do a full test the lights did not dim at idle even though I turned on the 110 watt driving lamps along with the high beam.  

ps - My girlfriend doesn't have a lot of hand strength and was complaining that the brakes did not stop well enough. I added the second front disk and left the 12mm master cylinder - now she says the bike will stop on a dime! Added a lot to her confidence in the bike. IMHO a worthwhile conversion even though somewhat expensive.

Drew Daniels
R60/2 - LS200
R75/6
R65
R1100R

[suecanada]

Thanks Drew for the comments! Wish you were MY boyfriend! What to do; what to do!
Either system will be an improvement.

[Ed Miller]

Here's a picture collection of an Enduralast installation.  Do you think having Ducati parts will make our R65s go faster?  

http://www.pbase.com/toastertan/enduralast&page=6

Umm, looks nice and warm there.  I was born in AZ....