Electrics and Dynamo

The bike came without any wiring, bulbs, battery or generator. There was a headlight with no bulb in it. So, as usual, everything had to be built from scratch. The biggest disadvantage was the lack of a wiring diagram that I could understand. While the manual has a diagram, it makes no mention of a connector board that lurks inside the headlight. Only when Tim Smith sent me a photo of the inside of his headlight and a detailed wiring diagram (drawn by him at 2.00AM) did I realize that several connections between wires were needed that were not apparent in the wiring diagram. The diagram on the right is a cleaned-up and (hopefully) clearer and self-explanatory diagram than the one in the manual. (T=Tromba=horn, FT=Fanale Targa= tail light, B=battery, SP=Spinterogeno=coil ignition which is not applicable here).

This is the wiring diagram for a 1946 Super Alce.

The connector board resides inside the headlamp shell and looks like this:

The headlamp shell is a CEV with the following part number:

The ignition switch is screwed into two tangs inside the shell on the top.

The top of the ignition switch that mounts to the underside of the shell looks like this with the B+ terminals on the switch in the wiring diagram marked in felt pen.

The other side of the switch with the FT,T+, B+, 51, 56 and 57 terminal endings for the wires from the connector board is shown below, along with the dynamo charge indicator light.

The key is inserted into the ignition switch hole and pushes the pin, which pushes the long bent arm into contact with the terminal on the left, completing the circuit.

The ignition key block is screwed into the body of the switch like this.

The headlight bulb is a Stanley 6v 25/35w two pin that is inserted into the holder and twisted tight.

The wires were bought from a local electrical hobby store along with various "blue" connectors (for 18 to 22 AWG wires), fuses, and wire sheaths. I got the horn, generator, headlight and ignition switches from Stucchi along with the rear tail and brake light. The little blue generator light cover on the headlamp in front of the switch came from Paul at Guzzino along with the little metal shield showing the CEV logo. Guzzino also provided a brake light switch which I attached to a bolt I welded onto the chain cover.

Since the generator came fresh from Stucchi I did not have to check any of the brushes which should slide freely in their guides. The manual says that if the commutator becomes black to clean with gasoline NOT solvent or sandpaper which could scratch the surface. Dynamos can be tested using a "growler" but I have never done this. Tim Smith in Illinois provided this contact for generator repair. Morton Grove Electric, 500 South Arthur Street, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005, phone is 847-394-1698 ask for Larry. For reference, at operating temperature, the output should be 30W with the voltage regulator controlling the output to a range of 6.3 to 7.3 volts at various rpm loads and upto 50 deg C temperature. It starts to charge at 1,000 rpm with normal power at 1,900 rpm and the max at 5,500 rpm. The generator rotates clockwise and is geared to the motor at a 1:1.32 ratio. My generator did not have the taper bush that attaches the gear to the shaft and so I had to machine it. The clearance between the teeth of the generator gear and the clutch gear drive should be 0.30mm to prevent the teeth from binding. In the photo, the wire shown is 0.30mm and I use that as a check between teeth.

For those that want to, the headlight should adjusted so that the axis of the high beam hits a vertical plane 5 meters away at a point 2 cm below the level of the headlamp pivot bolts. The battery needs to be filled with electrolyte to a level 1 cm above the plates.

My 6V 10AH SAFA battery came from Domiracer while the retaining strap came from Guzzino. A easier to obtain replacement, suggested by Tim Smith, is an absortion glass mat (AGM) battery (Werker WKA6-14A 6v14Ah) with spade terminals that make hooking up easy. Currently (2011) about $26 from Battery Plus, it is not called a motorcycle battery; rather, it is used for auxiliary lighting systems. Since it is about 3" shorter than the standard Super Alce battery, you need a piece of wood underneath.