electric start leaders

[philip.butcher]

i am interested in the electric start leaders in this months journal, what system is used ? a remote starter or a dyno start system as used on villiers /yamaha engines? i dont have a leader now but would have appreciated one on my old leader (292 RVW) i tried to pass my test on, especially as the examiner insisted that i stopped the engine before he gave me the next instructions!resulting in it either kick starting or having to be pushed! suffice to say i did not pass that time.

[bh.sprint]

Hello Philip,

Roger Lee owns the Leader with the electric start, I looked at it a couple of years or so ago and as far as I can remember the starter motor sits under the cylinders behind the exhaust pipes and operates via a one way clutch to drive the main shaft on the off side.

There may be some one else who has a better idea of how it operates and can give you more accurate detail.
Regards Brian.H.

[Peter Holder]

Hi
I have changed the fuel/ignition system completely on an Arrow engine. Using an ECU and trigger wheel meant that the kickstart is useless as it does't turn the engine over far enough. As I am using 12v I have fitted a Suzuki dyno start, the only downside of this is its a very heavy lump, but to start and tune the engine (with a computer) is a bit tricky when push starting it. I had to reverse the direction on the starter and find the correct regulator but all works.

Regards

Peter

[stephen.smith]

Evening all.
I was at the Battlesbridge show in Essex yesterday and spotted an electric start leader, it looked as if used the alternator stator as a starter motor. i assume it uses some form of driver circuit to spin the rotor. it looked very well made.
Steve.

[Ivor Collins]

Hi Peter

I have picked up a Suzuki gt185 dynastart with the intention of going electric. Could you advise me if I need a particular regulator for it?

Regards
Ivor

[Peter Holder]

Hi Ivor
The dynostart I used was from a Suzuki T10 1965, familiar with them from my youth, because it originally fitted on the opposite side of the engine first thing was to reverse the direction for starting, as this is a 12v d.c. unit a completely different control box is needed. I have made my own crank end plates and incorporated fixing holes for the stator. Then an adaptor for the rotor was necessary. If I can be of further help let me know.

Regards
Peter

[Ivor Collins]

Hi Peter and thanks for the reply

I would be grateful for advice you can give to save me reinventing the wheel.
Is there any more to do for the rotation than match the bikes polarity to the rotation needed?
I didn't get a regulator with it and assumed there would be an electronic equivalent available these days but think I may have been mistaken on that?

How big does the battery need to be and is there much metal to cut away for it to fit?

Regards
Ivor

[Peter Holder]

Hi Ivor
The Suzuki 185 Dyno looks very similar to mine, how many brushes has it? The suzuki is negative earth, but wiring as positive will not reverse the rotation. As I needed neg. earth (for the ecu) I found a regulator from www.dynamoregulators.com - DVR4N 12V/8A. In order to reverse the starter I swapped the brushes, not the connections, the actual brushes (the wires are just long enough).Once I had proved the starter was going the right way, on a test mount, I then designed and made a new crank end plate and rotor adaptor, dispensed with all the timing equipment and fitted it all up.
Works a treat and charges well.
As I have changed the bearing and oil seal positions my design for the end plate will not work on a standard engine. But is that something you can overcome?

Regards

Peter

[Ivor Collins]

Hi Peter

The engineering/machining should not be a problem, I'm half way through making the parts for a TLS at the moment and the electric start is more of a long term project (for when I can no longer use the kick start)I'm keen to learn from the experience of the others, like yourself, who have already explored the challenge. Why did you choose to machine a new crankcase door, was it to allow you to reduce the overall length of the unit? I could follow your idea if necessary but It's surely possible to make an adaptor to fit the existing.
I don't much like the idea of all that extra rotational weight, did you remove the flywheel from the primary side to compensate?

The suzi 185 is a 4 brush unit and I think very similar to the Yamaha RD 200. Is that the same as the T10?

Thanks for the link on the regulator, I will check it out.

Your ecu conversion sounds awesome, I take it you found a suitable doner bike? How does it go in comparison to a good standard machine and there any pictures of it on this site?

Regards
Ivor

[Peter Holder]

Hi Ivor
I thought your unit looked the same as the T10 but the picture in the manual is not too clear, they are both 4 brush units, so you need to swap both pairs over. The battery I used is 12v 12AH at 150mm x 69mm and 150 high a little larger than standard but can be made to fit. You will loose the weight of the original rotor and you could loose the drive side flywheel, as I have changed to belt primary I don't have that anyway. I have made new end plates as I have changed the bearing/ seal layouts.

Regards

Peter