SL100 Racer project No battery required!

Welcome To My Homepage SL/XL No Battery Guest Book

Step one : Getting rid of battery and other junk

Because racers should be as light and simple as possible I decided that the battery and charging hardware had to go so I set out to accomplish this task before getting into alloy rims etc.

Things you will need: Honda rotor puller (a must have). TIP the rear axle can be used as a rotor puller! An AC 6v type coil ( where the plug wire comes from) If you need lights for enduro you will need a "Moose" 12V regulator ( about $15 from Parts Unlimited thru your local dealership)  and 12V lights.A 14mm drain plug washer, aluminum like the ones used on Honda oil drain plugs.

Start with a well tuned SL especially the points and timing must be set to specs, if not this will not work!

Mark where your point plate is after making sure it is timed correctly so you can put it back in the right place.Remove points plate without loosening points and remove the springs on the advance unit. remove the bolt holding the point cam on and fully advance the mechanism, place the 14mm drain washer between the bolt and the point cam and replace the bolt. The washer will hold the advance at full position without doing any welding etc. Reinstall the point plate and line up with your mark.

Next remove the rotor with proper puller, remove the woodruff key and set it aside, you will not need it.Turn the engine over to the point that the points just start to open. Clean the taper on crankshaft and inside taper of rotor with contact cleaner to remove all oil and grease.

Install the rotor so that the magnets align directly with the coils on the stator. Replace the bolt and torque it down normally. The rotor should not slip as the taper is what holds it in place and not the key. Turn the engine to wher the points just start to open ( fire). Now scribe your new fire mark on the rotor for future tuning,( magnets should be aligned with coils ) also do the new TDC mark ( top dead center). Just remove the spark plug and insert straw etc. till piston is at top.

There are 4 wires coming from stator, one yellow, one pink, and one white. The other is for neutral light and is not needed. Run yellow to your newly installed AC coil, ground the pink ,and the white can be used for lighting, 6 or 12v. 12 v stuff is easier to get so I used 12 volt bulbs with the Moose regulator.

Hook up a kill button and enjoy the simplicity, no rectifier, no fuse, no switch with key and best of all NO BATTERY!

NOTE, If you want lights for sure Moose sells a kit that comes with the regulator, a multi purpose handle bar switch that has kill button, on/off and high low beam with wiring that may be helpful. It is about $75 $80.

The reason for locking the timing to full advance and aligning the magnets with the coils is to insure maximum current at the time the points open.

 Just find a washer that will fit over the camshaft but will bind the point cam once you have advanced the timing. Removing the springs helps and keeps the springs from trying to undo your advance. It helps to have a copper or soft aluminum crush washer as it will form to the situation and hold firmly. Many washers will work, I suggested the drain plug washer cause if you have nothing in your shop junk drawer these are easily available. You could also weld or find your own way to lock the point cam at full advance.The stock bolt and washer that holds the point cam in place should cover the inner edge of the washer while the outer part binds against the point cam.

Changing the rotor position, be sure to clean the tapers with contact cleaner. The inside of rotor and the crankshaft, do not use loctite, a clean taper will work best.

 This is a picture of the rotor with the new marks scribed and red dotted. The fire mark should be near the center of the magnets, between the two visible rivets. It is important that the magnets and windings are aligned at the time the points just start to open. This picture shows the new TDC mark aligned with the pointer. Also the advanced timing should be about 33 degrees before top dead center. The "F" mark will be about 33 degrees advanced from the TDC mark.

Find an AC 6V coil, prefferably a Honda coil with the condensor attached. I have used Honda Express coils(long wire) and XL175 coils etc. Thes coils are common but if you do not have a condensor attached to the coil you will need to put one in the circuit somewhere. It doesn't matter where you mount it but it has to be connected to the points wire or anywhere that is electrically connected to that circuit .