Anybody ever go battery-less?

[Guest]

I'd intend on going the hard-tail bobber route with my 750 at some point in the future (maybe starting this winter). I'm really taken with the idea of going battery-less and removing as much electrical/everything else as possible.

In order to go to a battery-less system, I'd need to switch to a magneto-based electrical system, right?

I've seen conversions done to the Yamaha XS-bikes, has anyone ever done this or seen it done on a GS? How viable is this idea, or should I just suck it up and keep the battery?

Just planning my options for the future. As always, your collective insight is truly appreciated.

[1978GS1000custom]

check this out http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=141198&highlight=aftermarket+magn eto

[Uruka]

I really like that idea, I'm on my forth battery since I bought my bike; I've only ridden it about 100 miles. I have a friend who went through something like 5 batteries before he got a good one. I wasn't aware that a magneto was an option.

[tkent02]

Best to ditch the battery as you ditch the suspension, the plates inside likely would fall apart from the constant hammering it will take.

[mark_vaughn]

Best to ditch the battery as you ditch the suspension, the plates inside likely would fall apart from the constant hammering it will take.

Would that be true of a AGM battery too?

Maybe you could use the smallest battery you could find if you can find a place for it. It might not start your bike, but at least you wouldn't have to go through the magneto mod.

[wkmpt]

I just found a product called a "Battery Eliminator". It appears to be nothing more than a capacitor, but it makes sense. The site says 'works great on Motorcycles & ATVs with 12v DC single phase rectifier regulator electrical systems', though it allegedly needs a high-output charging system (which also makes sense).
Here's the site i found:

http://www.4strokesonly.com/Batteryelim.html

Granted, going this route would absolutely require one's elec. system to be in tip-top shape, but I think in regards to the (hopefully) simple electrical layout of a bobber this could work as well?

[atchbo]

If you go ahead with this, let us know how it goes. I'm looking at the same kind of thing with my GS400 if I can get it to run well enough. Having a big capacitor right under my arse is a bit unnerving though. (My nuts are made of steel.) It's a good thing 12v doesn't spark very far. Cover those terminals!

Edit - Come to think of it though, I think our bikes have 3-phase stators, so you would have to re-wire them to single phase and change the rectifier to a single-phase one (if I understand correctly).

[Zooks]

Search for the original 'cafe racer build' thread that Beergood wrote. He went battery-less.

[Zooks]

Best to ditch the battery as you ditch the suspension, the plates inside likely would fall apart from the constant hammering it will take.

Agreed. Why anybody would ever want to ditch perfectly good suspension and make their bike handle like sh1t is beyond me.

[Hammered]

Agreed. Why anybody would ever want to ditch perfectly good suspension and make their bike handle like sh1t is beyond me.

Because for the style riding a hardtail is used for, they dont handle like ****. Its shortsighted to think someone would build a rigid frame for the purposes of roadracing or stunting. They ride fine.

[tkent02]

They ride fine.

Until you go over the handlebars from hitting a rather small bump.
Like my buddy Rob.
He actually hit a round rock in the road. My fault, I hit it first and moved it into his path. But I didn't notice it, I had a half decent suspension.
Had to ride several miles on it with a broken collarbone after picking the bike back up also with a broken collarbone.
He likes suspensions now, too.
Watched a hardtail guy do the flying W all the way to vertical a while ago, he went through one of those dips at either side of an intersection at about twenty mph.
Everyone else hits it at 50 with no problems.
Morons.

[wkmpt]

Because for the style riding a hardtail is used for, they dont handle like ****. Its shortsighted to think someone would build a rigid frame for the purposes of roadracing or stunting. They ride fine.

<sheepishly>Actually, I was planning on hardtailing the rear, going rigid steel forks, weld-on iron seat, solid rubber tires, and then using it for motoGP racing...

THBBBBT!!

In all serious-ness, I've always been drawn to the bobber-styled bikes, but I REALLY can't stand the vibration and overall look of twins. For me it's four cylinders or naught. I'm building this bike the way I like my frames styled one way, my engines performing one way, and in no small part because no manufacturer offers what I'm looking for.

[Hammered]

Until you go over the handlebars from hitting a rather small bump.
Like my buddy Rob.
He actually hit a round rock in the road. My fault, I hit it first and moved it into his path. But I didn't notice it, I had a half decent suspension.
Had to ride several miles on it with a broken collarbone after picking the bike back up also with a broken collarbone.
He likes suspensions now, too.
Watched a hardtail guy do the flying W all the way to vertical a while ago, he went through one of those dips at either side of an intersection at about twenty mph.
Everyone else hits it at 50 with no problems.
Morons.

Id be hard pressed to believe anyone flew over a set of bars from hitting a rock. I rode 2 seperate rigid Triumphs for years. Back and forth to work, to Ocean City MD, VA beach and all around the DelMarVa area. Now if this rock was the size of say a melon, then maybe.

[wkmpt]

Until you go over the handlebars from hitting a rather small bump.
Like my buddy Rob.
He actually hit a round rock in the road. My fault, I hit it first and moved it into his path. But I didn't notice it, I had a half decent suspension.
Had to ride several miles on it with a broken collarbone after picking the bike back up also with a broken collarbone.
He likes suspensions now, too.

Sorry to hear about your friend's misfortune. That sucks.

Watched a hardtail guy do the flying W all the way to vertical a while ago, he went through one of those dips at either side of an intersection at about twenty mph.
Everyone else hits it at 50 with no problems.
Morons.

Was the hardtail guy driving like a tool? It kinda sounds like it. His situation sounds like one that could have been avoided with more attentive riding.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...somebody's going to say "you could avoid that by having suspension"--I hear you, I value your opinion, but I'm still going to do it the way I'd like to do it, so--

Does anyone have any more insight regarding a battery-free motorcycle?

[Hammered]

Does anyone have any more insight regarding a battery-free motorcycle?

Does your bike have a kick start on it? All the bikes Ive seen running with no battery are kickers. To run an eliminator, you have to have a way to spark the electrical system. Accel has one thats friends have used with success in the part but as I said, they were all kickers. Im not familiar with all the years the 750 was made but if yours has the electric starter, and its like the 80 and 82 I have, youre not gonna be able to remove everything concerning the starter anyway.
Depending on what your end plans are for your project, you can just use a smaller gel battery and simplify the wiring by redoing the harness. Thats the path Im heading down with my 80' swingarm chopper Im in the middle of. I found a couple harness diagrams here. (see below)