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powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:27 am
by sbaugz
My T500 build is coming along. I purchased a power dynamo street ignition and do not plan on using a battery. I am throwing out the stock harness and am going to wire up a simple harness myself. Basically just headlight, brake light, and turn signals. No horn, warning lights or gauges.

Just wondering if someone who has one can chime in. If you do not use a battery, they tell you to wire up the positive output wire from the regulator directly to the ignition, which will then power all the lights when the ignition is on. That's all fine and dandy, but that doesn't offer any protection against someone stealing the bike. Anyone can come up and simply kick it over and drive away whether the ignition is on or off because the power to the coils is basically always on once you kick over bike. I figure there has to be some way to bypass the power to the coils or the regulator through the ignition. Anyone do this?

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:49 am
by jabcb
The Powerdynamo & GT500 setups look similar.
The GT500 doesn’t have a points ignition like the T500’s, it uses PEI which is electrically separate from the 12V electrical system.

So as a starting point it may be useful to compare the Powerdynamo & GT500 wiring diagrams:
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You can have an ignition switch & kill switch if you use the GT500 switches.

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:44 am
by yeadon_m
With any old vehicle of the 60s/70s, I used to fit a hidden on/off switch to the ignition somewhere as a thin layer of added security. If someone pried up the hood / bonnet and hot wired the ignition and jumped the starter solenoid, it would spin but not start. Saved my old car once and my wife's MG Midget twice.
You could add one of these under the tank?
Cheers,
Mike

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:50 pm
by sbaugz
so I sketched up a drawing using the electrical diagram from Power Dynamo. As you can see by my sketch, there is no provision for an ignition key. Power Dynamo suggested using a keyed ignition between the red power wire coming from my regulator and the bike's lights. That seems all fine except for the fact that the bike can be started and driven off by anyone because the coils will still get power from the generator once you kick it over.

I am thinking I would wire in either a switch or the keyed ignition in between the red wires going from generator to coil instead. That way, if the key is not in the ignition, there will be no circuit to the coil. Looking for advice. Thoughts?

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Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:31 pm
by jabcb
If you use a T500-style ignition switch, then you could wire it up to the red wire as you mentioned.

If you use a GT500-style ignition switch, then you can wire up the B/Y wire to your blue wire & the B/W wire to ground.
(See the GT500 wiring diagram for the switch B/Y & B/W wires.)

Since magnetos can be a bit finicky, the GT500-style switch might be the better solution.

Its also a good idea to use a battery-eliminator capacitor & hook it up to the red wire coming from the regulator/rectifier.
Oregon Motorcycle Parts has one.
http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/BEC.html

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:43 pm
by sbaugz
jabcb wrote:If you use a T500-style ignition switch, then you could wire it up to the red wire as you mentioned.

If you use a GT500-style ignition switch, then you can wire up the B/Y wire to your blue wire & the B/W wire to ground.
(See the GT500 wiring diagram for the switch B/Y & B/W wires.)

Since magnetos can be a bit finicky, the GT500-style switch might be the better solution.

Its also a good idea to use a battery-eliminator capacitor & hook it up to the red wire coming from the regulator/rectifier.
Oregon Motorcycle Parts has one.
http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/BEC.html

In regards to your first sentence above- are you referring to the red wire that I mention between generator and coil, or the red wire between regulator and my lights? I mentioned both.

So, after studying your gt500 wiring diagram, I think I have it figured out. With it wired as you instructed- In the off position, the circuit between my blue wire and ground is complete- thereby acting like a grounding kill switch. When the ignition is on, the kill circuit is no longer grounded and it will start.

I am pretty sure I can also still use a handlebar kill switch too? I would take that blue wire to the coil and branch it into two - one goes to gt500 ignition as mentioned above and the other to my handlebar kill switch. Both would act like a kill switch.

I think I can also use the other two wires on the gt500 ignition too. The red wire on the gt500 ignition goes to my red wire coming off the regulator. The orange wire on the gt500 ignition goes to my lighting circuit. When the ignition switch is on, my lighting circuit will be continuous.

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 3:28 am
by jabcb
For the T500-style ignition switch, I was referring to the red wire between the generator & ignition coil.

For the GT500-style ignition switch, I agree. Branch the blue wire into two so that both would act as kill switches.
I also agree that you can use the other two wires on the GT500-style ignition switch to control the lights.


Something else worth thinking about…
I don’t know what your state regulations are.
Are you are going to get the bike inspected? If so, they may require that you have a horn or speedo.

I had a burned out neutral indicator light a few years ago & found it to be a bit of a nuisance.
You might regret not having included one.

Re: powder dynamo wiring question

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 6:38 am
by sbaugz
Thanks for all the great help. Point taken regarding neutral light. I might add that. In regards to inspection- I live in Milwaukee, WI where such things as horns, mirrors, turn signals, suspension, gauges, common sense, helmets and other safety items are considered unnecessary. I'm sure I can thank Harley Davidson for that.

I joke obviously, but they are pretty lax here.