Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackDeuceCoupe
Well...
Generators are still being used in some applications - for instance - a buddy of mines' Yamaha crotch rocket. Matter of fact, it left him standed one night - the brushes wore out in the middle of a ride, and his battery went flat. That's how HE found out his bike had a generator, NOT an alternator. Weird!
The good n' bad thing about generators (and ignition magnetos, for that matter) is: - Good - the faster they turn, the more current they generate.
- Bad - the slower they turn, the less current they produce.
A generator is just an electric motor in reverse, sooo...
I suppose, in theory, you could retro-fit a generator with some sort of electronic switching mechanism and actually use stored battery power to augment gas mileage by using your generator as an electric motor - for instance, to power your water pump, power steering pump, and so forth, and so on... |
my motorcycle had a starter/generator combo. alternators are more effecient because they are easy to change field strength, so less engine load when you don't need power, i think on the bike the load dosn't change much, the headlight is always on, and there are no wipers, vents, or stereo.
also a combo starter/gen will save weight, more important on a crotch rocket.
if you are concerned about it just go beltless or add a electric cut off switch. you can always recharge overnight