Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Information relating to the Matchless G80 or AJS Model 18 500cc Heavyweight.
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Holmersen
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Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Post by Holmersen »

Hi Guys

I have a question of the quality of the dynamo armetures that are available from the suppliers.
I bought a new field, armeture 200802 and DVR2 regulator (Dynamo regulators). After 3 years
and less than 1000 km the armeture is damaged, a short in the windings.
What are your experience with new armetures ? Do they all come from the same supplier ?
Is it better to get one rewound from a specialist ?

Br Soren
cbranni
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Re: Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Post by cbranni »

I leave dynamos and mags to the experts like Brightspark, never had a problem.(other experts are available).

Colin
only dead fish go with the flow
Groily
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Re: Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Post by Groily »

Hmm . . . there are different suppliers of armatures, made in different places. Sites such as Dave Lindsley's, and Priory Magnetos, sell UK-made brand new armatures for E3N. No exchanges. With VAT and transport, somewhere around £100 from memory. What is on e-bay is anyone's guess. Wassell's catalogue lists UK-made and imported E3N items - prices close to double for UK-made, as above. Many parts suppliers may sell the imported versions, not sure. (Wassell didn't get rich by over-estimating parsimonious motorcyclists' preparedness to pay for quality, although they do offer it more often than some of their critics would have us believe!)

That said, I am never all that sanguine with dynamos and I don't much like doing them. With a magneto, you have a stand-alone item that won't be much messed with after it's sorted. With a dynamo, anything but . . . the state of the wiring, the loads imposed, what the regulator arrangements are (unless fitted with something decent like a DVR2). Lots of variables, lots of opportunity for things to go wrong, or dare I say (although not in this case obviously) be abused. Quite a few moving parts inside them too, compared to a permanent magnet alternator - and structurally they aren't that great either. Broken brush-holders are common, poor insulation of the F and D wires under the end covers, stripped threads on the bearing retainer plate screws on the drive end . . . you name it, there's scope for trouble everywhere you look really! Not to mention the horror show of bearing races mounted in bakelite on some of the earlier short ones, nor of plain bushes that wear out on some of the others! It's easy to see why a lot of people have shelled out for Alton alternators . . . .

I reckon to have to look at my own dynamos - which are E3Ls, so a bit more robust than many of the shorter ones - every couple of years / few thousand miles to check 'em over. I find I usually replace something - a bearing, an oil seal, brushes, whatever. And clean up the commutator as often as not. I have also had to replace the odd replacement armature - yup, even the expensive sort - over the years. In one case, bearing wear caused havoc; in another, a wiring short at the brush holder end caused serious overload and the solder holding the wires on the commutator melted. Unfortunately, these things happen. BUT, not normally at 600 miles unless there was a defect in manufacture or a serious electrical or mechanical problem.
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Pharisee
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Re: Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Post by Pharisee »

I've had two 'long' dynamos converted and rebuilt as the short E3N version by Paul Dunn at "Dynamos, Dynamos". I've not had any problems with either rebuild and the guy is a mine of dynamo lore.
I'm from the Fens.... Gimme six.
Holmersen
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Re: Quality of Dynamo Armeture 200802 (G80S)

Post by Holmersen »

Hi Guys

Thanks for your response. I found 2 old armetures in my old spares (63,64) which did work when
it came to the resistance measuring. I fix the thread on one of them so now I have a Dynamo running
with a armeture from 1964.

Br

Soren
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