G2 wiring issues - 1959 bike
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 1:45 pm
Hi all,
Some advice needed please.
I'm near the end of a restoration of a 1959 G2. A nice project on a bike which I feel is under appreciated in the classic world - aside from the problematical FB forks of course! Anyway, the bike is looking smart and running again, but I'm getting no charge from the alternator.
The original Wipac alternator and rectifier were fried, so I replaced these with a new Lucas three wire 6v alternator and a solid state rectifier. Sorting out the wiring for this has been a bit of an issue, as wire colours in the loom don't always match any of the diagrams, so I had to trace where each one went, particularly inside the headlamp switches (for example, the light green wire that connects to the alternator in the diagrams is actually white in my loom).
On the original set up, an orange wire and a yellow wire from the loom were connected directly to two of the three wires on the alternator, but the various wiring diagrams for different models show the yellow wire as only connecting the ignition switch to the light switch. The only diagram which shows the yellow wire connecting to the alternator (via joining to the light green alternator lead and not having its own dedicated alternator feed) is for the 250 scrambler without a lighting set - not my bike.
Also, the white wire was connected only to the old rectifier on the previous set up on my bike.
So my current set up is White (light green) to the ignition switch, via the rectifier (as per various wiring diagrams).
Orange direct to the ignition switch (also as per diagrams)
Third lead from alternator to the rectifier (again ref diagrams)
Rectifier positive to earth
Rectifier negative to a four way bullet connector which feeds the battery and the mail wiring loom
Yellow under this set up is currently rendered redundant, though it connects the ignition switch to the light switch at the headlamp end, as per the diagrams.
Obviously, I'm doing something very wrong as no charge to the battery. All the rest of the electrics work OK. Puzzled. Is there a specific wiring setup for the 1959 bikes for which no diagram now exists?
Any advice? Also, any thoughts on which colour wire from the Lucas alternator should go to which colour wire on the Wipac loom. Wouldn't be surprised if I'm doing something wrong here as well.
Some advice needed please.
I'm near the end of a restoration of a 1959 G2. A nice project on a bike which I feel is under appreciated in the classic world - aside from the problematical FB forks of course! Anyway, the bike is looking smart and running again, but I'm getting no charge from the alternator.
The original Wipac alternator and rectifier were fried, so I replaced these with a new Lucas three wire 6v alternator and a solid state rectifier. Sorting out the wiring for this has been a bit of an issue, as wire colours in the loom don't always match any of the diagrams, so I had to trace where each one went, particularly inside the headlamp switches (for example, the light green wire that connects to the alternator in the diagrams is actually white in my loom).
On the original set up, an orange wire and a yellow wire from the loom were connected directly to two of the three wires on the alternator, but the various wiring diagrams for different models show the yellow wire as only connecting the ignition switch to the light switch. The only diagram which shows the yellow wire connecting to the alternator (via joining to the light green alternator lead and not having its own dedicated alternator feed) is for the 250 scrambler without a lighting set - not my bike.
Also, the white wire was connected only to the old rectifier on the previous set up on my bike.
So my current set up is White (light green) to the ignition switch, via the rectifier (as per various wiring diagrams).
Orange direct to the ignition switch (also as per diagrams)
Third lead from alternator to the rectifier (again ref diagrams)
Rectifier positive to earth
Rectifier negative to a four way bullet connector which feeds the battery and the mail wiring loom
Yellow under this set up is currently rendered redundant, though it connects the ignition switch to the light switch at the headlamp end, as per the diagrams.
Obviously, I'm doing something very wrong as no charge to the battery. All the rest of the electrics work OK. Puzzled. Is there a specific wiring setup for the 1959 bikes for which no diagram now exists?
Any advice? Also, any thoughts on which colour wire from the Lucas alternator should go to which colour wire on the Wipac loom. Wouldn't be surprised if I'm doing something wrong here as well.