Cant drive at night

[Octverq]

Took my bike for a ride today about 7pm it was
I had to stop after 5 min thought my lights arent working
Basically the front light is maybe weaker than average
Tried both phases with the same result
Wondering if I can do some tuning here to increase the fairing output
The bike is a Jawa CZ equipped with a 6V battery and 35W on the headlamp
cheers

[moonzoomer]

Tuning is easy, buy a 50cc scooter or a lawnmower

[Ariel Badger]

I rode British bikes on 6V electrics for years, absolutely terrifying
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[Ariel Badger]

Not as terrifying as this though.....

In about 2005 I did a full rebuild on a friends Ariel HS Scrambler and of course when it was ready I needed to test it but it had no insurance or Tax. I did however have another bike that was legal so I bolted the number plate on the HS and took it to the local AOMCC branch for general posing purposes. this was in June and I rode there in daylight but needed to return after sunset. The lighting system is 12V total loss and I was wondering how long the lights would last on the way home, the headlamp bulb is a50/40W unit and I erred on the side of discretion and rode off on dip.
After about 2 mins I swung into a tight right hander and the light went
out, I hit the dip switch and got full beam and survived the corner.
The dip switch was not new so I suspected a bad contact but twiddling it
did not bring dip back on but I had full beam so I pressed on through
the lanes. In reality the HS exhaust note was rather complimented by the
high beam in your face and refusing to dip headlight, a HS is an
arrogant machine.
After about three miles I came into the outskirts of Brum and gunned her
down Primrose Hill, the lights went out again. Primrose Hill is a
council estate on a hill but their aint no primroses, there are however
lots of ratboys with knives and electronic tags and it is one of my least
favourite places to break down. Fortunately all was quiet and for once
the Kevs were abiding to the curfew orders on their ASBOs and I was not
molested. All kinds of switch flicking did nothing so I decided to
improvise. I pulled the headlamp to bits and the bulb was clearly blown
so I stuffed it in my pocket and pondered if riding though Britain's
second city on an underslung 5W pilot light was a good idea, it was not.
I always carry a little HID LED torch powered by a watch battery, you
need to hold the rubber button in to get it to work though. I had
already pulled a knife from my boot ( Primrose Hill insurance policy)
and I used it to cut my boot lace in half, I then fashioned my lace into
a loop with a knot and worked it over my little keyring torch. It worked
and the knot kept the light on so I bunged it inside the headlamp shell
through the bulb hole and fired up the HS again and under the bleary
eyed gaze of freshly woken chavs headed towards the city centre casting
a very dim blueish shadow in front of me. Three times the knot moved,
three times she went out and three times I striped it back down and
sorted it out again.
I got home at midnight, cracked a beer open and contemplated on what had
happened. The bike runs on a battery with no charging system so power
surges were not an issue and the wires had not leaked smoke, very
careful examination of the bulb revealed a 4mm long crack in the glass (
my mate at school could not see it even when I pointed it out but it can
just be felt by a finger-nail) I believe this was there from manufacture
and allowed air into the bulb allowing each filament to go pop as it
oxidised .
Not a recommended experience even though it seems funny today. If you do
have to use a LED as a main beam be sensible and try not to go over
60mph in built up areas and a very tuneful exhaust helps.
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[stinkwheel]

I have the solution to all your electrical problems.

Unfortunately, it costs about three times what the bike is worth.

An MZ-b powerdynamo is a bolt-on kit with a high output magnetic generator and integrated electronic ignition.

Basicvally has two wires coming out of it. One of them contains more electricity than it has ever seen in its life, the other contains power for a spark.

Usually come in at around £250. Choice of 12V 150W or 6V 100W. No battery required.

https://www.powerdynamo.biz/deu/systems/lists/jawa.php

As an alternative. Make sure all the connectors between the battery and the lights are clean and making proper contact. Earths too.

What model Jawa? (first three numbers of the chassis number, at a guess it's a 634)
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[smegballs]

[Octverq]

Well I guess a bike thats all but indestructible give you more things to remember
Your story can go in the Almanah alright
I am going to check the wiring even though the bike was restored and it looks top atm but who knows how long will it last

[moonzoomer]

what model of Jawa is the bike as 6 volt models do not have phase outputs since they are a d.c generator ?Later models of Jawa/CZ have a 3 phase alternator and 12 volt electrics, none have 2 phase.

[G]

For riding on 'full beam' I would be very tempted to get a bright LED push bike light. I've got a 12 LED flashlight which isn't going to be much brighter if at all than the 5-9 LED versions.
It is VERY bright for something about the size of 3 d cell maglite - people often presume a car is coming when I use it - I expect it's brighter than your average single headlight bulb.

[chris-red]

My RXS was shit at lighting darkened roads it too has a 6V electric system.

I bought bulbs from here.
https://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffybulbs.htm

They were better, but still not brilliant.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[bikenut]

do you have a wiring diagram and is the charging system control done by 2 or 3 bobbin control box??

mind you you could always invest in some calcium carbide!!
____________________
nuts about bikes

[bodger]

[Ariel Badger]

I used to hate country roads when all you could see was the next six cats eyes as a guide, every thing else was black except the car with main beam coming towards you.
I knew the roads around my club meeting so well I used to challenge new members to stick on my tail and trust me through the twisties
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[G]

Didn't get any pics, but I just compared my torch to my lorry headlights.

The torch is, at a guess, maybe running at about 60-75w - you'll be able to get push bike torches set up for this sort of power easily.
Lorry headlights will be 2x 55w or whatever, but not amazing reflectors (and I was sitting in the cab which is a good bit further up for the torch).

It doesn't have as wide dispersion, but was significantly brighter than the two lorry lights - I find the centre 'hot spot' works really well on the road, as it puts the brightest lights where you want it - illuminating the bits a long way away.

[tahrey]

Never mind the voltage, the wattage is the issue, especially if it's a shit old tungsten incandescent (Ba20d fitting amirite?) without any real attempt in the reflector at forming a decent beam.

My CG runs a 12v system, but the default bulb is a 35w incandescent globe and it is monstrously crap, to the point where using dipped beam seems to light the road up further ahead than main beam. I haven't done a great deal of night riding outside of street lit areas, but what I have done on that particular bulb was terrifying. I couldn't make much more than 35mph in the dry whilst being sure I could see enough to avoid a "high" speed collision (never mind a distance I could actually stop in), and that fell to 25-30 in the wet.

Had a similar problem with my first car which came fitted with, I think, either 45 or 50w tungsten bulbs, night driving required easing off a good deal, and it improved on fitting some more up to date 60/55s. God only knows how the scooteristi with 25w bulbs manage to see anything, their beams must be as tight as nuns.

Imagine taking a 40w bedside lamp, removing the shade, replacing it with a metal mixing bowl with a hole cut in the middle to act as a reflector, and trying to go for a ride using that. It's not an encouraging prospect, is it.

Replacing the default bulb with a 35w halogen helped immensely - not only is the beam markedly brighter (if the similar upgrades you can get for home lights are to be believed, it's about the equivalent of a 46w tungsten), but a purer white as well instead of dirty yellow, which helps things stand out under a murky brown semiurban night sky... and on top of that, the beam is actually a decent shape. Dipped and main are actually usable, so long as your lamp is actually properly aligned.

Until it turns out you've been a tool and bought Halfords' shite of course, and the internal parts melt and break up after a couple thousand miles ... the filaments actually still work, but the beam pattern is ruined and worse than the original, most of the light ends up casting onto your front wheel. I've bought some other ones off t'internets, including another 35w from a different make, an interesting 45w halogen (=59w tungsten?) with a blue tint on it, and even a 50w incandescent (I too am hobbled by having a non-"H" fitting), but haven't yet bothered fitting them yet even though my tungsten stopgap has burnt out its Dip filament... as I'd only be riding in streetlit areas at the moment, and my battery's sort of shagged (or is it the alternator?), so I don't fancy putting an additional permanent load on it when the pilot light will do for most eventualities and the not-really-full-beam covers everything else.

Problem is, for yourself, I don't know if they make 6v equivalents to these anyway. That's quite a lot of current to shove down a thin and probably rather old wire. 35W halogen is probably your best bet.

Though for both of us, what's really needed is some modern LED loveliness. If I could get even a 5W diode in my headlamp, patterened such to cast as if it were a regular dipped beam (rather than a messed-up one), with the dip/main switch acting as side/dip instead, I'd be more than happy. 10W would be (literally) blindin'.

Don't bother with truck lights, they're 24V and will be super dim on 6V

Pushbike lights, only quite high end (and thus expensive) ones will be any much brighter than what you have now, and they tend to achieve their apparently good brightness despite having quite low total lumens (they tend to run off a plain battery - no alternator after all! - and so have to conserve the electrons) by having a quite tight beam pattern focussed on showing you whether you're about to shove your front wheel into a branch/pothole (at 15mph) and little else. Add that to the difficulty you'll face mounting them on a powered bike (the handlebars are a rather different shape, and if you fit the thing to your forks it'll be on sideways), and, well... I won't say you shouldn't try it, but the effect might not be everything you hoped for.

[tahrey]

[_mjs_]

[tahrey]

The XR is basically a CG with slightly different gears and jacked up suspension (hence my use of an XR bottom end to repair mine when I couldn't find a CG one that cost less than about ONE MILLION DOLLARS), so that's probably a good sign to stay away