Commando starter upgrade
- Thread starter tony.pattison
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Really, you couldn't translate that for us? :mrgreen:
Before Hervé arrived, I started to take off the primary at a very relaxed pace at 10:30
Hervé arrived an we talked a bit about things, had a coffee and then got to work assembling the parts he had brought
Test fit
Smearing on some joint sealer
Final assembly
All the mechanical installation is finished, it is now 12:30
Now we had lunch and went to buy an 18AH battery, came back and put it in along with the starter relay
Hervé connected the starter relay like so: -12 --- relay coil --- handlebar switch The handlebar switch is supposed to provide a ground, but it did not, we hunted the basterdized taped up wiring loom for about an hour and after opening one of the handlebar switches came to the conclusion that this bike was not like what he had seen previously. The solution was to connect the starter relay like so: ground --- relay coil --- handlebar switch then it worked like it was supposed to.
TWO videos showing the starter in action (for swooshdave :mrgreen: )
At 4:50PM, it was running. If the wiring had been stock, we could have chopped an hour of the install time and if we had the battery before starting the installation, one and a half hours less, and then if we did not have lunch, one less hour and if Hervé had talked a bit less (he is after all French), it could have been done in the specified time (~2 hours) :mrgreen:
Jean
Hervé arrived an we talked a bit about things, had a coffee and then got to work assembling the parts he had brought
Test fit
Smearing on some joint sealer
Final assembly
All the mechanical installation is finished, it is now 12:30
Now we had lunch and went to buy an 18AH battery, came back and put it in along with the starter relay
Hervé connected the starter relay like so: -12 --- relay coil --- handlebar switch The handlebar switch is supposed to provide a ground, but it did not, we hunted the basterdized taped up wiring loom for about an hour and after opening one of the handlebar switches came to the conclusion that this bike was not like what he had seen previously. The solution was to connect the starter relay like so: ground --- relay coil --- handlebar switch then it worked like it was supposed to.
TWO videos showing the starter in action (for swooshdave :mrgreen: )
At 4:50PM, it was running. If the wiring had been stock, we could have chopped an hour of the install time and if we had the battery before starting the installation, one and a half hours less, and then if we did not have lunch, one less hour and if Hervé had talked a bit less (he is after all French), it could have been done in the specified time (~2 hours) :mrgreen:
Jean
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Very, VERY cool Jeandr !!! Perhaps, we'll all get to see this closer at the rally ? BTW, your posts and technical expertise are most impressive ... thanks again for sharing.
prmurat said:
Bonjour Philippe,
Yes it will work with the Norvil belt drive, Les Emery has a belt drive model (the little chain is replaced with a belt) on test right now. In that belt drive kit, the whole thing can be run dry. Hervé told me the problem with the different belt drives on the market right now is that the front pulleys are not all the same thickness. In the kits there is a spacer made for either the stock Commando chain or in the case of the Norvil belt drive, made for the Norvil front pulley. This means the belt kit could be adapted to any belt drive as long as the pulley thickness is known. Hervé told me they could include a proper spacer if they knew what the front pulley was. The spacer could be machined to fit with a lathe or with access to a lathe.
Jean
Jean,
This is superb, merci beaucoup!!!
Just out of interest - is there any alteration to the process of keeping the primarty chain tension correct (i.e. the gearbox adjusters)? On the MArk 3 there is an autromatic chain tension adjuster but this does not appear to feature in the Alton kit. Is this a reason for using with the belt drive I wonder?
Kind regards
Luke Albanese
This is superb, merci beaucoup!!!
Just out of interest - is there any alteration to the process of keeping the primarty chain tension correct (i.e. the gearbox adjusters)? On the MArk 3 there is an autromatic chain tension adjuster but this does not appear to feature in the Alton kit. Is this a reason for using with the belt drive I wonder?
Kind regards
Luke Albanese
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Will it work with an RGM belt drive?
JD
JD
Jeandr said:
jeffdavison said:
As mentionned, it will work with ANY belt drive, the only thing is the spacer included in the kit is made for the Norvil belt drive. That spacer is used to position the alternator's rotor to be centered on the stator so depending on the front pulley, the alternator may not be properly centered unless some modification is made to the spacer on a standard kit Alton will no doubt come up with different spacers when they have an idea of the thickness of the front pulleys of each of the belt drives available for Commandos.
Jean
click
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Hi Lads,
Got some info from Les in Norvil.
He said the Alton starter system has already been tested on a Combat Commando for months but they want to confirm it will stand up to 850 use.
Quote from Les (I asked permission if I could post his reply to me)
"It is working fine at the moment but needs at least 2,000 miles before we offer them for sale
. We have an Alton kit fitted on a belt drive Commando but it has a chain drive sprag unit fitted until some small, technical, modifications are made.
The only Commando the kit will not fit on is the 850 MK3 Electric Start."
Good to know a supplier is testing the kit before they sell it on to customers.
No good to me since I have a MK3 ES
Got some info from Les in Norvil.
He said the Alton starter system has already been tested on a Combat Commando for months but they want to confirm it will stand up to 850 use.
Quote from Les (I asked permission if I could post his reply to me)
"It is working fine at the moment but needs at least 2,000 miles before we offer them for sale
. We have an Alton kit fitted on a belt drive Commando but it has a chain drive sprag unit fitted until some small, technical, modifications are made.
The only Commando the kit will not fit on is the 850 MK3 Electric Start."
Good to know a supplier is testing the kit before they sell it on to customers.
No good to me since I have a MK3 ES
click said:Hi Lads,
Got some info from Les in Norvil.
He said the Alton starter system has already been tested on a Combat Commando for months but they want to confirm it will stand up to 850 use.
Quote from Les (I asked permission if I could post his reply to me)
"It is working fine at the moment but needs at least 2,000 miles before we offer them for sale
. We have an Alton kit fitted on a belt drive Commando but it has a chain drive sprag unit fitted until some small, technical, modifications are made.
The only Commando the kit will not fit on is the 850 MK3 Electric Start."
Good to know a supplier is testing the kit before they sell it on to customers.
No good to me since I have a MK3 ES
Hervé told me they are working on a starter motor replacement for the MK3 ES. Theirs is smaller and fits inside the original starter motor to keep the original look of the bike.
Jean
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- Apr 15, 2009
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click said:Bonjour Jean,
Trés Bien. Poke Hervé with a big stick & tell him to hurry up with the 850 MK3 ES upgrade:mrgreen:
Kevin
You already have a starter, you can wait.
You can tell Herve I wanna one NOW... (just sold a few bikes and cash money is burning my hands!!! Even my mechanic friend can't wait to install it for me!!!).
Philippe
Philippe
Jeandr said:click said:Hi Lads,
Got some info from Les in Norvil.
He said the Alton starter system has already been tested on a Combat Commando for months but they want to confirm it will stand up to 850 use.
Quote from Les (I asked permission if I could post his reply to me)
"It is working fine at the moment but needs at least 2,000 miles before we offer them for sale
. We have an Alton kit fitted on a belt drive Commando but it has a chain drive sprag unit fitted until some small, technical, modifications are made.
The only Commando the kit will not fit on is the 850 MK3 Electric Start."
Good to know a supplier is testing the kit before they sell it on to customers.
No good to me since I have a MK3 ES
Hervé told me they are working on a starter motor replacement for the MK3 ES. Theirs is smaller and fits inside the original starter motor to keep the original look of the bike.
Jean
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 572
+1 here for my belt drive '74 MK2a
JD
JD
prmurat said:You can tell Herve I wanna one NOW... (just sold a few bikes and cash money is burning my hands!!! Even my mechanic friend can't wait to install it for me!!!).
Philippe
Jeandr said:click said:Hi Lads,
Got some info from Les in Norvil.
He said the Alton starter system has already been tested on a Combat Commando for months but they want to confirm it will stand up to 850 use.
Quote from Les (I asked permission if I could post his reply to me)
"It is working fine at the moment but needs at least 2,000 miles before we offer them for sale
. We have an Alton kit fitted on a belt drive Commando but it has a chain drive sprag unit fitted until some small, technical, modifications are made.
The only Commando the kit will not fit on is the 850 MK3 Electric Start."
Good to know a supplier is testing the kit before they sell it on to customers.
No good to me since I have a MK3 ES
Hervé told me they are working on a starter motor replacement for the MK3 ES. Theirs is smaller and fits inside the original starter motor to keep the original look of the bike.
Jean
click
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swooshdave said:click said:Bonjour Jean,
Trés Bien. Poke Hervé with a big stick & tell him to hurry up with the 850 MK3 ES upgrade
Kevin
You already have a starter, you can wait.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
I don't have an electric start . . . . . . . . I have an electric assist :lol:
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prmurat said:
For as little as the chain apparently moves there should be very little need to lube it at all, if any.
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