switched to the 7" headlight ammeter in the red since then

[ammburger]

As the subject line says. I went up to the assembled headlight a few weeks back from the 5". The change over was simple enough, swap the wires, bolt on and go. Ever since, my ammeter stays in the red when the bikes on and idling. It never really idled in the green but at least it stayed close to center. I've tested the battery, It reads in the 13V range when on and when revved, that said, I bought the bike a year and a half ago and it's never been changed.

Today while thumping to work, the bike stuttered, sputtered and died. Now she sits on the side of a road waiting for my return.

Any ideas what could be the cause? I'll probably star with a new battery.

[barenekd]

You probably put a 60W bulb in your light assy. The iron barrel alternator can't handle that much bulb. Put the original bulb from your old light into the new one if you can. If it won't fit, go to an auto parts store and find one that will fit with the same wattage as your old one.
Bare 

[mrunderhill1975a]

It could be several things, perhaps unrelated to new headlight.  If you have a volt meter, check the output voltage across the two violet wires at the alternator.  They should be somewhere in the 47 or more volt range.  Then check the the AC voitage at the rectifier (yellow wires) should be at least 35 volts.  Then check the red and black wire at the regulator for 13-14.8 volts DC.

Report back with your findings.

[ammburger]

I'll start with swapping bulbs and take it from there.  Thanks guys, will let you know what happens.

[ammburger]

Does anyone have a good lower watt suggestion of a replacement bulb for the 7" fully assembled sold by our host? I can drop in to Autozone or PepBoys this weekend.

[t120rbullet]

Does anyone have a good lower watt suggestion of a replacement bulb for the 7" fully assembled sold by our host? I can drop in to Autozone or PepBoys this weekend.

A H6024 sealed beam will do just fine in any model of Bullet.

You should state the year and model of your bike because there are different charging systems. From mid 99 up the headlight didn't go through the ampmeter so it shouldn't have indicated anything with the change and has no effect on the battery at all.
CJ

[barenekd]

I have an H6024 and I believe it's about 60W. They may come in different wattages, though
The original RE lamp is about 35W.
Bare

[t120rbullet]

I have an H6024 and I believe it's about 60W. They may come in different wattages, though
The original RE lamp is about 35W.
Bare

55/60W 

[barenekd]

Hte owners manual says 50/35. that may be left over from the old manuals, which is like a lot of stuff in the new one. However the older iron barrels, and some UCEs apparently, aren't happy with with 60W bulbs.
Bare

[ammburger]

Pre June 99 Iron B!

[t120rbullet]

Ah, pre 6/99 eh. Mighty fine year if you ask me.
 
I ran/run a Wagner H6024 55/65 watt in both my 95 and 1/99 Bullets with no problems.
I picked up a battery made by Exide # YB7-A. It has almost double the CCA as the stock 12N7-4A has ( 120 as compared to 70 ) and is almost the same size ( 1/16" wider ) as the stock battery. Might have to trim down the cover a bit to clear the vent tube.
It made up the difference so when idling down the light wouldn't dim and the bike was still easy to start and would charge up when I was moving. I put the dimmest LED lights I could get in the nipple lights/dash lights and taillight in my 99 too. It work's better than the same headlight did with the AC lighting coil on my 2001 did.
No way to compensate for lack of juice on a system with no battery in the circuit.
Good thing about the old 3 wire alternator is you'll never overcharge the battery and boil it dry.
CJ

[ammburger]

At this point I'm looking to replace the bulb only. It's a Halonix H4 60/55W. The charging issue started when I put the new light on so I'm guessing that's a good place to start. I'll call our hosts Monday to see if they have a suggestion for a lower watt replacement. My 99 can't give all that juice!!

I don't have the owners manual. Can someone tell me how many watts the pre June 99 Bullet can take?

[barenekd]

Oops, wrong thread!
Bare

[AgentX]

At this point I'm looking to replace the bulb only. It's a Halonix H4 60/55W. The charging issue started when I put the new light on so I'm guessing that's a good place to start. I'll call our hosts Monday to see if they have a suggestion for a lower watt replacement. My 99 can't give all that juice!!

I don't have the owners manual. Can someone tell me how many watts the pre June 99 Bullet can take?

35w works well for my 1977.  I believe it's a 35/35 bulb which is common in India but you could try the 55w high beam/35w low as an experiment.

[ammburger]

I put the 5"  headlight back on today just to see if the charging went back to normal. it did, idled fine a little bit in the green on the ammeter. Took her for a spin and sputter, sputter stop again. Battery problem?

I'm also going to look at my air mixture because I could only start the bike with the choke on and as soon as I turned the choke off, it died again.

Suggestions?