Hi everyone, sorry to be off topic. Our '54 B31 seems quite keen to blow headlamp bulbs.
It's on the original 6V electrics
I've been trying halogen higher wattage bulbs as well as the normal kind
It seems to blow either the main or dip filaments
Other bulbs on the bike don't seem to suffer
It has an electronic regulator fitted
On tickover the ammeter reads just into the negative with the lights on but moves into the positive with higher revs but never to the end of range. The needle can flick quite wildly when you turn the lights on and sometimes gets stuck at the lowest reading (moves back if you flick the glass)
I've been told an LED bulb might be the right way go but before we go there it would be great to know if it could be something to do with the electrical system in general...any ideas?
Could be a short in the headlamp, quite a lot of wires crammed into a small space with some bare metal terminals on the switch and bulb holders. I had a problem recently with my M20 repeatedly blowing the fuse because of that.
As for the charging,
The Ammeter reading does not tell a lot,as what cause bulbs to burn is the Voltage,
Which the Ammeter doese not measure.
If you measure the Voltage across the battery or the headlamp,
It should not go above 7.2V at max point.
If it reads OK, then the main reason for headlamps to burn, is rattling.
The bulb sit son the top of the front end which rattle and shaking all the time,
And the bulb should sit firmly in place.
If the assembly is lose and free to shake violently, faster than the front end
Which is heavy and therefore restrict itself from sharp movements,
Then the hot filament in the bulb, often snaps.
