Indeed Keith I have 3 bikes with NiFe batteries and I would fit the corresponding regulators in a flash. But every time I go to the NiFe regulator shop....It's shut!!!???:confused: Ron
Sorry Ron I was not aware that they were scarce - anyway no doubt you could stamp NIFE on the regulator box base irrespective of the internals and no-one would know the difference.
After riding with an 8 watt headlamp bulb the glow from a blackout mask must have made them feel quite at home...
Having ridden my bikes at night over Dartmoor many times (without any streetlights) but with a standard 6 volt Lucas set up I don't think I'd relish any less lighting..It's nearly impossible to see the sheep, cows, badgers, rabbits, foxes and ponies as it is!!....:milky_way: Ian
Ha Ha! Yes Keith. But considering what you can see of the regulators on the bikes in question....No one will know the difference anyway. But it would be extremely nice to own a genuine NiFe regulator, if you find you have one surplus to sell.
If I would find a real Ni-Fe CVC I would hate to gut it to put electronics in it so I will just use an ordinary version and add the Ni-Fe marking.
When riding by, nobody will see the difference, and I think honestly 99% of the people have no clue anyway!!!
The battery straps without the side restrictions were indeed the early ones for Ni-Fe. The later ones with fixed side support for the Lead Acid versions.
When replacing the Ni-Fe with a Lead-Acid on an existing MC, they used a seperate/loose side support which can be nicely seen on the wartime instruction video "Army motor cycling".
Rob, that's my feeling too, which is why my Ni-Fe box is on the shelf.
There may be a difference in the number of coils, but the Lead-Acid type changed over time too.
Nortons and Triumphs with their clip fitting regulators on the frame tubes are probably the only two makes where the base can be clearly seen, especially where the white infill is present.
Engraving would probably be needed to replicate the marking. I can't imagine that any form of letter punch would give the correct depth and profile.
Royal Enfield don't seem to have used the loose cross straps on WD/Cs, but their battery carrier had side projections anyway. They do though seem to have adopted the standard cover with welded-on strap when it became the norm. The 'D' would probably have been the only Ni-Fe period RE.
But after discovering my project bike was produced after it’s discontinuation- I am unsure what to do now - it was another nice feature along with the big battery I had wanted on my bike
