Mate has a GS160 with intermittment (weekly) leccy faults.
If he wanted to bin the battery/spark combo and 6v lights, what would be the best 12v kit to go for,
And if he did this, would the loom and switches all have to be changed as wel??
GS160 leccy troubles
short answer is yes
you can fit 12 volt vbb coils instead of the originals ( £20) beedspeed and wire ignition coil to a vbb 6v coil ( fit a whole 12vbb points and lighting set up on a gs back plate ) they screw on so you can go back to original, I found I needed to get my flywheel remagnetized as it was a bit hit and miss using a Lambretta coil and the lights.
So was talked in to trying the 6v system with £60 original style battery ( which has since died after knocking the lights on whilst in storage and totally discharging and wrecking a cell) they do work nicely on 6v,
with good lights and great horn. The battery fed ignition is the bugbear.
Might try disposable cheap lead acid battery's, same just white plastic or the 12v vbb again ( plus remagnetisation) or a scootrs electronic kit but that will definitely not like key ignition wiring
I might need to fit a separate kill switch to the coil or cdi, the original switches are very lightweight so wont like current neither will the telephone wire gauge switch wiring or loom so may need a lighting relay, unless you use an American gs spec sportique dip switch not the uber cool gs one.
Steve
you can fit 12 volt vbb coils instead of the originals ( £20) beedspeed and wire ignition coil to a vbb 6v coil ( fit a whole 12vbb points and lighting set up on a gs back plate ) they screw on so you can go back to original, I found I needed to get my flywheel remagnetized as it was a bit hit and miss using a Lambretta coil and the lights.
So was talked in to trying the 6v system with £60 original style battery ( which has since died after knocking the lights on whilst in storage and totally discharging and wrecking a cell) they do work nicely on 6v,
with good lights and great horn. The battery fed ignition is the bugbear.
Might try disposable cheap lead acid battery's, same just white plastic or the 12v vbb again ( plus remagnetisation) or a scootrs electronic kit but that will definitely not like key ignition wiring
I might need to fit a separate kill switch to the coil or cdi, the original switches are very lightweight so wont like current neither will the telephone wire gauge switch wiring or loom so may need a lighting relay, unless you use an American gs spec sportique dip switch not the uber cool gs one.
Steve
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The GS160 has two options regarding the 12v conversion, Vespatronic and Variatronic. Im sure Beedspeed sell them both so you could ask them. Expensive, around the £300 mark. Change horn, rear brake switch and bulbs of course. I also think both of them can be run without battery.
gary
gary
Out of interest how did you wire it up , do the lights turn off with the ignition on , when I looked in to it most of the wiring diagrams on the net had some glitches like lights on all the time as effectively like fitting a px engine. I was quite pleased with the 12v points version and sportique style direct ignition but getting a vespa flywheel remagnetised was a bit of a problem, I have since found patch at scooter surgery does them for £15. I moved house have done nothing with my scooters since last year.
as I have been led to believe that the ignition switch is switching the battery feed to the points , rather than shorting the coil to ground. The scootrs version is £150. plus shipping plus duty. that is a pattern px based kit with many common parts and therefore Indian Lambretta electronics easy parts availability.
I have built several Lambrettas recently with 12V points as I don't overly rate electronic kits .
Steve
as I have been led to believe that the ignition switch is switching the battery feed to the points , rather than shorting the coil to ground. The scootrs version is £150. plus shipping plus duty. that is a pattern px based kit with many common parts and therefore Indian Lambretta electronics easy parts availability.
I have built several Lambrettas recently with 12V points as I don't overly rate electronic kits .
Steve
Last edited by steve c on Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
OOh,
Good and conflicting replies
I fancy the idea of the Vespatronic, I run them on my ET3 Malossi and my SS90 LC rep, I also have the varitronic on my Mugello Special and my original J125,
All systems are brilliant and effective, hence I don't mind the high price.
But with my mates, I wondered if there would be fitting issues, as SteveC said, the ignition doesn't short to earth to switch off (I have found out today from my mate Dan) an SS180 switch does, so already we will have to swap the ignition switch, will the loom have to be changed to do away with the battery system as well??
His GS is charging at 5.8v on tickover, and drops every 5 seconds to 0v and back to 5.8v.
maybe why on a run it starts to hiccup and hesitate like a knackered condensor ??
That said and done, the battery doesn't seem to go flat
The idea of the coil swap sounds good as well, but I really like electronic ignition, and would rather push his cash that way, for my peace of mind
Shaun.
Good and conflicting replies
I fancy the idea of the Vespatronic, I run them on my ET3 Malossi and my SS90 LC rep, I also have the varitronic on my Mugello Special and my original J125,
All systems are brilliant and effective, hence I don't mind the high price.
But with my mates, I wondered if there would be fitting issues, as SteveC said, the ignition doesn't short to earth to switch off (I have found out today from my mate Dan) an SS180 switch does, so already we will have to swap the ignition switch, will the loom have to be changed to do away with the battery system as well??
His GS is charging at 5.8v on tickover, and drops every 5 seconds to 0v and back to 5.8v.
maybe why on a run it starts to hiccup and hesitate like a knackered condensor ??
That said and done, the battery doesn't seem to go flat
The idea of the coil swap sounds good as well, but I really like electronic ignition, and would rather push his cash that way, for my peace of mind
Shaun.
the other thing is to put a modern bridge rectifier on the 6v system( I did), I have the diagram somewhere or I could photo mine as I can't remember how I did it, Allstyles had a diagram, browse the net, the rectifiers are £1 off ebay see item 200737932079 or £10 from Allstyles but you would get a diagram, sounds like the rectifier is playing up. Try a rectifier
the vbb 12v coils go through a vespa px regulator, so it would be fairly easy to fit a Lambretta wassel dc conversion with a battery, however there does not appear to be a 12V battery the same size as the original only smaller.
I am not convinced that variotronic is necessary for such a low power engine and I would be going for bright lights but anyone who has a 12v electronic on a Lambretta knows the horn and tickover lights can be poor, as standard I reckon they are fine.( with a non knackered battery )
The original switches are part of the gs charm so I am loathed to tamper with them or replace them, 12v should reduce the current on the wiring as for a given wattage 12v bulb pulls less current, but the piaggio designers spread the load over the wiring so don't try and shove it down one wire.
steve
the vbb 12v coils go through a vespa px regulator, so it would be fairly easy to fit a Lambretta wassel dc conversion with a battery, however there does not appear to be a 12V battery the same size as the original only smaller.
I am not convinced that variotronic is necessary for such a low power engine and I would be going for bright lights but anyone who has a 12v electronic on a Lambretta knows the horn and tickover lights can be poor, as standard I reckon they are fine.( with a non knackered battery )
The original switches are part of the gs charm so I am loathed to tamper with them or replace them, 12v should reduce the current on the wiring as for a given wattage 12v bulb pulls less current, but the piaggio designers spread the load over the wiring so don't try and shove it down one wire.
steve
you don't usually get sensible voltage outputs on a meter from magnetos,
trying to help a mate fix a bsa bantam I saw between 0 and 48V, yet it works fine, a battery will take some of this out !
steve
trying to help a mate fix a bsa bantam I saw between 0 and 48V, yet it works fine, a battery will take some of this out !
steve
Steve,steve c wrote:you don't usually get sensible voltage outputs on a meter from magnetos,
trying to help a mate fix a bsa bantam I saw between 0 and 48V, yet it works fine, a battery will take some of this out !
steve
Thanks for all your detailed explanations and stuff, I was in the 'what the feck to do now' zone with it.
I had all the imaginations of the charging sysytems, and the homemade rectifier being the cause of the faults,
But, after a long chat with Dan from Scootopia, and a back to basics approach, I tracked it down to one of 4 things:
1:faulty new condensor (thats what it felt like)
2:had to change the yellow stator wire, it was that old crap rubbery Vespa wire with black internal strands
3:changed the purple link from coil to junction box
4:resoldered new ring connectors to all stator wires as I had to cut them to remove stator.
I have ridden about 25 miles today and all seems good, and amazingly smooth.
So 6v old system will now stay as is
Only bad thing is,as I had no faith in me being able to fix it,
I promised him I would run around my field naked if I managed to sort it this weekend
