[spotty]

Hi , being new to the forum im hoping someone can advise,im working on a 1200 aspencade bobber,started with a bare frame, have now got it to a rolling chassis, nearly finished rebuilding the engine,
its the electrics that have me stuck, got second hand main loom and fairing sub loom ,according to the manual theres a thing called a condenser that plugs into the main loom , theres a 2 pin socket on the loom with a thick red/white wire and 2 green wires coming from it,
anyone know what this condenser does? and do i need it?
its a 1986 aspencade im working on
Thanks
spotty

 

[JK McDonald]

Hey Spotty – The Aspencade GW’s like the one you’re working on originally came equipped with an intercom, high end stereo and some even had a factory installed CB radio setup. After buying such a nice fully loaded bike – some customer’s complained about hearing a slight but annoying RPM related ignition coil static being heard in the radios. To eliminate this background noise, a suppressor capacitor was added to the wiring harness. Some Star Track enthusiasts leave this “Flux-Capacitor” connected incase of a potential improvement in warp speed when needed.

Good Luck and Ride Safe - Michael

 

[spotty]

Hey Spotty – The Aspencade GW’s like the one you’re working on originally came equipped with an intercom, high end stereo and some even had a factory installed CB radio setup. After buying such a nice fully loaded bike – some customer’s complained about hearing a slight but annoying RPM related ignition coil static being heard in the radios. To eliminate this background noise, a suppressor capacitor was added to the wiring harness. Some Star Track enthusiasts leave this “Flux-Capacitor” connected incase of a potential improvement in warp speed when needed.

Good Luck and Ride Safe - Michael

Hi Michael, and thanks for your input, so i can happily leave this condenser out and not worry about fitting one, just wish i knew more about electrics as i need to modify the loom to suit my needs, im trying to find a autoelectrician close to me.
thanks again for reply
spotty

 

[JK McDonald]

Hey Spotty – Since you mentioned the electrical system and (I assume) your motor is apart, you should make sure that the stator winding is in good condition. The stator on the 4 cylinder GW is located under the rear engine casing and a real pain-in-the-A$$ to replace if defective because the motor must be out of the frame for access. There are lots of UTube videos on what to look for, how to test the static resistance of each leg and once the bike is running – it’s output voltage. If you plan on keeping the bike for a while and you do not know the age of the stator winding, it is often worth while to simply install a new (updated) stator while the motor is out.

One other precaution – don’t overload the electrical system of your bike by adding a bunch of additional High Intensity (Fog – Running) lights over the factory lights. Adding more high wattage lighting will shorten the life of the stator winding. I HAVE successfully substituted one of the newer LED High/Low beam headlight bulbs on several 4 cylinder GW’s with no problems. The newly designed LED lights appear as High Intensity Lights to on coming traffic for safety but designed to have a low current draw (Low Wattage) and do not put a strain on the stator winding.

Good luck with your bobber - Michael

 

[spotty]

Hey Spotty – Since you mentioned the electrical system and (I assume) your motor is apart, you should make sure that the stator winding is in good condition. The stator on the 4 cylinder GW is located under the rear engine casing and a real pain-in-the-A$$ to replace if defective because the motor must be out of the frame for access. There are lots of UTube videos on what to look for, how to test the static resistance of each leg and once the bike is running – it’s output voltage. If you plan on keeping the bike for a while and you do not know the age of the stator winding, it is often worth while to simply install a new (updated) stator while the motor is out.

One other precaution – don’t overload the electrical system of your bike by adding a bunch of additional High Intensity (Fog – Running) lights over the factory lights. Adding more high wattage lighting will shorten the life of the stator winding. I HAVE successfully substituted one of the newer LED High/Low beam headlight bulbs on several 4 cylinder GW’s with no problems. The newly designed LED lights appear as High Intensity Lights to on coming traffic for safety but designed to have a low current draw (Low Wattage) and do not put a strain on the stator winding.

Good luck with your bobber - Michael

Cheers Michael, thanks for help and info, take care,
spotty

 

[NREMTP]

Welcome to the forum, Spotty. Glad to see you getting such fine help.