NEWSFLASH: No alternator output!!! <Poorboy Time!!!>

[PanMan75]

What alternator are you using?

[Guest]

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[desertrefugee]

What alternator are you using?

I'm using the Geo Metro unit. Very small, the kit is designed for it, and I don't need any more power than it can deliver.

[desertrefugee]

My hat is truly off to any man who's done this job in a day. I've been piddling on it all week, but got some good time in today. Holy moly, this is a lot of tweaking and time consuming farting around. I'm mostly done except for putting the radiator back on. And I'm hungry and tired. Not counting running all over hell and creation for bits and pieces, I've probably got 6 or 7 hours into it - and am not finished! I won't put the lower fairings back on until I'm satisfied everything is kosher.

No snags other than those mentioned - unless you count the danged choke interference issue. I put the alternator on a diet and clearanced the area.

A couple of photos of the action. I think I'll finish tomorrow unless I get a spurt of inspiration tonight.

[desertrefugee]

Well, it's done. And I don't fancy myself doing another one anytime soon. This will be the last in my installment on the Poorboy installation.

Recall that, last night, I crowed about only having the radiator to install and I was done? Hah! Got the sucker on, fired it up and was greeted with a horrendous screeching. Dang. Thought I'd checked and double-checked clearances. Not. Pulley to fan shroud contact. That certainly wasn't expected. So, drain the radiator and pull it back off. Cut a longer and deeper notch in the shroud. There was a notch there in stock form, but I'm not sure why. Maybe they anticipated another pulley?

Since I hadn't been happy with the line up of the pulleys either, I shaved more aluminum off the top mounting ear to make it thinner and move it back about a quarter of an inch. (I believe the upper bracket mount was a bit too far forward).

Button it back up, fill up the rad again and run it until the fan kicks on in the driveway. Happy day! (Except for a little belt squeal.) Tightened that up and no more squeal. 13.2V at idle, never greater than 14.0 at any RPM. Hits 13.8 by 2000RPM. 12.6V when the fan kicks in at idle. That'll do.

Take a shakedown cruise. Life is good. Bike running like a top. Temperature comes up and the fan kicks in. GGGGRRRRRRRR. Fan is hitting. Enough to make an embarrassing noise. Seems to be getting quieter. Maybe I'll just run it and let it shave itself down. Hmmmm.

So, maybe I'm not done...

Interestingly, the fan was not rubbing when I got home and ran it in the driveway again. Sheesh. Leaving the lower fairings off for now...just in case.

[PanMan75]

So what is the belt length used? I have read in the tech center to use a belt length around 29.5" and I see in the updated instructions to use a belt length of 32.25". I can't find it but I remember seeing a belt length of 31.5" somewhere as well. Which should be the best length to work with?

[desertrefugee]

I never measured it. But since I used the recommended Geo alternator with Poorboy's kit pulley, I just bought his recommended companion belt - a Gates KO40315. It fit perfectly - after removing one rib (again just as described in his instructions).

Good luck and have fun. Just don't expect to finish in a day.

Now, I'm going riding...

[wingandaprayer]

desertrefugee thanks for the great posts and pics. Some stupid snow has arrived here so I may put the Wing on the bike stand (did I mention my great bike stand...) and take it to pieces to install my Poorboy kit, and horn kit, and steering head bearings and service the forks and service the final drive... that should trigger another round of sunshine and above freezing to dry up our roads again ... foahtunately Ah have another bike for just such an occasion :d

[neoracer]

i have a 4" pulley and used a 25-030310 belt which is approximately 31.5" and has three ribs which didn't require shaving off one rib

[Whitefox]

Are there any club members here that live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) that want to do a poorboy conversion for me. I am getting lazy. I assume someone who has already done it would make faster work of it a second time. (Although for me it is pre-emptive. My aspencade has 16,400 orig miles on it.) I am trying to fully dress it as it seems to be a bike worth going all out on dressing it up. I am hoping a club member would have a favourable hourly rate.