I RECENTLY BROKE DOWN - BATTERY HAD LOST ALL IT'S WATER (OK clever buggers hehe - it happens to us all)
Refilled the battery with rain water and push started the bike, and away - did another 30-odd kilos's and the bike wanted to die again, and I inadvertantly hit the starter button - HOOOOO - bike kept going !!!
I'm told by an auto electrician that by hitting the starter, I had turned the starter into an alternator - funny - power went straight to the engine, and if you kept the starter motor button depressed, the bike would run, remembering to keep the revs up. I was able to get home, about 40 K's battery absolutely stone dead, and as soon as the revs dropped the bike died, BUT I MADE IT HOME !!!
It's not something I would recommend at all, as I'll surely have to rebuild my starter, but what's worse ?- being stuck in the dark, far from home with no help around (family were out and cellphone battery was dead) in a bad neighbourhood or getting home safe and sound ???

I'll add to this when I've pulled the reg/rec out and probably the stator/alternator too, and continue the starter story.....................probably a bit shagged after that - hardly surprising........still starts in neutral, but not in gear, so has lost "grunt".
Just for information - it could be useful sometime.........

 

Sounds like you've been having a lot of battery related problems Pete, what with the bike battery and the cell phone too

Suppose the principle is the same though with the alternator/motor

Hope you were lucky and didn't do too much damage to the 'lectrics. Still better to get home, especially your part of the world.

 

A dynamo is an electric motor that when the shaft is spun it becomes a generator. Hydro storage power plants use this technique to pump water into a lake at the top of a mountain at night when power is cheap. In the early AM when the power rate is up and toasters and coffee pots are running, they reverse the flow of water. The water turns the turbine and the pumping motor is now a generator producing power at the higher rate.

When I was 16 years old I had a Rabbit scooter made by Fuji Heavy Industries. It used a dynamo as a starter but once the motor was running it became the generator.

It seams odd that your bike would run with the starter engaged. I would think that the starter clutch would not let the starter be pushed by the motor.

 

It's pretty neat that it can do that though eh ? Pete, in an emergency like that
Looks like ya might be back at the field coils and r/r gig again Pete ??
Good excuse maybe to lookup old friends at Electrex UK gain eh ??

I think though Tim the output from a starter motor would be way higher
amperage than the alternator and unregulated too .......... but going longer
distance doing using the starter charger routine might be an **** warming
event to say the least.

Cool it got pete back to HQ though all the same !

 

Update - I fitted a spare original reg/rec which i bought some time ago and the battery seems to be charging, but will know more when I can find my voltmeter - at least the lights get brighter when I rev it which is a good sign. I found another stator cover on e-Bay for $49 (postage another $48 )
The starter won't turn the bike over in gear but in neutral all is well.
Given the hell I gave that starter I'm surprised it works at all. (Around 70 K's running with it on - find me any other make which will even come close !!!)I will pull it and rebuild it though - not difficult. I have a good spare starter clutch if that's gone, from an earlier episode......

Oh and when I got home, all the neighbours were on the pavement, police etc etc, two guys tried to break into my house - didn't catch them, pity, a real pity that. Nothing missing. Suspect they were amateurs.

As for the cellphone, it was just me being careless and not charging it before I left home - I know, gettin' old

 

I hope you have the number to The Exorcist handy.
I would recommend asking him to bring the heavy cross this time.

 

Those amateurs were very lucky they were not around when you got back

Good to hear they got nothing.