Voltage regulator mounting

[Andy G]

Hopefully a very easy one..
Does the standard Lucas regulator require to be insulated from bike frame earth when mounted?
Clearly it has it's earth lead and as it uses it's own frame as an internal connection, should this be insulated from the rest of the bike?
Hopefully that makes sense.
Andy

[dave16mct]

I don't think it has to be but it's a good idea to rubber mount it to protect from vibration.

[Groily]

I don't think it has to be but it's a good idea to rubber mount it to protect from vibration.

+1 for that.

[Andy G]

Thanks Fellas

[g5wqian]

if you are talking about an MCR2 etc , no it just bolts direct to metalwork but you can put a bit of old inner tube under the feet if you want .

personally i wouldnt use the original lucas regulator unless you have one which is extremely good condition and works properly , the coils inside them get corroded and the insulation on the wires flakes off .

i have had numerous problems with the lucas regulators and i even tried the newly made indian ones which worked for about an hour or two then gave up the ghost .

i now use a solid state regulator , DVR2 in my AJS and an AO services version in my ariel , both work a treat and i have retrofitted them inside of my original lucas regulator boxes .

both these type of solid state regulators draw very little current when bike is parked up and it takes months or longer before the battery goes down , on the AO services regulator i worked out it would take 2 years for its residual current to drain my battery .

i think both these regulators come in pos or neg earth versions and they use same wiring colours config as the original .

the AO services regulator has slots in the body for its mounting screws to fit into and it will mount directly into one of the holes in bottom of the mcr2 box .

easy to dismantle the mcr2 internals and remove them and then solder the wires from the new regulator on to the terminals of the mcr2 .

even if you happen to buy the wrong polarity regulator you can flash the dynamo and change polarity if reqd or if you want to change to neg earth not a problem to do easily .

regards
ian

[g80csp11]

We are lucky locally in the Sussex section that we have someone that reconditions the mechanical regulators , following the original Lucas service sheet information and replacing resistors as required , then testing and documenting the results to supply the customer ( replacing coils as necessary )
I know that Roy had a few of these on his stall recently ( I supplied them LOL)
They are all numbered and he rarely gets one back, the last ones I had done were in the 800's
Much cheaper than a electronic ones , and in my opinion equally good

[ajscomboman]

We are lucky locally in the Sussex section that we have someone that reconditions the mechanical regulators , following the original Lucas service sheet information and replacing resistors as required , then testing and documenting the results to supply the customer ( replacing coils as necessary )
I know that Roy had a few of these on his stall recently ( I supplied them LOL)
They are all numbered and he rarely gets one back, the last ones I had done were in the 800's
Much cheaper than a electronic ones , and in my opinion equally good
[/quote Now having had several mechanical ones through my hands I'd have to disagree that they are equally as good as the solid state ones. I've had some new that would not kick in until given a helping hand after which they were fine until the motor was killed, they then wouldn't charge again till assisted. With every solid state I've had none have ever failed. The mechanical ones were even sent to Lucas service for resetting and still never worked 100%. Maybe you've just been lucky.

[g80csp11]

Rob , I guarantee the ones I get done are equally good and much cheaper
Indian ones are not the same and the points are of poor material .
Id only fit genuine period unit , serviced and set up correctly

[1608]

The original one on my 1958 Ariel still works just fine.

[jackstringer]

Care to share the repair instructions? I have mine here and would like to confirm it's all good, if it ain't I can repair it.