1966 Honda CL77 305 Charging Troubles

Reader Contribution by Keith Fellenstein
Published on July 27, 2016
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Charging troubles

Q: I have a 1966 Honda CL77 305. We all know the charging system setup wasn’t the best on these 12-volt bikes. From the factory they were weak at best. I’m trying to figure out why the stator isn’t producing 60 volts to the rectifier? I have installed two different stators and replaced the rotor as well. I also installed a new rectifier and new coils. The bike now starts with one kick, but when I turn the lights on, I start losing the DC current, as shown using my voltmeter. I have checked the red wire, the brown wire and the yellow wire going to the rectifier, as shown in the manual. I have also replaced the headlight switch, and I’ve added a new wiring harness, too. I have also installed the electronic ignition from Charlie’s Place. The new battery is simply not getting up to 14 volts when lights come on. Lights on or off, the battery is losing voltage. I could go insane over this. Bruce A. Ferguson/via email

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