| Date: | Sat, 01 Apr 2000 21:00:04 |
| Subject: | Derbi Moped Help |
| From: | K. Brant Niggemyer |
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Hi all.
I recently purchased a 1987 Derbi "Start" DS550 Moped.
Considering it's age and use, it seems to run o.k., but I'm
having a bit of a problem with the electrical system and was
wondering if anyone could be of assistance.
My general experiece with motorized bikes (note this is the first
time I've ever owned one) has been that the head and tail light
run off the magneto. It is not so for this bike -- I think
someone may have rewired it. The headlight comes on whenever the
key is in the "on" position -- including when the engine is off.
This leads me to believe that the headlight is wired directly to
the battery.
The problem that I've been having is that after I drive around
for about for the day, the battery is almost dead. I believe
that the headlight is draining the battery at a rate faster than
it can be recharged by the alternator. My temporary solution has
been to throw the battery on a trickle charger every night.
Having said all this, here are the basic questions:
1. Am I correct in my assumption that it would be better to run
the headlight dircectly off the magneto? I seems to me that this
would take a big load off the battery.
2. Any tips on how I could rewire the headlight correctly?
I'm comfortable working on the bike myself, but need a little bit
more education about how this all works (I'm used to cars!), and
haven't found a good reference that solves this problem. Any
tips on troubleshooting electrical systems, and pointers to
references on general theory would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Brant
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