Poorboy alternator conversion

[Krazywolf8169]

I am about to do conversion and was hoping someone could offer up some pics and info like length of crankshaft bolt needed? Thanks in advance.

[2manywings]

A proper length replacement bolt is part of the kit

[froche]

Depends on if you bought the kit (bolt included) or are making your own.

if you are making your own then it depends on the length of the pulley used. Adding that length (the pulley) to the existing bolt will get you the length you need.

[2manywings]

Sorry, I thought you were using a "Poorboy" kit. The original bolt length is 1.100".

[plhcpat]

So is this kit still available? I have a 85 1200i with a failing stator. I would purchase the complete kit.
Thanks,
Pat

[AZgl1800]

So is this kit still available? I have a 85 1200i with a failing stator. I would purchase the complete kit.
Thanks,
Pat

Don Pigott is still selling the kits, but in the past week, there have been some problems with the kits being received..... I have no iron in this, just the messenger.

if you work with Don, make darn sure you can track the transaction.


IMO, it is much cheaper to make up the 'kit' parts yourself.
but, that requires some mechanical skills or help with the project.

[plhcpat]

Thanks! I saw another thread with Don's yahoo email and emailed him. Hopefully if he is still doing this I will get a response.
Thanks again

[AZgl1800]

Don Pigott:

I'm just the messenger here, okay?

I personally know of, and have been PMing with, 3 people who paid in advance for their kits, and none of those 3 have been received them "as of yet"...
1 in Belguim,
1 in Canada,
1 in the USA.

they have been trying for 3+ weeks to get him to answer emails and phone calls.


I know Don Pigott has been "well thought of" and has done a lot for our community,
but his actions in the past 3 to 4 weeks don't give me warm feelings about his character 'today'.

he is now 74 y/o and I have no idea if that has had any effect on his mental facilities.
I'm 78 and still percolating along pretty good.

.

[CrystalPistol]

Well, you are right, it don't sound good.

[plhcpat]

Thanks AZ, hopefully everything works out in the end!
I don't think so! But Maybe!

[AZgl1800]

the kit that was supposed to go to Belgium did not end well.

[WingAdmin]

the kit that was supposed to go to Belgium did not end well.

That's not acceptable.

Shipping stuff internationally is a risk. I'd say probably 5% of the shipments I send overseas never get there, and vanish off the face of the earth. Most of the time I just eat it and send a replacement out at no cost. I'd rather spend a bit of money to keep customers happy than have unhappy customers going around complaining publicly.

[AZgl1800]

I just received a PM from one of the guys who lost his money, Don Pigott never made contact with him at all

Here is what he told me about the conversation with Don today:

Just talked to Don and confirmed I was scammed. He doesn't even have an Amazon account, lol. I will go through Amazon and my CC company and see what I can get back, but he said if it is not a cashiers check or paypal, it is not him. Who ever was intercepting emails did a pretty good job and raked in thousands of dollars.

Dayton, OH, USA

I will ask him to come to this thread and speak up for Don.

[plhcpat]

There is always a rat **** somewhere!
Thanks AZ

[BadJack]

Crazy! What an odd product to use to rip people off on Amazon. Doesn't Amazon have buyer protection? I don't think the seller could get away with this on ebay.

[AZgl1800]

Crazy! What an odd product to use to rip people off on Amazon. Doesn't Amazon have buyer protection? I don't think the seller could get away with this on ebay.

It was not fully explained how Amazon got into the picture.

The scammer requested that the buyer purchase "Amazon Gift cards" and email them to the 'vendor' / Don Pigott. The Gift Cards were accepted "and cashed in to someone's Amazon Account"

the buyer and myself were able to talk to Don Pigott via telephone and we found out that he only uses PayPal or a Cashier's Check as valid payment transactions.

So, the 'Amazon Gift' scheme was a scam.

I want to make a note here in Don Pigott's defense for "lack of communications".

#1 he is still riding a LOT, he just recently was gone from home for a week touring through the byways of the Carolinas and Tennessee, and he said that " that damn phone goes in the trunk when I am riding "

#2 he does not use PCs much at all, he explained to me that he is not much of a computer geek and does not get on forums at all anymore.

#3 he explained to me, that " I am not tied to that damn telephone like some people "

#4 when he is home, he tinkers a lot out in his workshop, and said that he has a lot of noisy tools and equipment and that when one of those is running, he cannot hear the ringer on his cell phone.

#5 I am 78, and Don is 74, so I can understand his situation. He apparently has trouble hearing, because I had to repeat a lot of questions to him while on the phone.

and that is all that I personally know about Don Pigott. I just had that one telephone conversation with him, and it was a rather stilted one at that. He is NOT a conversationalist that became obvious real fast.

.

[plhcpat]

Thanks for the info AZ! I think you sent me all the you had about the conversion! I should be able to source everything myself. Just went through tropical storm Isasia and my generator is on its last leg. So the Goldwing will sit until I get enough cash built back up. 3 days in August on a 3500 watt generator! No a/c sucked!!

[Rednaxs60]

Here's a pic of the brackets I started with:

Made from 1" angle. Have modified the lower bracket to stiffen it. On the upper bracket you can move the alt bolt support to wherever along the length of the piece that secures to the fairing bracket. Mine is where it is because the upper and lower alt brackets are in line with the other. This is the alt I used - 55 amp unit:

I used this because I have the '85 Limited Edition FI model. Your 1200 is a carb model and a 40 amp unit will work very well - bit smaller footprint that makes for an easier install. Here's a pic of a 40 amp alt. Notice the different securing arrangement, offset:

A v-belt will work the same as a multi rib belt.

The lower bracket may require you to shim the alt forward to line up the crank/alt pulleys, but it's a good starting point. The lower bracket attaches to the upper left motor mount. Low cost bracket(s), only need a 3' piece of 1" angle, drill bits to suit, and some nuts/bolts. Find an inexpensive 40 amp alt. Lots of choice at your local auto wrecker, and should be inexpensive. I prefer the 3 wire (actually a four) over the one wire, but the one wire is easier to hook up. Nice to have a friend with a welder. If you go with a one wire alt, #8 wire will do to hook the alt to the bike's electrical system.

The crank pulley is a mix of washers and bearings to get it out the correct distance. Here's some pics:

I had to pay for welding and every time was $40.00 CDN and I had to have welding done 3 times.

Good luck.

[plhcpat]

Thanks Red,
Pictures and all!

[Rednaxs60]

No worries. Will dig out the final lower bracket and send pic with dimensions. It's a good project to do.

[plhcpat]

Thanks again Red and AZ! I have a buddy who welds, and his dad has a machine shop! Can't wait for the pictures!

[Goldenponyboy]

What is the cost for the kit WITH a good geo metro alternator? Has anyone got a price on one?

[AZgl1800]

What is the cost for the kit WITH a good geo metro alternator? Has anyone got a price on one?

IIRC,

Don's kit is ~$500

he is hard to get hold of, he does not monitor his cellphone,
you must use email.

[Goldenponyboy]

I picked up a kit from a guy here in British Columbia. It seems to be fairly complete. The alternator is larger than I was hoping for. I hope it fits with the least amount of material removal. I'll take pics of it before during and after. I am very thankful for GoldwingDocs forum to help me get this job done. With my bike being the Ltd model it may be different than the asppencade and interstate. So out to the garage I go.

[CrystalPistol]

I am about to do conversion and was hoping someone could offer up some pics and info like length of crankshaft bolt needed? Thanks in advance.

Used to be several writeups on the internet, maybe google?