Motorcycle Alternators
Back in the day, motorcycles used kickstarters and had very the most minimal of accessories such as a headlight, taillight, and a horn. A DC generator was sufficient enough to create electrical energy. Since then, motorcycles have started to take on a growing list of standard features like turn signals, electric starters, and computerized electronic fuel injection and even optional ones such as radios and onboard GPS systems. Alternators soon began to displace DC generators in motorcycle usage as alternators were able to handle the high power demands of these auxiliary components. There are two types of motorcycle alternators: one-piece, which is similar to a car, and three-piece, which consist of the rotor, the stator, and an external rectifier/regulator. The one-piece alternator has its components self-contained into one unit. These types of alternators are the most powerful type and are typically used on large touring bikes such as the Harley-Davidson Road King, Electra Glide, and Ultra Limited, the Honda Gold Wing, and the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager. Three-piece alternators, which are used in most every other type of non-touring bike, are more complex due to their components being separated but the advantage to this is that each piece can be serviced individually without having to disassemble a singular unit. HQ Powersports specializes in brand new, OEM-quality replacement alternators for popular European and Japanese motorcycles including the BMW K1200GT, Honda Gold Wing, and Kawasaki Voyager XII.