FH - voltage regulator

 One of the jobs on the list is to make the dynamo work. During the wiring up process I decided to make the bike negative earth to allow for fitting of things like USB chargers and other modern accessories, on the basis that this bike will become the universal machine. To that end, the dynamo will need to be repolarized, more of which later.

Another thing that I need to do is to fit an electronic regulator to match the VRLA batteries I have fitted. The late Ariel four-strokes were fitted with a Lucas RB108 regulator, and we will replace the inside components of one of these with a V-Reg 2b from AO Services here in Norfolk.

First we remove the aluminium cover, bending back the tabs and pulling out the inner parts of the regulator:

There are two steps to removing these bits. First you can undo two nuts under the Bakelite board to release the solenoids. You will also need to remove a single screw that retains the frame of the regulator.

The next step is to cut the wires and links leading to the four terminals. It's easiest to cut these to remove the obstruction of the solenoids before you take a large soldering iron to the terminals and release the little bits of wire that are left. You can then open the terminals ready to receive the wires from the new regulator when it's time to re-solder.

The V-Reg 2b has a couple of options for retaining the unit to the base; there are two bolts supplied which fit neatly into the old solenoid holes. The next job is to route the wires to the appropriate terminals and solder them up. I like to use an old-fashioned wire lacing technique to make a small wiring harness inside the unit. The lacing is wax coated linen thread tied with a clove hitch and reef knot to hold the wires together.

All that remains is to put the cover back on and close up the aluminium tabs as best you can. Alternatively you could use some hot melt adhesive to hold the cover in place.