Use motor correctly without battery
Since there are some motorcycles without a battery and you only need the battery to start, many motorcyclists think that they can drive without a battery at all. However, it is only partially true that an engine can run without it.
What you need:
- Knowledge of the on-board electrics
- Manual
- Manufacturer
Problems when running motors without a battery
- If the motorcycle has an ignition with a breaker contact or a thyristor ignition, the engine cannot run without a battery, because an ignition spark can only occur when current flows through the primary winding of the ignition coil. If there is no battery, no ignition spark can occur, you will not be able to start the engine either by kick starter or by pushing it without at least a little power from the battery. If you remove the battery, the engine will shut down as continuous power supply is not possible.
- With magneto ignition, the magnetic field that is necessary for the spark to occur is generated by a permanent magnet. The ignition spark can therefore arise from the current generated by the alternator. The engine can theoretically get by without a battery, you would only have to do without the starter and start with a kick starter or push.
- It is of course possible that the engine will stall while idling because the energy generated is insufficient to generate an ignition spark. If you have the lights on, it will be difficult to keep the engine running without the battery when idling.
- The power grid of modern vehicles is switched in such a way that the alternator feeds the current into the battery and the current is taken from it without voltage peaks. The battery acts as a buffer and protects expensive electronic parts. Without a battery, voltage peaks can cause considerable damage.
- Three-phase alternators contain rectifier diodes, the maximum reverse voltage of which is lower than the no-load voltage without loading the alternator. In modern alternators, protective circuits prevent the blocking diodes from being damaged. There is no protective circuit in older three-phase alternators. For this reason, the engine of these alternators must never be operated without a battery, because the battery is the protection for the alternator.
- An engine can therefore only be driven without a battery under certain conditions. You should ask the manufacturer or refer to the manual to determine whether this is possible with your motorcycle.
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