four volt electrical systems for motor cycles

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Hi.
I have just come across an undated Lucas booklet which I would guess comes from the early to mid 1930’s, and it details not only six volt motorcycle equipment, but four volt too! In my half century of messing around with motorcycles I have never come across any four volt systems, and I wonder if anyone but old Lucas employees or electrical specialists have either ! ?

Not I think Scott related at all, but someone out there might have encountered some stuff that fits the description.

Brian

[chstorm]

Hi Brian,
At the November 1924 Olympia Motorcycle Show, a new type of motorcycle batteries were introcuced by a company called Batteries Ltd. These batteries were different from the normal lead/acid batteries. The cells did not contain any acid or lead, the plates being of nickel and steel immersed in an alkaline electrolyte. The batteries were called Ni-Fe batteries, and were claimed to be vibration-proof and much more stable than ordinary lead/acid batteries. In the 1920’s, lighting equipment was optional and quite expensive, and electrical lighting was the most expensive of all. Some motorcycle owners preferred battery lighting without a dynamo, which naturally was less expensive. There was one snag, however; if you used a Ni-Fe battery without a dynamo, the voltage was only around 4 Volts, and 4-Volt bulbs had to be used, reducing the lighting power available. In the Motor Cycle of September 24th 1925, there was a complaint about this in a letter to the editor by a mr. P. Victor.
I believe that Ni-Fe batteries were in use as an alternative energy source in motorcycles for quite a long time, and were still mentioned in Lucas handbooks in the late 1930’s.
Does this sound like a plausible explanation?

Carl

[scott596]

Hi Brian, About five years ago during my quest to obtain another Hogan RCA 350 twin cylinder two stroke engine I met a man called Dave Benson from south London who had one for sale, Dave Benson had a serious collection of motorcycles at his home, a large proportion of which were Villiers engined pre-war machines, one of these was a Francis Barnet with a 1T twin cylinder engine, from memory this was an inline engine, Dave pointed out that he had terrible trouble getting any lights working untill he found out that it had a four volt system, where he obtained four volt bulbs from I didn`t dare ask. I also doubt very much if this machine had any Lucas equipment fitted at all but I may be wrong. Alan Noakes.

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