Selecting Electrical Components & Making Mounts

I decided to update all of the electrics on the Hornet as they were thoroughly trashed. A Trispark Ignition & dual lead coil, a Lucas alternator from a 1970 Thunderbolt, a toggle switch, horn, Sparx rectifier, fuse box and a lithium ion battery are the key components. I am also keeping the factory kill switch which will be wired into the coil ground with a relay. Automotive 16 gauge wire and Lucas bullet connectors tie everything together. Once the components were selected I had to figure out where to mount everything.

Original condition of the electrical system. 

I wanted to keep a stock look to the bike so I added a battery box to mount the Sparx rectifier, fuse box and battery into. The lithium ion battery is compact which provides room for the other components. An aluminum bracket was fabricated to mount the coil up and out of site between the air cleaners. It also provides a mount for the horn.

The fuse box bracket and rectifier heat sync will be mounted to the battery box. 

The dual lead coil mounted on its bracket.  

Milling the coil bracket in a Bridgeport. 

The coil mounted up and out of the way between the air cleaners. 

A stock Lucas kill switch mounted in a bracket fabricated from a tracing of an original. 

A toggle switch mounted under the seat to turn the power on and off.  Horn and kill switch relays can be seen above the oil tank. 

Aluminum Tank & Side Panels

The tank was an aluminum replacement from India purchased to be used with the US's ethonal laced gas which would not have been friendly to the original fiberglass tank. The glass tank also had dry rot issues which I did not think could be fixed well. Although overall the quality of the aluminum tank was pretty good, it had a few issues. The mounting hole was 3/8 of an inch further back than the OEM tank. I thought there was enough adjustment in the frame mount but this was not the case. I made a bracket that set the tank back about ½ inch which works well. The second issue was with the filler neck which was detailed in a previous post.  

Custom mount made to accomodate the aluminum tank.

The side panel mounting went well although a few of the brackets had to be bent to align everything properly. I applied foam tape to all of the contact points on the rear of the fiberglass panels. This should stop the movement that nicks these things up and distorts the holes. I also used my gasket cutter to fabricate clear duct tape washers that I stuck to the inside of the oddie studs. The panels should be protected from the inside of the fasteners which are prone to tearing up the paint around the holes.

Washer made from duct tape & using gasket cutters. 

Tank and panels fit...time to move on to the electrical system.