Gauges on Sidecover? (OLD Motorcycle Question)

[Lucien Harpress]

When it comes to motorcycles, those from the 40s and 50s are my jam.

Well, let me rephrase that- I love the way bikes from that era LOOK. As for the actual operation (foot clutch? Spark advance?), I'm pretty in the dark. In any case, I've taken a particular shine to old Sunbeam motorcycles lately, and got to wondering about something. Specifically this.



Unless my eyes deceive me, that is an ammeter on the side of the battery box. Looks cool as all heck, but... why? How? And specifically, why? As all ammeters are wont to do, I can surmise it's to check the status of the electrical system, but how much good can it do there, impossible to monitor while riding? Is it just to check if the battery is charging right after startup? Or maybe just a really poor design feature? Inquiring minds want to know.

(Me. I'm the inquiring mind.)

Thanks in advance!

[digger]

It does look cool. My 2cents, didn’t want to run heavy wiring to the front, I see they didn’t put the ignition switch very far from the battery either, and you are probably right about just checking to make sure it is charging after initial starting.

[CYBORG]

I like gauges that you can see when your riding. Makes no sense, to me, that it's there.

[Whiskerfish]

Being located next to the switch I can not help but wonder if It required a different switch position than the normal run to have the gauge work? Just pondering out loud.

[5speed]

they certainly spread the gauges around..

[sunnbobb]

Simplicity in these old machines...

68 TR250 Triumph

tr25w speedo front.jpg

72 Moto Guzzi Police 850

20200213_193617.jpg

[Sidecar Bob]

A Google Image search for Sunbeam Motorcycle ammeter shows that the ammeter's stock location is in the side cover. It looks like that was designed by an electrical specialist who didn't actually ride. Or, as has been suggested, it was only there to make sure everything was working before you set off.
You would think we have learned something about the placement of instruments over the years but temperature gauge dipsticks are pretty common and some of the places people put speedometers &c on custom bikes are even worse...

It reminds me of something a friend told me years ago about the bikes they used for observed trials events in the UK in his youth. He said that they removed all the stuff that was easily broken but the bikes had to be road legal so they could be ridden on public roads between the observed sections. Turn signals? Just use hand signals. Mount the smallest headlight and tail light possible with brush guards.
But the law required any vehicle on the road have a speed indicating device and it was very easy for a stray branch or rock to take out the instrument(s). Fortunately, the law did not state that it had to be a speedometer or that it had to be visible by the vehicle's operator so they got around it by mounting a tach under the seat; If stopped they would show it to the constable and tell him what the engine's RPM would be at a few common road speeds...