Gene and his '24 Chief with
sidecar rig during the 2004 Gunnison AMCA road run.
He left his lights on
all the way!
GH Mechanical is me, Gene Harper. I've been an active member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America since 1974 and of the Rocky Mountain Chapter since 1982.
While participating in the club's first road runs during the mid-1980's, I saw lots of Indians with charging problems. I also saw a few really nice paint jobs damaged by overcharging the battery and spilling acid. I often wondered why there was not a solid state voltage regulator made for these old machines which would solve the problem.
The club's 1990 road run, my first with the '24 Chief and sidecar rig, made the intensity and frustration of the situation very clear to me. I was constantly dealing with the Splitdorf generator overcharging the battery! My experiences during that trip started me thinking harder about the problem. Work and family considerations put this project on the back burner for a number of years.
During the Fall of 2003, I finally worked out the basic circuit design and was able to perfect it in the Spring of 2004. 12 prototypes were built and distributed to willing test subjects for their use and feedback. Production began in the Winter of 2005. To date, none of the prototype or production regulators have exhibited any type of failure!