1991 was a year of flame and fire, tumult and change, advances and achievements. Operation Desert Storm drove Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces from Kuwait, the USSR became the un-USSR. and a lady named Helen Sharman was the first Briton in space. Back on planet Earth, Compu-Fire was launched by its two founders, once competitors in the automotive ignition industry, now joining forces to light up the motorcycle ignition industry. Says Martin Tesh, “It was a true garage start-up company. The name arrived during a brainstorming lunch.
The name itself was a winner, a logo that said it all. While the company started off with some rather simple products in the ignition field, Compu-Fire soon made a quantum leap by producing an ignition module that fits in the nose cone like a stock unit but has a microprocessor for a controller, in other words, electronic advance. It was an industry first. As Tesh explains, “Previously the electronic advance ignitions in the motorcycle market were OEM module replacements. But with custom bikes being built people didn’t want to hang an unsightly module somewhere on the frame, a nose cone module was the obvious choice for a relatively seamless interface.”
As Compu-Fire R&D progressed, they entered the arena of charging systems, scoring another milestone as the first aftermarket company to offer an alternator rotor. The complete production of the component is handled in-house at their Pomona facility including the stamping and machining even to the point of magnetizing the magnets.
The product has been a major success for the past several years. But Compu-Fire is certainly not one to rest on their laurels.
It originally started out as the Gen 3 Starter which was developed to meet the needs of starting large displacement, high compression engines with limited battery capacity.
The limiting factor in motorcycling is 300 cold cranking amps in the battery. That’s all you get. It’s adequate for standard low compression, stock displacement engines because the stock starter can spin’em up easily without drawing the battery down, but the rule has always been as engines increased in displacement, you had to throw larger and larger starters at them. However when you increase the size and output of a starter you also increase the energy demands on the battery and very quickly you reach the limit where there’s not enough zots to operate the starter. The challenge became to engineer a starter that would generate enough cranking power to start the big inch, high performance engines such as the 124-inch S&S.”
Fortunately Compu-Fire was able to gain input from a retired engineer who had retired from the starter, alternator and generator division at Delco-Remy. Basically he told them that when designing a new starter some basic information is needed such as the amount of cranking power you need to spin an engine over comes from the engine department. Then you calculate how much starter you need, then take that to the electrical department and tell them how much, rather how big, a battery you need.
The challenge facing Compu-Fire was to develop something that would make 2 kilowatts using less than 300 cold cranking amps, the maximum available from current batteries. They looked at what was available and it became apparent that they would need to use a new style of starter motor, referred to as a “permanent magnet starter.” As Tesh explained, everything out there, including OEM and all the derivatives, are based on an old automotive design that features field coils in the starter motor. The field coils are electrical windings that require current from the batteries to create electro-magnets. And that’s what sucks the juice out of the battery to the point that there’s not enough power to start the motor or make ignition.
Compu-Fire’s design overcame that weak point by creating a starter with a permanent magnet field design that did not draw on the battery. “Our magnetic energy is in place and it’s free,” says Tesh. Additional benefits gained by the Gen 3 starter are the lower reduction gearing (6:1) which translates to free torque.
Compu-Fire’s original target market was the custom builder who would be required by Federal regulations to install fuel-injection systems. FI systems have several high draw current components like fuel pumps, injectors, a large ECM, etc., and the standard charging system was not up to handling it.
Do the math. With the EPA regulations everybody in the aftermarket will need to run the 3-Phase system. But then it became apparent that the real market for the 3 Plus 3 program was all the custom bikes with overdrive or six-speed transmissions since while cruising at freeway speeds these engines were operating at less rpm and therefore producing less charging. The 3-Phase Systems pumps 25 amps and 40 amps max at 2800 rpm….in other words a better mousetrap.
Jumping on the bandwagon several low-buck knock-off’s of the design flooded on the market, but the bottom line is that there is always a gap between price point and quality. Quality wins out in the long run. Especially if you and your bikes are into the long run. That quality level would be Compu-Fire.
The Compu-Fire system fits all Evo and Twin Cam engines including Softail/Dyna models which feature narrow cases. You buy the starter and then select the correct model of six different part numbers listed for the charging system depending on your powertrain’s configuration whether open belt or closed primary.
Martin Tesh sums it up when he says, “The tag line for the 3-Plus-3 Program is low current draw starting and high current output charging. The best of both worlds.”
For more info call 909-598-5485 or log on to www.compufire.com.
Tell’mBikernet sent you.
3Phase Charging System
The Compu-Fire 40 AMP 3 Phase charging systems provide 25 AMPS at idle and 40 AMPS continuously above 2800 RPM. The unique narrow rotor and stator combination fits Softail/Dyna primary cases and the voltage regulator bolts on without any frame modifications. The precision balanced vented rotor keeps the stator cooler in closed primary systems to maintain maximum output under all high current draw conditions. The large flanged seal spacer provides maximum support for the rotor and the voltage regulator output is calibrated to 14.25 volts from idle on up.
Compu-Fire Gen3 Starter
The Compu-Fire Gen3 Starters are the only starters in the V-Twin Motorcycle industry that are engineered for cranking the large displacement, high compression engines without the need for compression releases. The Gen3 Starter produces more cranking power than 2KW starters with half the current draw. The high energy neodymium magnets, high efficiency motor windings, and 6:1 planetary gear reduction are unique to this starter. The splined output shaft, stepped jackshaft bolt, and shortened case design allow just one part number to cover all Big Twins from 1990 to present. Part number 53883 fits Sportsters.Use Part Number 53507 to adapt Gen3 Starter motors for BDL Open Belt Drives.
