Hugh's HandBuilt PMA - Kick Only, No Battery with lights

Hugh's HandBuilt PMA, with no battery and running lights on a custom build.. I get alot of questions about converting the XS650 to a PMA. This bike even has 2 ignitions coils, due to the rephase and still starts right up - all without a battery...
YES, you can run without a battery.
YES - you will need a capacitor instead.
YES - You can still keep a battery if you choose.
YES - You can kick start it with the headlight on.
YES - You can keep all of your turn signals and other accessories
YES - If you plan to keep the electric starter, you will need to keep a large enough battery to power the starter.
Hugh's HandBuilt PMA is THE Permanent Magnet Alternator to have on your XS650. Be it a full custom build like this one, or a restored original bike - the PMA will bring your vintage XS650's electric system into the modern age.

[@daveg1208]

Even though this vid was posted 6 years now, I just ran across this and immediately knew, this is one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time. No matter the physical configuration of the bike, electrical has been ultra-symplafied to get a person home. I love it and want to find more information concerning your magnetos and wiring schematics. You have a fine thing going on here. Thank you in advance. God bless you brother. Thumbs up, subscribed.

[@ryandolinsingersongwriter9317]

I made my first set like that about 8 years ago and sold several pairs online, the most narrow bar available for the xs650, I guess sooner or later people will start making them also. Bike looks great!

[@ryandolinsingersongwriter9317]

Everything you guys have done is amazing.

[@johnmcclain3887]

I'm glad to see this, I've been riding since 1969, owned a dozen bikes in my youth, no batteries, couldn't afford them, and it's not that hard to set up a system that works like this. I'm glad to see technical support in making this common, I've run no battery bikes from an old "Sears, Allstate" 175 to Harleys of all sorts, including Triumphs, Ducati's and certainly XS 650's. I bought an 82 XS in the nineties, and seven or eight basket case XS's, built and sold them to keep one, well paid for and they are one of the easiest to make solid, sound, reliable, and cheap to run and keep. I've got three bikes now, and would welcome an XS into my shop eagerly. Thanks for sharing this, the bike looks and runs great.

[@Only1English]

Looks good Hugh

[@fredtavarez2630]

MAN THAT IS A DOPE BIKE GOOD JOB

[@charliegutierrez8728]

nice job bro. super cool lil bike.

[@joedell71]

That is one tight ride!!! Great job Hugh.

[@griinder]

nice job man. love it.

[@djay6651]

Pretty slick brat style build.

[@leathers970]

I run a magneto on my panhead no battery it's the best move I ever made nice bike

[@anonharingenamn]

It's beautiful.

[@punkskalar]

Good point, I'll give that shot - it was pretty windy that day...

[@crazykoolrn]

Plug wires run down into left engine cover and probably come out under the swing arm were reg/rec, fuses, and coils are located. as you notice at 00:30 that you can see the reg/rec. There should be enough space there to put other electric stuff. Plus, if the fuses are not there as mentioned above, they could be attached to bottom of seat.

[@punkskalar]

@DeadRoman it's a pretty big bike, for an XS. Frame is 2" up and 1.5" out, swing arm is stretched 1.5" or so. 28 degree rake. I'll make a video of me riding it soon...

[@punkskalar]

Gondive1 - we do not sell frames, we build all of our own here in house though. The pipes are a modified set of our Speedster Pipes that will be available very soon through the Blog.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Nice bike. I'm new to the 277 rephasing.

[@Y2daT420]

kit has my attention ... i have a kz powered dirt drag quad .. this could be a nice addition .. i may need more caps for power to other needed accessories .. i have the dyna s ..and a air shiftier and plan to add NOS ...

[@generalzod7959]

Neat bike!

[@craftnlore]

About to start installing my HHB PMA with a Sparx!

[@JaredHundrup]

+Craft and Lore DO IT!!!

[@timryerson6733]

we were doing this back in the late 70's early 80's back in the first xs650 craze. i just cant remember the size of capacitor we used

[@300lbman]

I understand. I'm jealous of your skills. :)

[@MrFavorites8]

Japan's Briggs & Stratton. Easy to repair & Maintain. Best design twin for it's size. Runs forever The one kick wonder.

[@rygorRYGOR111]

Hey Hugh i recently bought a PMA kit from you and it works great solved the problem i had with the stock charging system. It starts fine and idles it still uses the stock points ignition system. What i was wondering is what is the specs for the capacitor you use for the pamco pete system? I ask this because i have a capacitor 40v by 30000uf at my bike will rev to 7000rpm but only 3500 under a load (me riding it) and lose power light dims and bike will die if i dont back off the throttle.

[@baustertdm]

Hugh, Great videos! I have a 2008 Suzuki dr 125 dirt bike that I want to add a head light and a tail light. Can you help me with this project?

[@charliepollard1892]

what capcitor did you use? how do you find out whaich one to use? want to try this in my lil thumper.

[@FoamSquatch]

Picking up an xs in two days. Second purchase will be a hughs handbuilt pma and a pamcopete ignition.

[@MisterMoogoo]

Were y'all out at foundation?! that's my town!

[@jchristy456]

ok i guess i just need to know where you got your capacitor and what size it is?

[@ginger1993ful]

How would I go about doing this on my 1978 Kawasaki KZ400 build ?

[@michaelandsarabeth]

Saw your build for the KZ650. Wondering how I can get your system? Do you sell it?

[@Gondive1]

Love the frame and pipes. Is that frame one that you sell off of your site?

[@jchristy456]

where did you get the whole eletrical system.

[@Scofflaw_k10]

Awesome bike. I know shit about the 650's. I just followed your builds on Pirate. Haha.

[@skiraf]

i have an on/off switch to disable my headlight for starting.

[@biggrimm7505]

One of my dream bike builds always wanted to do kick only just picked up a 75 hardtail anyway I can promote you guys for a battery delete kick only setup pleaseeeeeeee lol

[@punkskalar]

We put a 23 incher on the front of this ride... It's crazy man...

[@TheTonyjara]

What is the cost to convert an average XS650 from stock.....and what else is capable with the PMA to run turn signals, horn, charging for cell phones?

[@williampaylorjr9481]

Anyone know if a 76 RD350 can be made into kickstart only? A buddy has this sand rail type dragster with an RD350 engine and we're trying to lighten it up. I read about these battery removal kits that's basically a large capacitor. He seems to think it won't work because of the points and condenser ignition he has. Anybody?

[@Samsam-uh5pn]

What does the capacitor do?I'm planing not to put any battery on my xs250.thankyou

[@nathanyamaha465]

you need a wind buffer on your camera. try a rubber band to hold a small piece of thin foam, it has worked for me. or i've read faux fur fabric works too.

[@skiraf]

is that a 35w or 55w headlight?

[@punkskalar]

Yes, that whole bike is a Hugh's HandBuilt build. Paint on the tank is by John Dills of Dills Paintworks...

[@griinder]

nice looking bike man, is the front wheel a 23 or something? looks big!

[@krunkkracker]

What pipes are those?

[@GARYCAPPELLETTI]

You got to do one of my XS1bs. please.

[@tinfoilhat3258]

Where do get the handle bar's

[@one59customs]

what exhaust is that? or is it custom?

[@griinder]

did you guys build the frame?

[@ABHINAV-JETHI]

I live for flickering old school lamps. I'm gonna get rid of the battery for sure now.

[@DeadRoman]

also how tall/heavy are you?

[@DanTheFordFixer]

kz400 rear fender? nice

[@laurentinochavez5412]

how can i get a pma for my 650 yamaha since im from mexico and ido have problems whith my electric system in the motorcycle

[@kimohoganesq]

I "Love-It" !!!!!!! ;)

[@samm3164]

I have just put an eliminator on my Honda build and indicators flash to quick and faint horn sound.

[@inkydoug]

I want to make one like that.

[@DarkLinkAD]

Weight?? Top speed??

[@benyarwood7335]

I have a PMA kit and my headlight flickers real bad at idle

[@DeadRoman]

Lol, Ive been following this bike for 10 years. You get it back in action yet?

[@punkskalar]

23" - rolling dub...

[@Iseekoutthetrails]

nice

[@DeadRoman]

I was mostly just asking to get an Idea of the scale of the bike.

[@teambennett3060]

Move to an led headlight, may take care of that flicker?

[@antondahl8945]

Do they burn lots of head and tail light bulbs out? Wondering how the excess voltage is dealt with as rpms increase?

[@punkskalar]

Voltage Regulator does that work.

[@Wooley689]

Be nice to have that setup on my old Ironhead.

[@shaunmcgowan827]

To bad Harley just keeps selling out. Lol someone tell them plastics cam parts are not 2022 compatible.

[@FalconResistor]

Incredibly tidy motorcycle

[@BlackLocustMusic]

Using the Electrex set up.

[@kct9967]

Hardly no flicker! For my Harley I doubled up the capacitors to reduce the flickering.

[@DeadRoman]

wheres the wheelie hugh?

[@dannyb20vtec28]

Hey guys at hughs, I have a xs650 I picked up and I want to shave the top motor mount off like this one on the vid.. have you had any issues with anything after getting rid of it? Any help would be appreciated

[@punkskalar]

On a stock non-rephased motor I would not suggest it. The vibrations are amplified.

[@dannyb20vtec28]

Hugh's HandBuilt thanks for the reply man.

[@jeffreysaganitso1786]

Cool man I'd like to wire my bike like that if you don't mind . Show me the diagram, please.

[@rygorRYGOR111]

I think this is because my capacitor gets overloaded from charging system but my ignition requires more juice to keep it going at high rpm so my holding system is to small. I also ask because my cap is almost twice the size of yours i do have turn lights and brake but they are led also with a stock headlight. I know points requires more juice and pamco pete uses less but i was hoping to get an estimate of the specs on your cap that you use.

[@BlackLocustMusic]

Go to Electrex World. they have the set ups.

[@ryandolinsingersongwriter9317]

At least he's running my handlebars.

[@punkskalar]

Or perhaps not, I made those myself. About 6 years ago or so :)

[@doedesjel]

Can I hire you to be my personal Santa and get one?? 👾👽

[@Samsam-uh5pn]

Does it have fuses?

[@punkskalar]

Yep, always use a fuse panel for your accessories

[@punkskalar]

Soon, soon.

[@Longrangetargets]

cool

[@punkskalar]

I am 6' tall, and about 185 lbs... That engine is 10.5:1 - it's all about technique on these hi-compression engines...

[@ethanfriesz3173]

I want those exact exhaust headers, where they at?

[@punkskalar]

www.hughshandbuilt.com

[@JaredHundrup]

After frying several Lithium batteries, finally installed a capacitor...why didn't I do this sooner!

[@lifelikedandy]

+Jared Hundrup can you give an exact description of our capacitor? i have a 6v honda cm125t and id like to instal a capacitor with the rating(Umax= 30v at 33000 micro farads) what do you think?

[@JaredHundrup]

+Felix I'm not an expert by any means on these capacitors. I've read a fair amount on the settings of the ones that people are buying but there aren't any markings on the one I got from TC Bros choppers. Throw into the mix that you are running 6V and I am unsure. If the capacitor isn't too expensive or you already have one, I would look at the voltage coming out of your battery now and then with the capacitor installed to ensure you aren't gonna fry something. Other than that, I'm probably not the best resource for this.

[@pdr5926]

+Felix There is no limit to the capacitor value. If it doesn't work just increase the value. You don't need to go much above 10V regarding its voltage value rating. 10V or 16V would be enough. This would reduce the capacitor dimensions.

[@Voxboy876]

Fucking beautiful.

[@mathewjones7663]

That bike is the equivalent of a backwards baseball cap

[@punkskalar]

A Gentleman Never Tells - hahaha....

[@Vidar.m]

Why dont you have a rear mudguard that goes all the way down and covers the rear tire, wont the tire kick up a lot of crap and trow it directly towards the carbs

[@punkskalar]

Never been an issue, ridden several hours in the rain with it...

[@jchristy456]

WHERE THE HELL IS ALL OF YOUR FUSES AND WIRING!?!?!?!? Please tell me!

[@punkskalar]

I keep a few secrets for myself every now and then. This is one of them :)

[@Shutchohole]

James Christy i assume if you delete the starter then you have quite a bit of room for wiring concielment

[@jchristy456]

you would think that david but it helps but not as much as you think it does.

[@shanebenoist]

Under that gas tank lol..

[@mxraft62]

looks like a tt xt yamaha front end.

[@jojojeep1]

how cool , I have Harley, I always wonder why people are so stuck on Harley, there are so many other cool bike's, singles, side by side twin's, shit I'm waiting for the right time to get a 500cc enfeild thumper , no cooler looking bike, as I got older I seen the light , Harleys not all thats out there to be cool , I can could name 20 other bikes jap , brit, all over the world that I would love to own if I wasn't 6'1 240lbs makes it hard to pick a bike that fits, you smaller guys are lucky when it comes to bikes.

[@Vidar.m]

where i live harleys are so crazy expensive so most bikes are japanese or german

[@krakensic669]

DIAGRAM!!??

[@koonsickgreen6272]

A flux capacitor is better for time travel

[@jesusgarayarmesto6324]

luy bien gitano

[@300lbman]

Where are your spark plug wires running too?! Where are your coils?! Where is your oil breather business??!!! Soooo clean. I gotta know how to do that!

[@mrmojothefirst]

It's all cool - BUT the flames on the tank are the wrong way round (Just sayin' ;)

[@punkskalar]

Wrong sir, those flames were spot on :)

[@24auhr]

lol right i didnt notice till you said , , punkskalar how many xs builds have you done , this one is Exceptional ! well done

[@naui_diver9290]

Duhhhh....flames are backwards dude

[@BlackLocustMusic]

You can't get it inspected without a horn and blinkers on THAT year bike. The horn will not work without a battery. I hate batteries, but its the truth. I've tried air horns, regular bike horns, no electromagnetic horn will work with the low amperage rating the stator puts out. It may make a tiny noise while revved up. Thats it. Fix that. Then we'll listen. Go.

[@punkskalar]

Maybe in Communist Russia, but here in Good Ol' NC, most motorcycle inspection stations couldn't tell ya what color the bike was they just inspected - haha... Blinkers not required if not installed.