From:Steve Blancard
E-Mail:<splitdorf@1bigred.com>
Subject:RE: RE: RE: Generator on KJ 1929
Response to:81
Date:Mon Oct 22 13:41:21 2001

Perry asked me to comment on the generator issue so here goes.

First off, nothing is hard and fast. The evidence I have is all circumstantial. All DU-5s and DU-7s have a month/year code stamped on the armature. In all my years of playing with Splitdorf generators I have never seen a DU-5 armature with a date later than 1927. I have seen DU-7s with dates of 1928, 1929 and 1930. The CCW rotation DU-7 is a very rare generator for two reasons. They were only made for a few years compared to other models and there is a high demand by the two primary users - Henderson KJ/KL and Indian 101 Scouts. The DU-7s for these two brands are identical except for one thing. The Indian DU-7 has a 1/4"- 24 threaded boss behind the pulley. This boss is only used on the Prince model but all Indians used it. The Henderson DU-7 does not have the boss. The boss was also used on all CCW Indian DU-5s beginning in 1925.

So what is correct for a KJ/KL ? I can't say with authority that only DU-7s were used. But it seems likely that they were. Splitdorf was making DU-7s as early as late '27 or early '28. It makes sense that XH would have bought the newest model available, not leftover models, especially when their competitor, Indian was using the DU-7.

Clear as mud? Steve

----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----
It says DU-5 in the circa 1930 KJ rider's handbook and because of this I think Dave (our gracious host) has a bit of a "DU-5 bee in his bonnet" (that's not a slam against Dave in any way). As Dave mentioned, he and I have exchanged emails on this subject. The fact that the cover of the rider's handbook also says it applies to Deluxes is enough to explain away the DU-5 references to me. Dave thought perhaps they were using up old stock until I pointed out that the generator on the Deluxe and KJ rotated in opposite directions (granted the early Excelsior twins rotated CCW so the factory could have had some CCW DU-5s kicking around).

However, the DU-7 had already been used on Indians for a year when the KJ came out, so I think it more than likely that DU-7s were used on 1929 KJs. The article by Steve Blancard that Dave references to bolster the DU-5 case is perhaps Steve's earliest published article. The list of applications based on his lastest research at: http://www.1bigred.com/users/blancard/splitgenapps.html has DU-5s used to end of Deluxe production and DU-7s used from then on. All that being said, both the 1929 and 1930 KJ brochures that I have clearly show a DU-5! (see I'm not against arguing both sides of a point :-).

I'll email Steve and point him to this discussion and see if we can get him to weigh in on the issue ... Perry

----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----
Yes, I wonder too. I theorized that maybe they were trying to use up excess from the DeLuxe. But Perry Ruiter pointed out that the DeLuxe was CW rotation, so Hen would have had to reverse the roatation on them to use them. Well, there aren't a lot of factory records, so we'll probably never know for sure.

----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----
I wonder why they should have continued to use the DU-5, when he DU-7, whis is a better device (1928 according to Steve Blancard) already was on the market? I have a 29 KJ, And I belive that the DU-7 I have was there from the beginning.