Hi.having trouble with the generated not charging .I have cleaned the commutator which had some black marks on it and checked the brushes which are ok but still the light won't go out .Any thoughts .thanks.
Voltage regulator. A “simple” yet complicated piece of hardware. There are numerous posts about how to adjust it, but try cleaning the contact points with a point file. There are a couple of contact points one set (IIRC) is double sided. You can use some electronic contact cleaner as well, and also use it on the commutator.
Icarus
Before I got too carried away I'd go ahead and replace the brushes and the springs. The brushes can "look" all right but if either edge is even remotely worn down by imbalanced pressure from worn springs etc, they simply won't work. It's a cheap fix and if they're original or haven't been replaced recently, it's worth doing either way. If that doesn't solve your problem, I'd dig deeper.
Before I got too carried away I'd go ahead and replace the brushes and the springs. The brushes can "look" all right but if either edge is even remotely worn down by imbalanced pressure from worn springs etc, they simply won't work. It's a cheap fix and if they're original or haven't been replaced recently, it's worth doing either way. If that doesn't solve your problem, I'd dig deeper.
What he said.
John,
Black marks on the commutator could indicate burnt segments meaning that the winding for that segment could be broken.
Brushes are OK? Are they long enough and are the springs pressing them down strong enough. The springs should hold the brushes firmly against the commutator.
Are all of the wires connected? Make sure you don't have a broken or loose wire in the charging system.
While I'm on the subject of the "charging" system, you need not look at anything involving the ignition system. One has nothing to do with the other. I had to say that because I don't know your skill or diagnostic level.
Here is a link to info that you might find helpful.
https://www.scribd.com/document/75902454/Bmw-r60-2-Electrical-System
Hope this helps,
Dean