If it is an electric start model, do not run without a battery. The battery helps regulate the charging and running without will blow out all the bulbs and damage the regulator circuit.
Jim,
I have a 1980 Intruder which came with electric start (as they all did) but the battery has been removed along with some other wiring for the electric start, I didn't know it had electric start when I bought it last Spring, I learned that from this site.
Also when I bought this machine the ignition switch had been disconnected because a previous owner had lost the key but I was given a new ignition switch along with a new key for the new switch. On New Years Eve I removed the original switch and installed the new switch and started it up, all was fine and I turned the headlights on and ... you guessed it, once I reved it up a bit the headlight blew!! I don't see a battery box or where a battery would mount but I would like to get this sled to have working head and tail lights so I can ride it a little more safely even during the day time.
I stopped into a local snowmobile shop and the guy working there figured it was a voltage regulator issue and putting a new one in would fix the issue but from reading your post I am not so sure. What all do I need to do to get my headlights working without having the electric start hooked up?
Thanks for any and all help.
Paul Beal
pbeal@sympatico.ca
Keswick, Ontario, Canada