I have an older Go Devil 20 hp longtail with a Vanguard Motor. I just found out these motors have alternatosr. Was it designed to recharge the battery or just run certain items like lights? I am trying to find a way to keep my battery charged. Thanks

It's not really an alternator, but it does have a small charging system. Wouldn't swear to it, but I think on those small engine's it is < 10 amps. Maybe slightly more. It is for charging the battery. As long as you aren't pulling a load larger than what the charging system is making, it should keep the battery pretty well charged.

2 55 watt lights draw close to 10 amps, so if you are running larger lights or running that size lights for a long period of time, and not running the motor much with the lights off, you'll want to put a charger on it to keep it fully charged.

Also, it's only gonna charge with the rpm's up around 2000+, so letting the motor idle isn't gonna help to charge the battery.