charging system help

platinum_black · May 03, 2009, 03:27:09 PM

Hey guys not long ago I posted in here about my bike being goosed, now the problem started that my battery kept dying, I posted to get suggestions as to whether I should have replaced the reg/rec or the alternator and a few people came back that they thought it was just my battery.

So now I come back with a new battery and still the same problem, I had it checked by the RAF and it's only charging between 11.5v and 13.9v so it's not getting the full 15.wotever volts it needs, any advise would be appreciated as I don't wanna have to keep charging my battery on the house.

platinum_black · May 04, 2009, 04:12:52 AM

anyone?

werase643 · May 04, 2009, 07:27:30 AM

at 5000rpm voltage should be between 13.5 and 15.5
13.9 is satisfactory
look for electrical drain on the battery

get an amp meter on it when it is off and the key is in your hand
if there is current flow.....you just have to find where

platinum_black · May 05, 2009, 04:22:52 PM

sorry wot?

fred · May 05, 2009, 06:34:06 PM

Yeah, sounds like you're charging the battery at least some of the time. I'm assuming that the voltages you mentioned were at different RPM ranges, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Check your voltage at 5000 RPM and if it is good, you're charging the battery. I agree that you've probably got some type of draw on the system when the ignition is off that is killing your batteries. You need to figure out what it is. Dumb question but, do you leave the parking light on? It is pretty easy to go from steering lock to parking light without noticing... It happens to a lot of people around here. Also, do you have any accessories or other weird wiring on your bike? If you're rocking dual 5000 watt headlights and a heated vest all the time or some other crazy big draw on the power system, you'll have this problem a lot... You could also prevent your current battery from dying by getting a trickle charger while you figure this out. It is probably cheaper to buy a charger than it is to buy a new battery...

platinum_black · May 06, 2009, 04:40:47 PM

yeah u see i actually bout a charger and battery already they cost onlyl £40 altogether.

as for RPM the 11-13. something volts is at 5000rpm, and no i dont have nething connected to the system that shouldnt be, i am running the standard single headlight, i dont use the stearlock as its an import and locks to the wrong side which means no parking lights, the only mod i have done is to fit led indicators but they have been checked and were done correctly, i did it properly so as to reduce electricity usage with the dash display wiring changed as advised rather than just putting resistors in and using the same charge as usual, and its not when its llying that it is dying its when i ride it, yeah its getting a charge but it is slowly getting that the battery is lower and lower, so i cannot start it and it ends up either needing bump started or back firing. the only thing i can narow it down to is either the reg/rec or the alt.

fred · May 06, 2009, 05:15:38 PM

Oh, if you are getting voltage variation that is going above and below the threshold of what's OK while at a constant RPM over 5000, you've got a regulator problem. The voltage should be pretty constant at a fixed RPM....

Affschnozel · May 06, 2009, 05:53:36 PM

I have the same problem with my regulator

sledge · May 07, 2009, 05:04:58 AM

All the test procedures for the electrical and charging system are detailed in the Haynes manual and are simple to follow.

The charging side of the reg/rect may be functioning correctly but it could still be faulty in another way. Under certain fault conditions it will allow the battery to slowly discharge itself via the frame/ground and flatten it. A way to check is to disconnect the reg/regt from the bike when the bike is not being used for long periods. ie overnight, and see if the battery stays up. Of course this exercise wont make the problem go away, but it does go someway in confirming if the reg/rec is faulty.

Another suggestion......Can you go back to the RAF and ask them to place an Ammeter in the battery+ side and with the ignition turned off make sure there is no current flowing. If there is then disconnect the reg/rect and see if it drops to zero. If it does, the reg/rect has a ground fault.

jp · May 07, 2009, 06:56:14 AM

Go to the FAQ section and follow Kerry's procedure for checking the charging system. It's easy to follow, thorough, and it WILL help you track down the problem with a minimum of effort. Here's a link

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=38480.0

platinum_black · May 08, 2009, 04:05:18 PM

see the strange thing is the electrics seem to struggle a bit headlight slightly dull etc then if i put my indicators on or my brake light then the headlight gets brighter rather than duller, and unfortunately i dont have access to a multimeter or i would have checked everything my haynes manual says so far

fred · May 08, 2009, 06:31:32 PM

Quote from: platinum_black on May 08, 2009, 04:05:18 PM
see the strange thing is the electrics seem to struggle a bit headlight slightly dull etc then if i put my indicators on or my brake light then the headlight gets brighter rather than duller, and unfortunately i dont have access to a multimeter or i would have checked everything my haynes manual says so far

That sounds like you may have some crazy ground problem. Get a multimeter. They are so crazy cheap there's no reason not to have one lying around, especially if you plan on working on your bike. The multimeter I have was like $20 and it wasn't the cheapest one on the shelf. We're talking about a tool that costs less than the book you're using to troubleshoot...

News:

charging system help