Just installed a new battery as the last one was old and losing charge, the new one started of great with the bike cranking over straight away. But now it's doing what the old battery did and losing charge but a lot slower, I can't smell or see any burnt wires which would suggest the reg/Rec so does that mean its the alternator that's buggard or is it something a lot cheaper :s
My money is on the alternator. Get the bike started and measure the voltage at the battery. I'd say anything less than 14v and the alternator could be in its way out. BUT from what you've described my money is on that. Matt
Before you go buying new parts check and clean all connections from the alternator through the regulator to the battery.
Check it ALL first......look for the leads coming out of the front of the left hand crankcase cover. There will be 2 or 3 yellow wires dependant on whether you have a single or a 3 phase generator. Unplug them ....you'll see a block attached to the frame tube under the tank. Measure across ANY 2 of them with a multimeter...you should see 50v +......if you do, plug the leads back in and measure across the battery...you should see about 14.6v. Over that or under 13 and its the reg/rec...change it before it fries your battery.
+1 The standard reg/rect's are known for frying themselves, Electrex do a better one... Just changed my alt. bullet connectors as they had melted??!
The alternator is generally the last thing to break down, as said above check for charging at the battery first with a multi meter of some kind it should be between 13.5 and 14.5 to be safe, then trace back from there, the most common problem would be the connector block hidden behind the battery, failing that check the alternator again with a multi meter. A good purchace would be a Haynes Manual and there is plenty of information to be had on other forums. Steve
Ok I have taken all this into account but I am no mechanic. I have taken pictures but can't upload them as I'm on the forum through my iPhone. The wires seem ok but there is one red plug that looks a little burnt but that's it. There is also a single plug that isn't plugged into anything and I can't see where it goes. Also next to the battery on the right hand side there is a small thingy ma bobby that has "12v made by hytachi" on it that looks old and rusty, what is it lol. I have pictures and I would love for you guys to tell me what they are, maybe I could email them to you or put them on face book or text? What you reckon?
You don't mention which model your talking about, as far as parts and connectors location, my knowledge is limited to the 748. Steve
I recon you should invest in tapatalk for your iphone, if you want the easiest way to get photos directly on the site.
Connections must not be loose and get your alternator technically checked for battery charging because alternator may cause problem for complete and proper charging of battery while driving and incomplete charging of battery got used up quickly.
Just to ad if checking voltage at battery with a multi meter, make sure the battery is fully charged first. Take it off the bike or use a fly lead to connect an external charger and charge it up. Ensure you've got around 12.5 V before doing a system check as a bad or discharged battery will pull the whole thing down. As I don't know the model its difficult to say but usually testing an Alternator, completely or measuring the resistance of the rotor and stator are not rocket science jobs. Nog nailed it with a the Alt test, BUT he didn't tell you that if you do that 50V check have the meter in AC volts as at that point the voltage has not been rectified and will be an AC voltage with frequency in proportion to RPM. If you measure DC you'll get next to nout
