Need Charging System Help

[tom203]

No. I haven't done that. The 77 actually has an on/off switch for the headlight that I like to be able to use. If you really think that could be the problem I could bypass that temporarily to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the idea!

The on/off switch will still work- all you'd be doing is eliminating the stator loop. Do you run without headlight on ?

[Killer2600]

No. I haven't done that. The 77 actually has an on/off switch for the headlight that I like to be able to use. If you really think that could be the problem I could bypass that temporarily to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the idea!

The on/off switch will still work- all you'd be doing is eliminating the stator loop. Do you run without headlight on ?

I can't speak for Illinois but in Michigan and many other states you MUST have a functioning headlight on while riding day or night. So for many the on/off switch is mostly obsolete and useless.

[salty_monk]

No. I haven't done that. The 77 actually has an on/off switch for the headlight that I like to be able to use. If you really think that could be the problem I could bypass that temporarily to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the idea!

On a 550 that I rebuilt for a friend it was the WHOLE problem. It also made substantial difference on my Skunk. If it's the same it's on bullet connectors & can be plugged in/unplugged really easily. Just unplug both ends of the loop & join the stator directly to the RR. The other two are now dead (I plugged them together just to keep them clean/tidy) & do nothing.

Took the voltage on that bike from 12.8-13v to 13.6-13.8v.

The headlight switch will still work fine but you shouldn't run too far/too long with the headlight switched off as you risk cooking the stator (as it will have to dissipate the 55-60w that would have been sunk into the headlight as heat.

Having said that it's really useful if you have a low battery or are sitting around at idle a lot (your classes for example) as you could switch the headlight off & gain yourself a charging boost at idle (i.e. it would boost the idle voltage going into the battery by a percentage of a volt (prob 0.2 - 0.5v I would think)).

I also run with it like this on my Skunk.

[tom203]

I can't speak for Illinois but in Michigan and many other states you MUST have a functioning headlight on while riding day or night. So for many the on/off switch is mostly obsolete and useless.

Yeah, but I turn my headlight off when cold starting; plus if my onboard voltmeter shows charging problems. I can switch it off and count on another 30 minutes to flee homeward. My first year back riding, I was unaware of light rule, rode whole summer in blissful ignorance .

[Killer2600]

Yeah, but I turn my headlight off when cold starting; plus if my onboard voltmeter shows charging problems. I can switch it off and count on another 30 minutes to flee homeward. My first year back riding, I was unaware of light rule, rode whole summer in blissful ignorance .

You've spent a long time off the saddle then, the law took effect the same time suzuki and all the others axed the on/off switch (actually they axed it because of the law).

[tom203]

You've spent a long time off the saddle then, the law took effect the same time suzuki and all the others axed the on/off switch (actually they axed it because of the law).

Yep, I fell off saddle in 1978, didn't pay much attention to bike stuff. I pondered why some states would not require helmets, yet lights had to be on- apparently they wanted easier targets.

[gbw]

Ok. You talked me into it. I'll go pull it after dinner tonight and see what I see. If I can go from 12.8 to 13.8 by just pulling that I'll be a happy man.

On a 550 that I rebuilt for a friend it was the WHOLE problem. It also made substantial difference on my Skunk. If it's the same it's on bullet connectors & can be plugged in/unplugged really easily. Just unplug both ends of the loop & join the stator directly to the RR. The other two are now dead (I plugged them together just to keep them clean/tidy) & do nothing.

Took the voltage on that bike from 12.8-13v to 13.6-13.8v.

The headlight switch will still work fine but you shouldn't run too far/too long with the headlight switched off as you risk cooking the stator (as it will have to dissipate the 55-60w that would have been sunk into the headlight as heat.

Having said that it's really useful if you have a low battery or are sitting around at idle a lot (your classes for example) as you could switch the headlight off & gain yourself a charging boost at idle (i.e. it would boost the idle voltage going into the battery by a percentage of a volt (prob 0.2 - 0.5v I would think)).

I also run with it like this on my Skunk.

[salty_monk]

Fingers crossed then...

[gbw]

As always, this is crazy.

So I removed the headlight loop. That was easy.

The bike charged to 15.25 VDC. Hurray!!! But isn't that too high?

So, then I think...could that loop REALLY make THAT much difference? So I plug the loop back in.

Then the bike charged to 15.20 VDC. WTF???

Maybe some crappy connection in that loop has been my problem all the time.

But...isn't 15.25 VDC too much? Will I toast my battery?

As I said, crazy...at one moment it isn't charging enough and now its charging too much Just my luck.

[tom203]

Yeah, that's too high; please check your multimeter on something else to be sure.

[Killer2600]

As always, this is crazy.

So I removed the headlight loop. That was easy.

The bike charged to 15.25 VDC. Hurray!!! But isn't that too high?

So, then I think...could that loop REALLY make THAT much difference? So I plug the loop back in.

Then the bike charged to 15.20 VDC. WTF???

Maybe some crappy connection in that loop has been my problem all the time.

But...isn't 15.25 VDC too much? Will I toast my battery?

As I said, crazy...at one moment it isn't charging enough and now its charging too much Just my luck.

Turn your headlight ON, what's the voltage at the battery then?

[gbw]

Turn your headlight ON, what's the voltage at the battery then?

The 15.25 was with the headlight ON.

I just went out for a little ride just to make sure the bike would run ok for my trip this weekend. Everything seems good.

When I got back I checked the voltage again and it going between 13 and 13.5. But then the bike died. My guess is I let it get too hot while sitting in my garage running at 5k rpm. I'll let it cool off and check again later.

So, assuming it starts again, I should be good. I'll keep an eye on it over the weekend as we ride around Wisconsin. I'd like to mount some kind of voltage meter to the bike so I can keep an eye on it.

Thanks for all the help.

Greg

[gbw]

So fortunately I didn't destroy my motorcycle. Turns out it hit the reserve level on fuel at the same time I was running it to 5k measuring voltages. That is why it sputter to a stop during my testing...not that it overheated (I hope).

I do need to pick up a box fan for the garage though.

[salty_monk]

The 13.5v seems encouraging... If it stays at the 15v level then check your sense wire connections!