strange charging

[Studeblu]

Today I put a volt meter on my GS1100GK about 5 months ago when I first got it put in a new battery and hard wired the Stator and cleaned connections it is still all stock.my volt readings
key off 12.94
key on 12.20
Idle 13.6- 14.3
4K rpms & 5K rpms the same 13.48

So I thought I would compare it with my GS1100E on this bike I done all the testing and found R/R was bad and installed a sh775 R/R
my readings
key off 12.81
key on 12.05
idle 12.74
4K rpm 14.5
5K rpm 14.8-15.0

I don' think ether one sounds right. What do the experts make of this?
Thanks for any input you may have

[Steve]

Verify your R/R ground wires on both bikes.

.

[Studeblu]

on the 1100E the R/R is grounded straight to the battery neg.terminal
on the 1100GK it is running to the ground lug on back of engine but I ran another wire from that lug to the neg. battery terminal

[Nessism]

Are you running with the stator wires going straight into the R/R, bypassing the factory harness? Where is the R/R positive output running? Into the factory red wire? Have you checked for resistance from the R/R output to the battery to check for voltage loss? Is your testing performed with a known good battery with a full charge? If the battery is discharged your charging system test results will be wonky.

[Studeblu]

on the 1100E the stator wires are running straight to the R/R and solder together. yes the battery was fully charged. The R/R output is running to the factory red wire.
resistance from the R/R output to the battery to check for voltage loss. I did this when I replaced the R/R but have not since

on the 1100GK it is stock wiring with the exception of adding more grounds and and removing the conectores to the stator and soldering them.

[maisf]

Here's what I used myself recently from BikeCliff's pages:

Quick Test Steps:

1.) key off................Normal 12.7 volts-12.9 volts

2.) key on (but not cranking with lights for 10 sec).....Normal 12.2-12.5 volts

3.) at idle (1500 rpm).....12.6volts - 13.2volts

4.) at 2500 rpm 13.5 -14.0 volts

5.) at 5000 rpm.....14.0 -15.0 volts

6.) key off.....slightly higher than measurements # 1 (12.8-13.0 v)

QUICK TEST Diagnosis Summary:

Basically Step #1 and #2 is making sure the battery is charged and in good health. The drop should be about 0.5 volts for normal headlamp and coil load (without cranking the starter)

Step #3 is get a baseline starting voltage. This will vary some depending upon your idle and the particular R/R you have. It could be lower than the off voltage or as you idle up it will increase to 13.0 v

Step #4 by the time you get to 2500 RPM you should have close to the maximum output voltage even if you have bad connections. You are not pushing as much current and this shows that the stator is likely good.

Step #5 by the voltage at 5000 RPM being higher than at 2500 RPM you have a pretty good indication that your connections are good. If the voltage at 5000 drops from 2500 you have bad connections. If you already checked the grounds then it is likely in the positive legs between R/R(+) and Battery (+) check fuse box and the large bullet connector to the battery. The voltage climbs above 15.0 V it is likely the R/R not regulating and is bad bad.

Step #6 If after running for a few seconds in a charging state the voltage to the battery should have risen a bit. If it is lower than where you started then you did not charge at all, Again this will vary some what depending upon how long you let the bike run.

[Studeblu]

Thanks from your example it sounds like the 1100E is in the ball park and am not worried about it but the 1100GK will still need some testing to see what is going on. So far I am thinking stator may be failing. If so I will replace it and the R/R. Just kicking it around with you guys has helped a bunch.

[Redman]

. . . . . So far I am thinking stator may be failing. . . . . . .

Good suspect.
You aware of the test for that? (THe open circuit voltage test. 60-70VAC.)

[Steve]

Good suspect.
You aware of the test for that? (THe open circuit voltage test. 60-70VAC.)

That is going to be a little more "fun", now that he has soldered the wires together.

There are, indeed, times when solder is the best way to make a connection,
but for wires on a vehicle, I'll take good crimps on a new connector any day.

.

[Studeblu]

Yes That is how I tested the 1100E

[Studeblu]

No not a problem at all. Just a little more work.I like knowing the the connection secure.each to their own
Where is the best place to get a stator ? I have not checked but is there room for a SH 775 R/R down under there in the original location ?
Thanks for the help guys

[wymple]

Idle 13.6- 14.3
4K rpms & 5K rpms the same 13.48

I ran my 850 G with numbers like that for 4 years without problems. I upgraded just because I found a good SH775 cheap, and added a new Caltric.

[Studeblu]

Thanks but I think I will just replace the Stator and I found a used sh775 on ebay and it will be coming soon. I am thinking of going with a Ricks stator mainly because I have used them in the past and had good results

[Steve]

Many of us are using Caltric stators with similar good results.

I have not priced a Rick’s statorlately, but I’ll bet it’s a bit more spendy.

[Studeblu]

Thanks yes the ricks is about twice as much but I only want to do this once and ricks is USA made that means something to me. Are the Caltric made in USA if so I will give them a shot