Regulators!!

[Anonymous]

Hey All:
When I drive, my battery eventually dies! I live far away from a suzuki shop...how do I know if it is the regulator or the stator?
Most people think it is the regulator...I had a guy follow the wires through, and they all look fine.
I drive a Suzuki Katana GS 750 1983 model...ut runs great...I love it!
Thanks for any advice you can give!
Bigdaddy

[Anonymous]

You ought to pay a visit to the Stator pages. A link to them can be found under the Garage link on the site's homepage. There you will find a pretty comprehensive guide to troubleshooting your charging system.

Also, in addition to looking over the wires, be sure to check the connections from the stator to the RR. They tend to corrode, and as I understand it, this in turns causes the stator to burn out the RRs. Mine were not only corroded, there was evidence of excessive heat and charring.

If it turns out to be the RR, I recommend replacing it with a Honda RR from the late 70s/early 80s. Mine is from a 1978 Honda CX500. Some minor wiring modifications are required, but nothing you can't do, and it will be worth it.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Join the club! No less than five posts today on charging issues. Me included!
Get a multimeter and check the three leads coming from the stator with the bike not running. That is the best indicator to start. If you don't have infinite resistance between each of the three leads and ground (bike frame or engine) then it is the stator (at least). Then check the AC volts between each pair of the three wires from the stator at 5000k rmps. You should have around 80 volts. if not - stator again. If these check out ok then maybe move on to the RR. The stator is the hardest fix. Rule that out first - and it's easy to do if you have a meter and the flow chart from the stator papers in hand.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Thats 70-80 volts AC

Join the club! No less than five posts today on charging issues. Me included!
Get a multimeter and check the three leads coming from the stator with the bike not running. That is the best indicator to start. If you don't have infinite resistance between each of the three leads and ground (bike frame or engine) then it is the stator (at least). Then check the AC volts between each pair of the three wires from the stator at 5000k rmps. You should have around 80 volts. if not - stator again. If these check out ok then maybe move on to the RR. The stator is the hardest fix. Rule that out first - and it's easy to do if you have a meter and the flow chart from the stator papers in hand.