I’ve recently started to experience weird charging problems. For a few weeks of riding about every other day for an hour or so in the evenings, my bike runs fine, and charges fine. Then, for no apparent reason, during the ride it stops charging and starts to wear the battery down. I can tell it’s losing charge while I’m riding because the instrument panel lights get dim and the turn signals slow down. When this happens, I just head straight home.
After this happens, I charge the battery overnight on a low amp trickle charger (Battery Tender). In the morning, I check voltage across the battery and get 13.2 volts DC after disconnecting the battery charger and before starting the engine, then a dip to around 11 volts at start-up, then right up around 13.5 volts at 2000 rpm during warm-up on choke, and then around 14.8 volts with a quick blip of the throttle up to 5000 rpm. I also disconnect the three wires coming from the stator and get over 70 volts AC when I probe any two of the three stator wires with the multimeter leads, and check all three combinations of two-lead pairings.
Then, I can ride occasionally for a week or two with no charging problems.
This afternoon/evening, this symptom happened again during a ride, and I took the bike home and immediately checked the charging system. No DC voltage increase at the battery under any engine RPM, yet 70 volts AC out of the stator.
So, all this tells me that my charging system works fine when the bike is cold/cool, but occasionally stops charging when gets hot, and my tests tell me that my stator is fine, but my R/R is suspect.
I’m afraid to follow the Stator Pages directions on this website because they pertain to the stock Suzuki stator, and because I’m just slightly above the Dummy stage of understanding electrical stuff. I’m also too cheap/broke right now to buy a new Rick’s or Electrosport R/R, each of which costs about $100 or more.
My Honda R/R has 7 wires, three yellow that I have bullet-connected direct to the three stator wires, two green that I have wired together and connected direct to the negative battery terminal, and two red that I have wired together and connected direct to the positive battery terminal.
Any suggestions for further diagnosis, or have I already confirmed that my R/R is toast, and that I either have to risk another used Honda R/R on eBay, or pony up the dough for a new Rick’s or Electrosport unit?
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