major issue with charging system

[rickrocket]

Hello fellow GS'ers. Im am in a state of confusion. I have had problems with the charging system on my 1982 GS850GL ever since I got it. I decided to just go ahead and replace/upgrade the charging system with a brand new Electrixs stator and R&R so that it would be all-set. Ihave replaced them and hard wired all the conections and sanded all the grounds but I still get no more than 12.77 VDC at the battery posts even at 6,000 rpm, the head light seems to be a little dim and after a 1 hour ride (from work) I notice that it is sluggish to start. When I charge the battery (which is brand new) the bike fires right up before I even get my finger of the start button and it is good for a few rides before it has hard stsrting. The battery voltage is approximately 12.5 with the bike off and the voltage does increase when the bike is running and I accelerate but like I said...it only gets up to about 12.77vdc even at 6,000 rpm. I did put new DYNA coils on the bike as well. I dont no what else to do. I am hoping that one of my fellow GS'ers may Know where I could go next in resolving this extremely frustrating issue.

P.S. OUTSTANDING WEBSITE!!! THANK YOU!!! rickrocket.

[Killer2600]

Assuming the battery and charging system are all good and working it would sound like you have a current draw problem.

[fgh]

All that points to a problem in your charging system. Check all your conntetions and wires and then do the tests in the stator papers.

[Mark whiz]

As has been previously stated, this is either a charging or current draw problem. The 1st thing I'd do is check the AC output of the stator. I put an Electrex unit in my 700 trying to fix a nagging problem and found that it's AC output was below the Suzuki spec, so I returned it for a different brand unit.

MY problem ended up being current draw issue, as my ignitor box was bad and even though I showed 14v on the battery while it was running..........the battery has still being drained at an alarming rate.

[rustybronco]

charging system voltage should be on average 13.8-14.2 volts for a lead acid battery, 12.77 volts is too low. it's time to check the new parts installed to see which is bad.

[twistedwankel]

Even new can be defective.

Hello fellow GS'ers. Im am in a state of confusion. I have had problems with the charging system on my 1982 GS850GL ever since I got it. I decided to just go ahead and replace/upgrade the charging system with a brand new Electrixs stator and R&R so that it would be all-set. Ihave replaced them and hard wired all the conections and sanded all the grounds but I still get no more than 12.77 VDC at the battery posts even at 6,000 rpm, the head light seems to be a little dim and after a 1 hour ride (from work) I notice that it is sluggish to start. When I charge the battery (which is brand new) the bike fires right up before I even get my finger of the start button and it is good for a few rides before it has hard stsrting. The battery voltage is approximately 12.5 with the bike off and the voltage does increase when the bike is running and I accelerate but like I said...it only gets up to about 12.77vdc even at 6,000 rpm. .

You should be getting about 60VAC on each leg of the stator even at lower rpm. I just replaced my weak old stator 12.5VDS at 4000rpm with another used one and instantly got 13.5VDC at 2000rpm close to 14VDC at 4000rpm All my bad running issues went away. I had noticed via my onboard voltmeter that merely turning on the lights took away 1VDC and that is way too much. The newer one doesn't drop and volts with all the lights on. Never lower than 12.8VDC even at idle and all the lights on.

I suspect your new stator is no good.

[Tom MLC]

#1 Follow the Stator Papers flow chart. It is one of the best troubleshooting aids this site has to offer.

#2 Check your grounds again. This may sound silly, but make sure your ELECTREX is not "grounded" to the battery box. The battery box is rubber insulated from the frame. Not a good ground, obviously.

[rickrocket]

Thank You everyone for your help, I will re-check and post how it goes.
You guys are awesome, THANKS!!!...rickrocket.

[rickrocket]

It seems that the Electriks stator is bad

Thank you once again everyone for your valuable input!!
It sems that the stator that I purchased was a dud, however, even though I just recently put it in it has been well over a year since I purchased it so I will just have to purchase a new one and try it right away.
Upon folowing fault chart I got to the point where I was told to isolate the stator and check the ac output of the three yellow wires and low and behold...all three were putting out aproximately 45.5 vac at 5000 rpm.
At least now the mystery is nearing the end (HOPEFULLY!!!!) and I can ride in peace. Thank you all and I will be in touch...Rickrocket.

[rustybronco]

45.5v per leg should still be good enough for it to charge.

[rustybronco]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=103230&highlight=Electrex+STATOR+VOLTAGE

See post #7, i thought iirc it was 45-50 volts so look for the problem else where. 45.5 volts ac when rectified is 22.75 volts dc, more than enough for the regulator to do its job.
regulator possibly?

[rickrocket]

Now its even worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I just purchased another stator, installed it and this one only puts out 11.5 vac and I dont even have 12vdc @5000 rpm at the battery. Is it possible that the stator isn't getting any signal from in the crank case? I'm at wits end and seriously considering junking the bike at this point.
very aggravated:
rickrocket.

[omaharj]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=109067

If I was strong enough to pick a motorcycle up over my head and fling it at a wall I probably would have done it a time or two in the past. It sucks when attempts fail. There is hope. Check out the above thread for inspiration if you want. Electrical problems aren't my specialty ( I'm sure I don't have a specialty). but I've read on this forum VxAx.80=W. I don't know what it means but someday I hope to. Give the resident gurus a bit of time to plan your attack on this problem,it WILL get fixed. The hardest part of this repair is the frustration,that will end soon. RJ

[txironhead]

Is there any way to measure the draw of your various parts? Someone posted that their CDI was the culprit, drawing too many amps. Maybe the charging system is working but something else is draining the power without popping a fuse.

I'm usually the first person to recommend a Honda regulator conversion, but I don't think even that would help in this situation.

Also, you may want to verify that your rotor is clean, rust-free and that the magnets are still secure.

I'm going through a similar problem on my bro-in-law's Nighthawk, but his stator has a "field coil generator" that makes diagnosis and modification even harder. I swear, I will never own a 650 Nighthawk. The carbs alone are a serious PITA.

[rickrocket]

Finally...Hell Has Frozen Over!!!

Hello Again Fellow GS'ers. I have finally got this charging issue resolved. Apparently the the stater and the R&R were both bad wiether it was a case of bad parts or something that I accidently did,... I dont know. Of course I assumed that they were not the the colprits because I had just replaced them. I ended up purchasing replacements from Ricks Motorsport in New Hampshire. The cost for the stator was $150.00 and the cost for the R&R was $90.00, The quality does seem to be of much higher quality then the ones that they replaced. I now get 90+ VAC out the stator and the battery is getting 14.5 VDC @ 3000 rpm and the riding performance is so much better now with no spitting and spuddering. Thank You once again to everyone for your all your help.
I fallen back in love with the bike...rickrocket.