Voltage dropoff?

[DMrides220]

I have noticed that when I first start my 1985 GS1150E the headlight is very bright, then after I ride about a mile it suddenly gets dim. I hooked up a voltage meter to an accessory outlet I have on the bike and when I first start it I get around 16 volts, then about a mile later it drops to around 12.75 volts. I believe my battery is on its way out because it wont charge to more than 11 volts. Could this just simply be a bad battery or do I need to dig deeper?

[chef1366]

Read the Stator Papers
Read it. learn it. live it. :-D

[DMrides220]

I have read that, but the first thing it says is to have a good battery. I know that my battery is on it's way out, but it still starts the bike and I don't really have the money for a new one so late in the season. I was hoping someone has seen this before. I have read about the RR going bad and taking out the stator, and if the RR is going I would rather spend my $100 on that than a new battery. I can't afford both.

[twistedwankel]

It could easily be a bad battery? I bought a new one from Advance Auto from China and after charging it over night it was no good so took it back. I put the old one back in and it ran fine. So don't be in a rush to give them your old battery.

It is more likely that your connections to the Stator are loose or corroded.
Clean them and repinch them to make sure they're tight and lube with electrical grease. Make sure you have good primary grounds to the starter area and the RR. If that doesn't work:

Check the output of the stator in ACvolts first with it disconnected.

If it's 50-60VAC it's probably your battery bad cell. Or RR. Check water levels.

I notice that after starting my bike the volts move up to close to 14VDC until the battery recovers from the starting drawdown then stabilizes at 12.6-13.3 at idle on a cheap meter I have built in.

Both of the times I have gotten low running volts on my meter it has been a bad stator and replaced with a used one rather than a new one. The first original one died due to an over heating bad connection on one leg. This second used one has been awesome. You can rewind yours, get it rewound or buy a new one via posts. It's an hour job level on the center stand to keep oil from running out.

My RR has never been the problem. But I did clean all the connections on the bike and grease them. No more electrical issues since.

So I vote for the Stator issues.

[DMrides220]

I did clean and grease all connections on the stator and RR. I checked all 3 legs of the stator with an ohm meter and they were in spec. My voltage is right were yours is 12.75-13.25. I guess I will try a new battery. The cheapest one I have seen is like $80.

[Steve]

... I would rather spend my $100 on that than a new battery. I can't afford both.

GSR member 'Duaneage' sells Honda regulators that are set up for Suzuki GS bikes for about $40.
Batteries Plus has a standard battery for $44, and a sealed battery for $70.
Sears has a standard battery for $48, sealed for $85.

I did clean and grease all connections on the stator and RR. I checked all 3 legs of the stator with an ohm meter and they were in spec. My voltage is right were yours is 12.75-13.25. I guess I will try a new battery. The cheapest one I have seen is like $80.

At $80, the contacts had better be gold-plated. See shopping results above. 8-[

Did you also check the three legs of the stator with an AC voltmeter? That is at least as important as the ohms check.


.

[DMrides220]

Thanks for the link, The only battery I saw before for the 1150 was a platinum one. How do I get one of those honda regulators from Duaneage? Sounds like cheap insurance. I have not checked the AC voltage of each leg, I should get a rainy day this week to do that.

[chef1366]

Do an Advanced search for "Duaneage" and send him a PM.

[DMrides220]

Done. Thanks.