overcharging...regulators mount up!!

[dahondaboy]

well i finally got my 550 runnin and legaled up. but now it keeps popping bulbs, 3 turn signals and brake, at first i attributed it to 20 year old bulbs, but now i think its the regulator went out and is overcharging. i will go out tonite to get a new multileter (i ran over mine) and see if it is overcherging. if so am i correct in assuming the regulator is at fault? thanks for your help guys.

[BassCliff]

Cooking with electrons

Hi Mr. dahondaboy,

After you get your new multimeter, you'll want to go through the Stator Papers.

Your are correct, the r/r is usually suspect if the system is overcharging. Run the ground wire from the r/r directly to the negative battery terminal. Then place your multimeter leads on the battery with the bike running. You should see about 13v at idle and 14v or better at 4000 rpm. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Redman]

Welcome to GSR.

Yep, blowing bulbs like that sounds like overcharging. I will quess about 16 or 17 volts. Good that you are getting a meter, not just for this, but may need it again from time to time.

Other possible cause of overcharging is that the R/R ground wire (black wire) may not be well grounded.

This is hard to described, because the r/r black wire is connected to the battery box, but the battery box itself is not well grounded to the frame, so is another wire (balck/white) is connected to the battery box and that wire goes thru wireing harness and other end grounded to the frame, and the battery negitive has a wire also connecting it to the frame. So any bad connection along the way and your R/R black wire is not actaully well grounded even though you see the r/r black wire connected to that bolt on the battery box. This is why it is suggested to run an additional ground wire from where that black wire is "grounded" on the battery box to the battery negitive. One way to tell is while bike running take a voltage check between that r/r black wire and the battery negitive, should be about nothing (less than a few tenths of volt) because should all be connected together.

And, yes, other possibilty is a failed R/R.

Tell us more what you find.

Oh, .... and depending on the type of battery you have, after all this overcharging: You will need to check the fluid level in battery.

You a hill climber, eh?
I have been a spectator at Mt Garfield AMA Nat'nl Chapionship series in Muskeogon (about 15 miles from here).
Awesom to watch, but dont think I would want to try even a small hill of a local circuit.

[dahondaboy]

well 13.8 volts is what i got. under furthur investigation i found a ground wire to the airbox that wasnt connected. I hooked it up and BAM! everything is working again! no more blown bulbs and turn signals work again. glad i caught it before i burned something expensive up. thanks for the advice guys, you rock. on a side note, is there any smaller rear sprockets for this bike? it is reall pegged out at above 45- 55 mph. like it could use an 8th gear lol. how many teeth come on the stock rear sprocket? oh and as for the hillclimbing, yes i have been a amatuer for 15 years and a pro for 5 now. our hills out in the west are a lot different. go to www.widowmaker.info to see some crazy stuff! it is actually a ton safer than moto-x. due to one guy runnin at a time compared to 30 side by side lol i love it! the average age of climbers is 38 to 40. usually retired moto crossers and desert riders.