40 Volts from regulator

[jmlcolorado]

Okay so ive been riding the bike for a while now. got about 120 miles on it since rebuild. Everything was goin great till i rode it around the block today and parked it for a few. Went to start it and it had no juice. Something drained the battery..... and quick.
so i got it on a charger for some time and got it to fire again. This time with a volt meter on the battery to make sure its actually draining. Definatly is. Did a stator test, turned out okay. Have 67 volts from all three leads. I then pulled every fuse EXCEPT ignition. Still the battery isnt happy.

My next thought was the regultor. I hooked up the RED lead to my volt meter and grounded it on the other end, found more and more voltage the more i hit the throttle. I got it up to 40 volts.

This cant be normal. Mind you this it the RED wire coming from the regulator WITH the three stator leads hooked up as normal.

Shouldnt this red wire read a "regulated" voltage?

If so im thinking my problem is because i have the regulator behind a plate that doesnt allow much air circulation on it. I figure i burned it up. Does this thing need a good amount of airflow to keep it cool?

And since this is pushing such high voltage..... i figure it took out my new battery too. Right?


thanks guys

[lurch12_2000]

Okay so ive been riding the bike for a while now. got about 120 miles on it since rebuild. Everything was goin great till i rode it around the block today and parked it for a few. Went to start it and it had no juice. Something drained the battery..... and quick.
so i got it on a charger for some time and got it to fire again. This time with a volt meter on the battery to make sure its actually draining. Definatly is. Did a stator test, turned out okay. Have 67 volts from all three leads. I then pulled every fuse EXCEPT ignition. Still the battery isnt happy.

My next thought was the regultor. I hooked up the RED lead to my volt meter and grounded it on the other end, found more and more voltage the more i hit the throttle. I got it up to 40 volts.

This cant be normal. Mind you this it the RED wire coming from the regulator WITH the three stator leads hooked up as normal.

Shouldnt this red wire read a "regulated" voltage?

If so im thinking my problem is because i have the regulator behind a plate that doesnt allow much air circulation on it. I figure i burned it up. Does this thing need a good amount of airflow to keep it cool?

And since this is pushing such high voltage..... i figure it took out my new battery too. Right?


thanks guys

Yikes....I've had failed regulators but never readings over 16-17v while gradually revving up to 4-5k rpm. Should regulate at somewhere between 13.5-14.5 volts if working properly. No wonder your battery fried so quickly. Yes, there should be some air flow around the heat sink of the r/r to help dissapate heat. But it's usually pretty cramped where the stock r/r sits behind the side cover. Some people will rewire and locate up front where there is plenty of air flow. Maybe you should look into "duaneage"'s Honda r/r with about twice the heat sink capacity.

[jmlcolorado]

Maybe you should look into "duaneage"'s Honda r/r with about twice the heat sink capacity.

Where can i find one of these regulators?

Im kinda bummed now seing that i was getting my tags this weekend and going for my first REAL ride for the first time in three years

Can i use any 4 wire regulator? Say from a random bike i find?

Thanks for the advice

[lurch12_2000]

Where can i find one of these regulators?

Im kinda bummed now seing that i was getting my tags this weekend and going for my first REAL ride for the first time in three years

Can i use any 4 wire regulator? Say from a random bike i find?

Thanks for the advice

"duaneage" is another forum user that I have purchased 3 r/r from for 3 different GS1100s. PM him and ask if he has some available for around $40-45. Otherwise you can do a search and find a post that someone had put together with a list of possible replacements. Usually there will be 5 or 6 wire connections that you'll cut the existing stock block connector off and put new individual spade connectors on. I wouldn't just grab any used r/r, whereas duaneage does check his before shipping. Compared to $95 stock OEM r/r.

[jmlcolorado]

could i use a different one so long as its 3 phase from the stator?

[rustybronco]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=134690

[Guest]

could i use a different one so long as its 3 phase from the stator?

YES
As long as it's a 12 volt system

[Billy Ricks]

Late model R/Rs can be had on Ebay for as little as $30. I've bought two off of late model CBR1000RRs for $30 each.

[Billy Ricks]

Did you make sure to switch to DC voltage for the R/R test?

[duaneage]

I heard of 120 volts AC coming from a bad RR once. That's actually lethal and you should take care around that voltage as it can cause serious harm. Doesn't take more than 100 ma to kill you across the heart. At the least your going to get a nasty twitch off it.

I am expecting a bunch of Honda RRs in soon, send me a PM if your interested in a plug in kit delivered for 40 dollars.

[jmlcolorado]

Did you make sure to switch to DC voltage for the R/R test?

Excelent point. Pretty sure i did but ill check again to be sure. Yep Definatly still a stupid amount of voltage on the DC setting.

[jmlcolorado]

I heard of 120 volts AC coming from a bad RR once. That's actually lethal and you should take care around that voltage as it can cause serious harm. Doesn't take more than 100 ma to kill you across the heart. At the least your going to get a nasty twitch off it.

I am expecting a bunch of Honda RRs in soon, send me a PM if your interested in a plug in kit delivered for 40 dollars.

Good advice. Im aware of the danger of this voltage as i am a construction contractor. And i only stuck my tongue to it once. Im thinking of keeping this one and splicing in a new one with it so i can use my existing one to run the blender as i take my rides kidding of course.


I am interested in a better built r/r but im looking for one to get me through the weekend. Iv spent the last three hours reading up on these things and all the ones people have tried.

The list never ends

[bakalorz]

Okay so ive been riding the bike for a while now. got about 120 miles on it since rebuild. Everything was goin great till i rode it around the block today and parked it for a few. Went to start it and it had no juice. Something drained the battery..... and quick.
so i got it on a charger for some time and got it to fire again. This time with a volt meter on the battery to make sure its actually draining. Definatly is. Did a stator test, turned out okay. Have 67 volts from all three leads. I then pulled every fuse EXCEPT ignition. Still the battery isnt happy.

My next thought was the regultor. I hooked up the RED lead to my volt meter and grounded it on the other end, found more and more voltage the more i hit the throttle. I got it up to 40 volts.

This cant be normal. Mind you this it the RED wire coming from the regulator WITH the three stator leads hooked up as normal.

Shouldnt this red wire read a "regulated" voltage?

If so im thinking my problem is because i have the regulator behind a plate that doesnt allow much air circulation on it. I figure i burned it up. Does this thing need a good amount of airflow to keep it cool?

And since this is pushing such high voltage..... i figure it took out my new battery too. Right?


thanks guys

Ummm ...

With the battery in the system, you should never be able to get anywhere near 40 volts.
So this is sounding like you disconnected the battery and ran the bike with just the regulator hooked up ???

That doesn't really tell you anything.

It would let pulses of very high voltage through, alternating with periods of zero volts.
The battery is VERY important to smooth these pulses out.
With the battery in the circuit it should average it out to 14 volts or so.
Without the battery in the circuit, even a good regulator will give totally whacked out readings.

The reading you get would get would depend on your meter and how it averages it out.

By the way, running the bike without the battery (using just the R/R to power the ignitition) can destroy a good R/R or the ignitor.
(so can running it with the main fuse out, which essentially disconnects the battery)

Check the voltage with the bike running at 3000 -5000 rpm and everything hooked up properly and report back.

16 volts or more is a definate fried regulator.
(which eventually kills a battery, but it takes some time ... it does cause the electrolyte to gas, and reduces the electrolyte level, but that can be easily fixed by adding DISTILLED water (avail at grocery stores for $1) to the battery)
I doubt you fried your battery that quickly.

less than 13 could be several things including: R/R, bad connections somewhere (VERY common, and a cheap fix), and the stator (though yours sounds good)
If you are getting less than 13, your battery is probably quite discharged.
Put it on your plug in charger immediately and fully charge it (probably takes several hours) letting it sit discharged causes damage rapidly.

Then find the stator papers and follow them methodically.
Thats pretty much the best way to get to the bottom of the problem.

[lurch12_2000]

Late model R/Rs can be had on Ebay for as little as $30. I've bought two off of late model CBR1000RRs for $30 each.

My concern on Ebay is any assurance that a used electrical part is functional. I've had no problems with Duaneage in 3 purchases, get all the connectors and wiring included within 3 days, got some free advice on the first one I did, and I'm pretty sure he checks them before shipping but would probably get you a replacement if one is faulty...all for just $10 more!...and also support a fellow forum user.

[eddiev]

Was the red wire disconnected when you checked that voltage (40v). I think it should be connected. I believe the red wire floating will cause problems. Bad reading and possible blow an R/R.
Eddie V