Charging still not charging

[Lionel Hutz]

After a series of blown fuses and the help of the stator papers I was able to determine that my rr was bad. I also checked the stator in the manner described in the stator papers and all three combinations resulted in a meter reading of at least 80 volts. I replaced the rr with an electrosport unit and rode the bike for about ten minutes and it appears to be running fine. The problem is that the voltage measured across the battery is less than 13V. I get a reading of 12.5 volts, 12.3 with the engine at idle. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Will the bike quit running when the voltage sinks to low? I'm guessing bad wiring is to blame here but I've yet to find a conclusive test/fix.

[Nessism]

What is the voltage at 3000+ rpm? Did you run a ground wire directly from the R/R to the neg terminal of the battery? Did you make sure the connectors for the stator were clean and free from corrosion? Many members bypass the factory wiring and run the stator direct into the R/R and then run the outputs direct to the battery (+ needs a fuse) - less resistance this way.

[spyug]

+1 on the seperate ground lead from the R/R to the battery negative and +1 on the cleaning/ changing of corroded contacts.

By far the biggest problems with these bikes is the charging system with the R/R generally being the weakest link.

Do these things first and see what you get.

Good luck with it.

Cheers,
spyug

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Lionel Hutz,

A wonderful thing to do now would be to check and clean every electrical connection and ground on the entire wiring harness including the fusebox and ignition switch. Corrosion causes resistance, resistance causes heat, heat melts insulation, melted insulation causes shorts, shorts cause blown fuses. Your bike will be extremely happy after a good electrical cleaning. There are details on my website in the "Electrical Odds and Ends" section. Now let me say "HOoooowwDY!"

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Lionel Hutz]

What is the voltage at 3000+ rpm? Did you run a ground wire directly from the R/R to the neg terminal of the battery? Did you make sure the connectors for the stator were clean and free from corrosion? Many members bypass the factory wiring and run the stator direct into the R/R and then run the outputs direct to the battery (+ needs a fuse) - less resistance this way.

The ground on the rr is connected directly to the negative terminal on the battery. Are you suggesting that I cut the red wire out of the white connector block and reroute it to the directly to the positive terminal of the battery with a fuse installed? If so what size fuse?

[propflux01]

Yes. A 30 AMP inline fuse would suffice. As for that white connector, it is a known problem with alot of GS's. Several memebers remove it and directly solder the connections.