Help! Having charging problems...

[Anonymous]

Ok...here are some quick facts...hopefully one of you can help point me to WHAT is going wrong with my charging system (1980 GS1100E)

PROBLEM: Battery is not getting properly charged...is about 12.7V right now...after riding the bike for a while and then shutting it off, it WILL start but you can tell the battery doesn't have much juice.

1. Bike has NEW Elextrex rectifier/regulator
2. Bike has NEW battery
3. All wiring connection points have been cleaned
4. New Dyna S Ignition system

With all of those facts, what could be going wrong? Could the stator be bad? What am I missing?

Thanks guys!

[earlfor]

Re: Help! Having charging problems...

12.7 volts is close to a fully charged battery. There is nothing wrong with your battery, stator, or R/R. Any voltage drop will be a result of poor connections or ground.

Earl

Ok...here are some quick facts...hopefully one of you can help point me to WHAT is going wrong with my charging system (1980 GS1100E)

PROBLEM: Battery is not getting properly charged...is about 12.7V right now...far below what it should be at...which means something in the charging system is failing. After riding the bike for a while and then shutting it off, it WILL start but you can tell the battery doesn't have much juice.

1. Bike has NEW Elextrex rectifier/regulator
2. Bike has NEW battery
3. All wiring connection points have been cleaned
4. New Dyna S Ignition system

With all of those facts, what could be going wrong? Could the stator be bad? What am I missing?

Thanks guys!

[Anonymous]

Re: Help! Having charging problems...

Earl,

So you think it is a wiring issue? Then answer this: When I got the battery orginally, the bike started up beautifully. But after a few days it got worse and worse. What does that signify to you?

:-)

12.7 volts is close to a fully charged battery. There is nothing wrong with your battery, stator, or R/R. Any voltage drop will be a result of poor connections or ground.

Earl

Ok...here are some quick facts...hopefully one of you can help point me to WHAT is going wrong with my charging system (1980 GS1100E)

PROBLEM: Battery is not getting properly charged...is about 12.7V right now...far below what it should be at...which means something in the charging system is failing. After riding the bike for a while and then shutting it off, it WILL start but you can tell the battery doesn't have much juice.

1. Bike has NEW Elextrex rectifier/regulator
2. Bike has NEW battery
3. All wiring connection points have been cleaned
4. New Dyna S Ignition system

With all of those facts, what could be going wrong? Could the stator be bad? What am I missing?

Thanks guys!

[Anonymous]

Check voltage with the bike running. You should get 13.5+ at 5k RPM.
And, not to be rude, but is there acid and water in the battery? Was it charged BEFORE you put it in the bike?

Run through the stator papers for the complete tests. To test the stator, set your VOM to AC, and check for voltage between all three legs. You should see 75v or more at 5k RPM on all three legs.

[Anonymous]

Check voltage with the bike running. You should get 13.5+ at 5k RPM.
And, not to be rude, but is there acid and water in the battery? Was it charged BEFORE you put it in the bike?

Run through the stator papers for the complete tests. To test the stator, set your VOM to AC, and check for voltage between all three legs. You should see 75v or more at 5k RPM on all three legs.

Jeckler,

You're not being rude! Heck, lack of acid is a commonly overlooked thing. But, yes...I do have enough in there. :-)

[typ0]

I'm a newbie to this site even though I have been riding GS's since 1981. Use the flow chart in the stator papers for troubleshooting. I'm an electronics tech and that's one of the best flow charts I've seen. In about three easy steps you can tell if your charging system is ok.

If you have an intermittent problem (sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't) its more than likely a connection (make sure they are both clean and tight). Get it fixed fast before you burn up your nice new stator/rectifier.

To check your electrical system you need to use a voltmeter. It "sounds" like it doesn't have much juice is a good way of letting you know there may be a problem, but it isn't a good way to tell what is causing the problem. Who knows, your charging system may be fine and it may be something with the starter putting a heavy load on it.

Check the battery voltage while your trying to start the bike to see how much it drops under load. Ive seen batteries that have plenty of voltage until you try and start the motor, then they drop so much they can barely turn the starter over.

Just some idea's.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info! Based on what I've said, could you narrow it down? For instance, it HAS to be one of only a few possibilities....right?

I'll be sure to check the system with a voltmeter...

I'm a newbie to this site even though I have been riding GS's since 1981. Use the flow chart in the stator papers for troubleshooting. I'm an electronics tech and that's one of the best flow charts I've seen. In about three easy steps you can tell if your charging system is ok.

If you have an intermittent problem (sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't) its more than likely a connection (make sure they are both clean and tight). Get it fixed fast before you burn up your nice new stator/rectifier.

To check your electrical system you need to use a voltmeter. It "sounds" like it doesn't have much juice is a good way of letting you know there may be a problem, but it isn't a good way to tell what is causing the problem. Who knows, your charging system may be fine and it may be something with the starter putting a heavy load on it.

Check the battery voltage while your trying to start the bike to see how much it drops under load. Ive seen batteries that have plenty of voltage until you try and start the motor, then they drop so much they can barely turn the starter over.

Just some idea's.

[typ0]

Your the one who is going to have to narrow it down. Check your charging system per the flow chart in the stator papers. If that checks out ok, then check the voltage while trying to start it and see if the voltage drops under load. If that is ok, then I would be checking the starter or solenoid.

Unfortunatety I don't have a good method of checking out the starter (haven't had to fix mine). But first try and eliminate possible causes by using the flow chart and doing the checks, hopefully that will shed some light on the problem. At the very least it will verify your charging system is ok, and you can stop thinking about if its your stator/rectifier/battery.

[Anonymous]

There is one possiblilty nobody here has mentioned. Do you have the right amperage battery for the bike? A lot of batteries look the same but the cranking and operating amperage differs greatly. A freshly charged high amp battery will kick off a bike but but won't do it when the gets down. Double check the numbers on it and cross reference it with the recomendations in the manual.