think I got fault in regulator/rectifyer...........headlights on, rev from tickover.....does your intruments get brighter.........do they stay bright.
mine go dull after a few minutes, occasionaly brightening.
does this sound like regulator need replaceing.
someone must know?
Well, I might know the answer to this, as I went through all this on my VFR, and replaced the R/R *and* the wiring loom and fixed it permanently. If you want lots of info on this, go to the VFR forum archives (http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~lists/archive/vfr/) and do a search. In particular, search for stuff including "R/R" and either "Bruce Wilson" or "Ian in EnZed".
It *could be* your R/R, but if your battery was knackered and not charging (dead cell or whatever), or just undercharged, it could give the same symptoms. Does the bike start OK? Do the headlights go without the motor running? If the answer to both of these is "Yes" it may be OK.
You really need a multimeter or at least voltmeter to sort this out. The bike should crank out over 13V over about 3 or 4K rpm, and this should increase to over 14 or 15 (yikes!) as the revs rise. If it does this, consistently, then the R/R is probably OK. Proper testing, however, involves checking the output from each of the stator wires, checking the R/R and the battery. The details for all this are in the VFR archives, if you have the time to do some searching.
Hope this helps.
It *could be* your R/R, but if your battery was knackered and not charging (dead cell or whatever), or just undercharged, it could give the same symptoms. Does the bike start OK? Do the headlights go without the motor running? If the answer to both of these is "Yes" it may be OK.
You really need a multimeter or at least voltmeter to sort this out. The bike should crank out over 13V over about 3 or 4K rpm, and this should increase to over 14 or 15 (yikes!) as the revs rise. If it does this, consistently, then the R/R is probably OK. Proper testing, however, involves checking the output from each of the stator wires, checking the R/R and the battery. The details for all this are in the VFR archives, if you have the time to do some searching.
Hope this helps.
- Ian in EnZed
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
Paul, it pays to check things out properly, as it will (a) save you from getting stranded on the side of the road miles from nowhere, and (b) may save you some big moneys.
I've been having charging / voltage problems (glad I got the voltmeter/clock fitted, so I could keep an eye on what was going on!). The last week, I've had to push the 'Storm 3 times, and on Friday on the way home the voltage was down to around 11.
Yesterday I finally had time to pull the bodywork and find out what was going on. One of the 3 wires from the stator (alternator) to the R/R was broken off(!) and had been making intermittent contact with the R/R. The plastic in the connector was burnt around the spade connector, and there was evidence of melting around the connector on the R/R side.
Much cutting, scraping, soldering and stuffing around later, the bike was fired up, and producing between 13.2 and 13.8 V above idle, whereas before the voltage had varied from less than 11 volts up to over 15.
The battery should be happier now. I'm just glad I didn't blow any bulbs with the wildly varying voltage, although I'll be they don't last as long as they should have.
You don't have to be smart, Paul, or an electrical engineer. Just buy a cheap multimeter, check things carefully and systematically, and look for obvious corrosion on plugs, or evidence of discolouration on wires or sockets. If there's a poor electrical connection (like on my R/R), the resistance to current flow increases, and this causes heat, which will make the plastic insulation brittle, cause wires to snap, etc.
Places to check are the battery terminals, earth connections, R/R connector (R/R is under r/h side rear plastic, bolted to frame), and the starter relay. If the latter is bad, you'll probably hear clicking and clattering sometimes when you try to start the bike.
Hope this helps.
I've been having charging / voltage problems (glad I got the voltmeter/clock fitted, so I could keep an eye on what was going on!). The last week, I've had to push the 'Storm 3 times, and on Friday on the way home the voltage was down to around 11.
Yesterday I finally had time to pull the bodywork and find out what was going on. One of the 3 wires from the stator (alternator) to the R/R was broken off(!) and had been making intermittent contact with the R/R. The plastic in the connector was burnt around the spade connector, and there was evidence of melting around the connector on the R/R side.
Much cutting, scraping, soldering and stuffing around later, the bike was fired up, and producing between 13.2 and 13.8 V above idle, whereas before the voltage had varied from less than 11 volts up to over 15.
The battery should be happier now. I'm just glad I didn't blow any bulbs with the wildly varying voltage, although I'll be they don't last as long as they should have.
You don't have to be smart, Paul, or an electrical engineer. Just buy a cheap multimeter, check things carefully and systematically, and look for obvious corrosion on plugs, or evidence of discolouration on wires or sockets. If there's a poor electrical connection (like on my R/R), the resistance to current flow increases, and this causes heat, which will make the plastic insulation brittle, cause wires to snap, etc.
Places to check are the battery terminals, earth connections, R/R connector (R/R is under r/h side rear plastic, bolted to frame), and the starter relay. If the latter is bad, you'll probably hear clicking and clattering sometimes when you try to start the bike.
Hope this helps.
- Ian in EnZed
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
dpnkey with electrics
Cheers mate, will check out your suggestions and let you know how I get on.......Paul.
Aaaaaaarrrrghhh!!
You've jinxed me, matey!
Had to replace my R/R yesterday, as my charging system died. Well, actually, I'm in the midst of replacing it, as the new one (heavy-duty Shindengen) doesn't fit under thside cowl, so I have to make up a bracket and some cabling to fit it under the left front of the seat. Might have to do this properly, and take lots of photos of the work.
You've jinxed me, matey!
Had to replace my R/R yesterday, as my charging system died. Well, actually, I'm in the midst of replacing it, as the new one (heavy-duty Shindengen) doesn't fit under thside cowl, so I have to make up a bracket and some cabling to fit it under the left front of the seat. Might have to do this properly, and take lots of photos of the work.
- Ian in EnZed
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
Sorry
sh1t mate sorry about the R/R.........guess I forgot to tell you about the curse placed on me when I was young..............
Always pick the longest queue,
Buy things and leave em in the shop.
Condoms too small you know the sort of thing.
Well put on ART end cans today, sound great, battery still OK so guess R/R will wait until 16,000 service in couple of weeks when some one who can will check it out. Will be buying multimeter......any suggestions on make model or functions required.........cheers Paul.
Always pick the longest queue,
Buy things and leave em in the shop.
Condoms too small you know the sort of thing.
Well put on ART end cans today, sound great, battery still OK so guess R/R will wait until 16,000 service in couple of weeks when some one who can will check it out. Will be buying multimeter......any suggestions on make model or functions required.........cheers Paul.