Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech HELP! getting a charge out of your BA/Speedy

let me preface by saying i am going on a
2 week road trip in 48 hours...
whydoesthisshitalwayseffinseemtohappentome?

Blue is having some charging issues.
i'm sortakindainclindledtothink, at this point,
that she has bad regulator.
the stator produces 40VAC +/- @ 2000 rpms and
increases 20VAC per thousand rpm above that.

at idle i'm reading 12.5VDC at the
battery terminals and i'm losing voltage with
applied rpms -- down to 11VDC or so.
in addition, the bike dies, when the
negative terminal is disconnected from the battery.

having a 3 phase charging system that produces
charge voltage at idle, i am assuming the bike
should run off the charging system with the negative
terminal disconnected (just like an automobile) but;
this is an assumption, and i would like verification
that this is true on a bike with a known, good
charging system.

any volunteers to help me prove or disprove this
theory?

other info i would greatly appreciate:

what is the voltage of your battery:
•when bike is off?
•at terminals at idle?
•at terminals at 3000 rpms?

I do know that you shouldn't disconnect the neg batree cable while it is running! Blue will not run without a battery, unlike in the old days. Even a weak battery will not allow the sickle to run.

I'm heading go out the door as well. But you should be reading like 13V+ at idle, with the voltage going up with rpms. all dependent on the current state of charge mind you. A hot battree will not see a significant increase in volts at a higher rpm. Sounds like you may have a charging issue.

I hope you get it sorted out! There is always the striple...

Have a GREAT holiday lil sis!

on the idle at 1000rpm should be at least 14 V ,will not run with battery disconnected,and check behind fuse box main fuse (big one) wires if they are ok and red wire on battery terminal if there is no seizure anywhere and dont ask how I know

if it was a single phase system like the old days
i would tend to agree but this is a 3 phase system.
-- btw -- maxx does run with the batt disconnected.

Off 12.85

Idle 1000 RPM 13.10

3000 RPM 14.05

After seeing what Grzegorz said about 14v at 1000 rpm, I rechecked mine using a different meter. Same measurement using a Fluke and a Greenlee.

Dear Mert,Dear Mert
You have no complaint
It is what it is
And it ain't what it ain't
So listen up lady
And listen up good
Stop worry'in 'bout bad luck
Start knocking on wood.




Call me if ya get stranded, I'll come get ya.
555-1212.

These may seem basic, but ya gotta start somewhere.

What's the age and condition of the battery?
Check the neg cable connection to frame ground.
A good mechanical connection isn't always a good
electrical one.
Check all fuses, I believe a couple of circuits
overlap on these bikes IIRC.

I'm on my boat and my manuals are in mom's garage,
but I'll keep pondering it.

dear erle, dear erle,
i don't mean to complain
just a mere little whine
'fore road trippin time
it's happened before
and it'll happen again
just don't want to break
down across the border, my friend

si-i-igned,
weak voltage

Well dangitall gerl...

Wonder what Mikemm03 finally did about his issues? Seems he had a similar problem, might have a bit of insight to share.

Alright, a little basic info from my Haynes manual.
It says 12.5 volts at idle and 14.5 at 4000 rpm's. Voltage at the Alternator connector at 4000 rpm's should be 60 or 70 volts ac... if "much less" check the alternator.
It goes on to say that there are no checks for the Regulator/rectifier, if possible replace it with a known good one.
No real specs on the alternator windings except that they should be a "low" resistance reading between all terminals and that none should have continuity to ground.

That's pretty much it for Mr Haynes.. hope some of it helps.

Sounds like an undercharging R/R to me.

Unlike my Honda's overcharging R/R issue which is what was melting those fuses there for a while.

Quote:

---

Sounds like an undercharging R/R to me.

---

this is what i am thinkin.

My bike was doing the same thing - lower than idle charge rates at higher RPMS. I also had weird AC voltage numbers at the time. For reasons beyond my understanding, a new battery cured it. The only thing I could reason was perhaps it was the way the regulator sensed the state of charge off a less than stellar battery? Maybe the regulator gets an attitude and feels insulted to be sending precious voltage up to a wheezing battery?




I wonder if a dealer would let you temporarily swap to a new battery just to test this theory? I'd swing down your way and let you try my apparently good battery, but I have fambly coming to town today, and can't get away 'til they leave.




The "no charge or discharge for X hours" data is perhaps the most relevant to battery health. 12.6X is usually considered the place to be for a 100% battery. As you can see, the charted tests require a digital volt meter.

I bought a battery for my wife's car the other day. It was 12.66 on the dealer's shelf. Sold!
(Doesn't everybody go battery shopping with a digital volt meter? ;-) )

If you do end up needing a battery, the NAPA ones at around $65 allow adding acid at the time of purchase, which one would think would lead to a fresh state of charge. I could be wrong.

wanna go AGM on the battery this time around.

I just replaced my '03 oem battery.
Much to my surprise it was an AGM.

which battery was an AGM the new or the old?
you were still on your first battery?
Blue is on her 4th or 5th!

Both
Yes
6 yrs, not bad