Wilsons Sandbox

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, James Andrade wrote:

> > My bike is not charging my battery.

Mine had a similar problem just today. About a week ago, I left the headlight on when I shut it off with the kill switch instead of the key and completely drained the battery. I charged it back up and it started OK a few times but today it was totally dead, no headlight, indicator lights and it wouldn't crank at all. When I put a volt meter across the battery terminals, I had 12 volts (it's a fairly new Yuasa sealed battery). When I turned the key on again, the headlight and indicator lights came on but when I hit the starter it went totally dead again and there was a little puff of smoke from the battery area. I checked all the fuses and they were fine. I then removed and cleaned the battery terminals, added a little dielectric grease and put it back together. It seems to be working fine now. I'm pretty sure the smoke was from arcing across the ground terminal of the battery which was quite dirty. Anyway, check your terminals. Hopefully that may be all it is. John A-18

> I checked the voltage while running and it was only 12.4 volts. > With the bike off it was 13.2. I checked the system per the manuel > and the fault chart from ElectroSport. It looks like my stator and > rectifier/ regulator are bad.

The alternator is bad and the R/R is bad? That's possible but usually only one goes. I'm assuming you've determined that the A/C output from the stator is bad? If this is bad, the R/R will often generate an incorrect output also, or did you perform a resistance test against the R/R (usually you need an AVM to do this correctly). I installed the new Electrosport (Electrex) stator. I needed one because the excitor (ignition) coil which is part of the stator failed. You can look thru the archives since 1/1/2006 for lots of threads about the purchasing decision, no point repeating them here. They have solved their fitment issues, mine was easy to install (tho the instructions referred to the old splice version). I don't have enough miles on it yet, nor have I ridden it in 100+ degree heat. So I can't recommend it or not at this point. It appears to be well made but how well it lasts and whether it really is compatible with the OEM R/R is unknown. Also, it's unproven whether the low-output version (what I installed) produces any more output than the stock but I heard they were supposed to have a new hi-output stator (which required their hi output R/R) which definately does. Sorry I can't help more. Tony

> I checked the system per the manuel and the fault chart from > ElectroSport. It looks like my stator and rectifier/ regulator are > bad.

I forgot to add. The above makes it sound like you did a systematic sequence of debugging. The A/C output from the stator is generally independant of other factors but if all you did was measure voltage at the battery terminals, there are lots of other things than could be at fault. Wiring, the battery itself etc etc. Basically need to know exactly what you tested and what the values were. Tony

>My bike is not charging my battery. I noticed it

after >riding for 4 or 5 hours that my starter was not kicking >over as fast. I just bought the Odyssey battery for it, so >I hope it is not the battery. Exactly what are the signs and symptoms? Does it always crank slower after a longer ride or just this once? Cranking a hot engine/starter can result in a slower cranking speed depending on such factors as fuel Octane rating, high starting motor temperature, etc.

> I checked the voltage while running and it was

only >12.4 volts. Was that at curb idle ( 1300 RPM) with headlight on? If so that would be pretty good voltage. Unplug your light fuse and see what the voltage is at 2500 RPM.

>With the bike off it was 13.2.

13.2 volts is maximum surface charge voltage for a normal service vehicle lead acid battery. If you're seeing 13.2 volts after a ride the battery is fully charged. If you put the lights on for 30 seconds and then check with the switch off, the voltage will drop to around 12.8 volts or so which is the normal fully charged voltage with surface charge loaded off. Sounds normal.

>I checked the system per the manuel and the fault

chart >from ElectroSport. It looks like my stator and rectifier/ >regulator are bad. But I looking for advice on what to >do or what else to check. I saw that there are

>aftermarket stators that produce more watts, but I >would like to hear how

well they work and fit. Or if it is >better to stick with OEM. What year is your KLR? The later ones put out a bit more power. Where did you reference the voltage? Across the battery? Or did you measure voltage off the city light wires or headlight...... Did you ground the meter to the battery negative or to maybe the fairing mount? Just based on statistics it is unlikely that you have either a bad rectifier or regulator. Before condemning either, you may wish to swap batteries with another bike to see if the problem is in the battery as battery wierdies are fairly common. Another area to check is to look at (or better, voltage drop test) your connectors and ground connections. Look at the three (usually yellow) wires which come from the stator to the regulator (these are the three-phase AC output to the rectifier in the regulator). Connections are very critical and can give some very strange symptoms. My experience has been that batteries give more problems than all other charging/starting system components. Starters can be troublesome, especially since many of the small Japanese starters develop corrosion and high resistance between the brush holder plate and the starter frame/housing. If you know what and how it is a simple fix. HIH Norm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

The Sigma I have I bought from Aerostich, packaged with the 'extra-long' sensor wire, to reach a bicycle's rear wheel. It was plenty long on my DR350, and just long enough on my KLR 650. Chris ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Duncan Cooper" Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:08:01 -0000

>Here's what I do... > >Go down to Radio Shack and ask for a rare-earth magnet. They come two >or three to a bag and are about 1/8 inch in diameter. Find an >unobstructed spot on the disc and slap it on. Good ta go. I rode this >way for hundreds of miles and the magnet never moved; then got anal and >put a drop of superglue on it. The beauty of this is that the rare - >earth is SO strong, you can locate the pickup much further from the >magnet and it still generates a strong signal. I use them on all my >bicycles too; it eliminated fiddling with the pickup to get it to work. > >And a question: On my other bike the standard wire length from the >computer to the pickup was too short. Does the Sigma unit require >the 'tandem' (ie extra length) wire length to reach the wheel ? > >Regards > >Coop > > > > > > >Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com >List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html >Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > >