Died Today On The Highway

[killbee]

Ok, went for a ride today up on the parkway and everything seemed fine. Road about 1 hour and got onto the highway to head home. I was trucking along at 65mph and my gauge cluster goes blank but the engine is still going. 1 minute later the bike dies in front of traffic while I'm in the passing lane. I finally get to the shoulder and stop, turn the ignition off and back on and the gauges come back on but it clicks like a dead battery. I get trailered home and check the voltage on the battery and its 11.8 volts. I'm charging it now, but shouldnt the bike keep running even if the battery dies? Could my stator be bad or something else. Anyone got any ideas on where I should start? As soon as the battery is charged I will try to crak it and see what voltage is at the battery with the bike running. What should that voltage be?

[929trf]

Sounds like stator or regulator to me. If you battery goes out while riding there wouldn't be enough to keep everything running (fuel pump, headlight, gauges, etc...). Especially if if the battery is not getting charged.

after you charge it back up, put a volt meter on the battery with the bike running. Flip your headlights to bright, and rev it up to 5000 rpms and hold it. Your volt meter should be reading in the 14-15V range.

If not in that range you have a stator or regulator problem.

[killbee]

Charged the battery up to 12.6 volts. When I cracked it up the voltages dropped to 12.4 volts and never anymore. Reved the motor and the volts dropped another .10. Which one could it be or just change both?

[HAVOC]

bikes are not like a cars electrical system where if the battery goes dead the alternator will keep it running. on our bikes if the battery dies so does the bike.

there are 3 main components to the electrical system; battery,stator and regulator/rectifier. if any one of these fails then it puts a drain on the others which can cause to premature failure. its a domino effect.

so lets say that your reg/rec is bad that will cause your stator to go bad which then leads to your battery draining and dying. usually you can tell if the reg/rec is bad by simply looking at it and seeing if there are any burnt or melted wires. chances are this is your problem without doing any electrical tests you wont know if the stator is bad but if you can afford it just change everything at once. trust me you dont wanna be out riding and get stranded again.. ive had it happen to many times , this is why i suggest changing the reg/rec and the stator. piece of mind is invaluable

[killbee]

Ok, I pulled the tank to access the connectors to the stator and the regulator. The connector from the stator was completly melted and the wires were melted back about 6 inches. The connector to the regulator was also melted but not as bad. What would have caused the to short like that, it melted all the way thru the outer boot covering the connectors.

[bambam]

the 900rr goes thu this at mid life, mine did the same thing, replaced the stator and the rectifier, put a good charge and problem gone. the melted wires are a giveaway, good news....when you buy your stator it will be pre-wired with a new harness.peace

[HAVOC]

when the stator or reg/rec goes bad this is a clear indication. replace the stator, reg/rec and charge up your battery and you will be fine

[phokoff]

damn i was ridding the other day, went all day and came back home and it was fine. Sat i went for a long ride and stoped somewhere on the road to get something to drink and then bike wouldnt start.