Greetings, fellow CBR 1000F enthusiasts:

"Independence" is me giving a problem.[:'(]

A week ago, the battery went dead without warning.

I thought the existing battery was bad (it was pretty old), so I changed it out with a new maintenance-free battery.

Today, I rode for about 15 miles, and could not get it started afterwards - the new battery was dead again.

From reading different threads here, I believe I have a bad regulator / rectifier.

Symptoms:

1) Battery will not take a charge from the alternator on bike.
2) With bike engine running, battery does not charge at any running speed.
3) Suspicion at this point regulator / rectifier in tail cone on left side has gone bad.
4) No heat / electrical damage discovered at regulator / rectifier.
5) I called the local Honda shop, and they wanted $257 for a new regulator / rectifier.

Have read warnings about riding bike in this condition, so it is parked, pending resolution of this problem.

Any help / suggestions / recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

KV

1998 BMW R1100RT "Freedom"
1990 Honda CBR 1000F "Independence"

 

I dont know whether this will help but mine did the same except I was out on the open road when she died I Knew it was runniing on th ebattery as the motor started to miss and I didnt have indicators. It just so happnes I connected up my engine imobliser and alarm and had knocked or shaken loose the white charging lead so pulled them all apart sprayed some WD40 into the connection as it started after pusing it and the battery regained its charge. So basicaly check you wiring under the left hand side cover and pull apart and re connect the wires ?? you never know.

[IMG]local://upfiles/7739/E8EE7FA7BA954AF7BE474600399A8CE5.jpg[/IMG]

 

check voltage at battery when bike is running, should be around 13v - if marginally less then its not getting charge
check charge lead coming from alternator-maybe it has become dislodged.
check with multimeter for presence of voltage at regulator-both in and out.

if this fails, check the fuel pump relay(does your model have a fuel pump? my 87 does) if the relay is buggered your fuel pump will continuously circulate fuel draining the battery.
good luck

 

Hi, all:

Thank you for the recommendations - am going to work on it today to see if any of the thoughts shared show some symptoms on what otherwise has been a flawless bike.

Will report back here what I fine for the forum to use.

Thanks again - any other ideas are welcome.

 

Latest news:

My buddy, Dennis, who has the shop, hardware / tools, and wife (emphasis on Donna's support), to support a thorough investigation, and I, worked on "Independence" (he worked, and I observed as a good student should), following the service manual recommendations to the letter for troubleshooting an electrical problem. Here is what we discovered:

1) The rectifier / regulator checks out as good (nothing discovered unusual whatsoever)
2) The alternator checks out as good (took it apart and verified the shaft is not broken as well)
3) The battery checks out as good (no surprise - it's new)

Next stop is Rick's (http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com) tomorrow to relate the situation / symptoms. We believe the regulator is ultimately the culprit, but we shall see.

Anyone else having any thoughts are welcome to publish them here.

I feel like I am piloting "Ironman 1" - for reference, see the movie from 1967-68, "Marooned." Unlike the Apollo Command / Service Module propulsion system in the movie, my engine WILL fire, but my electrical system should be charging the battery on "Indy," and isn't.

Thanks.

 

Pages 14-4 to 14-7 of the 1990 Honda manual show how to test the charging system. At 5,000 rpm, a digital voltmeter across the battery terminals should show between 13.5-15.5 volts. Did you charge up the new battery for 10 hours at 1.4 amps after you put the acid in?

Here's what happened last week to my 1979 Suzuki GS1000. Charged up the old battery and went to the store. Battery's dead. No one had jumper cables. Finally an old guy had them but his arthritis was so bad I made the connections and it started right up. Bought a new battery from Auto Zone and charged it for 12 hours. Checked voltage across battery: 13.6 at idle, decreasing to 12.8 at 5,000 rpm. Disconnected the rectifier (It's so old it has separate rectifier and regulator) and checked continuity. It was fine. Disconnected the regulator and found corrosion in the yellow wire. Cleaned it, connected it, and checked battery voltage: 15.9 at idle, increasing to 16.8 at 5,000. The voltage regulator is bad. Unbelievably, they are still available from Suzuki for $180. But all regulators are the about the same. I'm going to the junkyard and will get a $15 one from a Yamaha and only connect the regulator wires and leave the rectifier wires alone.

 

If the bike is still apart and Dennis is still available, have him check for continuity from the regulator / rectifier to the battery (make sure the wire is still intact). Last time my bike did what yours did, it was the regulator. Rick's sells them for approx $100 through the dealers. If you have a hook-up at a dealer, they run about $75. My personal opinion: avoid the Electrosport stuff. My replacement crapped out in 2 days, then they sent me the wrong one (still sitting in my truck after 3 months waiting to be shipped back [sm=smiley17.gif])

 

Greetings, fellow enthusiasts:

News from Rick's:

The rectifier / regulator condition is reported as:

"It's dead, Jim."

Will have a new r /r tomorrow.

Thank you for all your help.

 

When you get the replacement in, do the mod that Tripps had posted a while back. It involved adding a pair of heavy ground cables and a heatsink to the R/R due to the lack of cooling.

 

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

There's just a little bit of trekkie in me too.