i posted a thread about 2 weeks ago. It was about my 88 hurricane having trouble starting after riding it and shutting it off then trying to turn it on right away. I charged the battery and it was running fine. I would shut it off and was able to start it right up. About 2 days ago it started acting up again. I went and bought a new battery (friday). It was running fine all day Sat. Then today (sunday) i drove it and went to start it up after about 5 mins. of it sitting and it would not start. It cranks like it wants to start but doesnt. So i let it sit for about an hour and it did the same thing. i finally got it to start and after about 1-2 mins it shut off like it ran out of gas. Just filled it up so it has a full tank. Could it still be the starter or could it be something else like the generator. Please help b/c i am getting very frustrated with it.

 

When I went and looked at an 89 on friday night, the EXACT same thing happened...it was corrosion on the connections, and the screws were a little loose, not saying that's what it is, but wouldn't hurt to check.

 

Check the connections/ connectors on the battery and Regulator/ Rectifier. The R/R and related connections are a big problem on these bikes. Buy yourself an inexpensive multimeter if you don't already have one.... you will need it. If it runs on a fully charged battery but dies after riding as you described then something in the charging system is most likely bad. Since the battery is most likely low after riding it, you let it sit for a while and voltage will come up a little, sometimes enough to start the bike and sometimes not, but the bike will still turn over. I would bet that the R/R or a connector is burnt/loose. Repost with more info.

 

i was thinking the same thing about the charging system,but wen i started the bike the last time it ran for 1to2 min. then shut off like it ran out of fuel. thanks for the quick re posts.

 

The bike will run on the battery alone but only for a short time since the headlight is always on. Check your R/R and connectors.

 

a manual and a multimeter/voltmeter are the two biggest troubleshooting tools. its hard to troubleshoot what you think might be happening. use your multimeter and tell us what exactly is happening. the manual gives values and step by step procedures to determine if your alt/regulator/battery or possibly even the starter is bad.
does battery voltage increase to 12.5-13.5 volts when you rev the engine?
what is the resistance between the windings through the alternator?
what is the resistance between the voltage regulator pins?
a multimeter is $5, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92020 ,or just spend money on parts until your problem is solved.

 

When i reved the bike to 2500 rpm the multimeter read 12.75 v and when it was at 5000 rpm it went to about 12.88 v. that is the battery voltage. not sure how to check the resistance. waiting for the repair manual to get here. Could it still be the charging system?

 

12.88 at 5000 rpm is way too low. Should be in the 13.5 - 14.5 VDC range. Yes, probably the charging system. Electricity comes from the stator anywhere from 20VAC - 60VAC depending on rpm, through the Regulator / rectifier 13.5 - 15VDC and then to the battery. There are only 3 components and 3 or 4 connectors. Some guys have bad connectors that have come loose and melted. Most have bad R/R's and I suppose a few have bad stators. Your meter should have an ohms setting. Set it on ohms and then touch the leads together, you should read zero ohms ( no resistance ). This is just a check to make sure the meter is working. You will have to take the gas tank off to properly troubleshoot this problem as all the connectors and the R/R is under there. You can check the resistance of the stator leads to ground, and to each other, and check AC volts with the bike running. This is easy to do and not as confusing as checking the resistance of the R/R. Anyway, there is a nice procedure to do this in the general tech section of this forum. Make sure to write down your results. Good luck. I just did this last year.

 

yes, sounds like the charging system. unbolt your tank, but you wont have to take it all the way off. use a block of wood or something to raise the back up a few inches. on the right side of the bike, right behind the airbox, should be a group of three wire connectors. unplug the square connector, should be on the inside/left, and have three yellow wires. one side of the plug leads to the voltage regulator under the seat, the other side of the plug goes to the alternator inside the motor.
set your multimeter to ohms, its the omega symbol, looks like a horseshoe. at either conector, touch the red lead to any yellow wire, touch the black lead to a different yellow wire. the resistance should be 0.1-1.0 ohms. move the black lead to the other yellow wire, it should be the same to close reading. check the other connector the same way.

 

and as stated before, check your wiring, and condition/tightness of connectors. use a pick to close the female terminal ends inside the connectors. also check and clean your ground wires. i thought there was one on the frame around the seat/tank area, and another towards the steering stem and thermostat housing.