Hi guys, ok i have the cbr 600 94 reg. now ive always had an issue with charging on this bike, its fine when i run it without the lights on but when i use the lights it can drain the battery, so i tend to run it without the lights. I changed the reg for a new finned type an when i fired the bike up i noticed that the lights seem to dim when the revs are increased, surely they should go brighter? any ideas?

 

First thing to check is whether or not your battery is the sealed type or one you can top up with distilled water. If it is the top-up type, check that there is enough distilled water in each cell and use a motorcycle battery hydrometer to check the specific gravity of each cell. It will be easy to see if one or two differ from the others. If it is the sealed type, then, with the engine running, check with a multimeter set to direct current voltage, across the battery terminals for an increase in voltage when you rev the bike. You're looking to find an increase in voltage of around 13.5 to 14.5 volts. From your symptoms, I'd say you won't see an increase, which may be a fault with the alternator. Having said that if the battery is going down it coud be that you need a new one. The fact that your lights go dim when you rev the bike indicates you're not getting a charge and since you changed the recitfier it points to the alternator. Before spending any more money, take the battery off the bike and give it an overnight charge and see if that improves things. If not then use the 'how to check your charging sytem' feature at the top of the General Tech page on this forum. One last thing; check the earth connection from the battery to make sure you are getting a good contact, as this may stop the circuit through the frame.

 

Dang you're good Highway. +1 all the way. ;-)
Ern

 

Thank you for your kind comments!