Ok, i've been reading around here and have been reading similar problems, but can't seem to find one exactly like mine. So here's the problem. On my 96' F3, the bike will either stall out at a stop, or not start the next day after riding because my battery is not holding a charge. The battery is still fairly new gel-battery (about 4 months I think). But it has not been charging properly the past few weeks. I'm not sure if it is the RR or what. After I take the battery off the tender, the voltage will read a healthy 12 volts, and when idling, voltage reads around 13-14 or so. So obviously it is being charged, at least i would think? Voltage doesn't go higher than 15 when i rev it so i don't think it is being overcharged.. But by the end of a normal (say 2-3 hour) ride, the bike will either die or will not start after i shut it off. So I'm afraid to even ride the thing on a charge because I've been stranded twice already. Please, any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

have you measured the voltage while the bike warmed up, such as after a ride? If not, retest it with the bike fully warmed as it can make a difference. sometimes, components don't fail until they are warm.

Other than that, it sounds like it should be charging. Maybe check for proper connection at the battery posts. Sometimes, the bolts are too long and they bottom out in the post and the wire terminal doesn't get fully clamped.

 

Thank you for your response. Yes battery connections are tight, ground is tight on both sides also. Good idea, haven't checked voltage after ride, will try that also...

 

Sounds a bit like an R/R issue to me.

 

pull the R/R and see if the connections are fried. hopefully you get to it before it does. mine fried the wiring harness for it and i had to put another one on

 

Ya hopefully nothing is fried. I'm going to check the R/R in a few days soon as the weather warms up a bit. Does anyone know if the RR could be working intermittently seeing as it was showing proper voltage when i tested it? Could it still be malfunctioning considering?

 

Yes, they can. Thats the main reason the bike needs to be brought up to operating temp. Electronics are finicky, and temperature makes a huge difference in how they perform. Get the bike at operating temp for about 20 minutes, then retest it. As others have said, you want to check the plug on the rectifier. they are known to fail there.

You can also measure the resistance across the leads on the stator. Generally with most stators, anything under 1.0 ohms of resistance is ok, but every bike is different and you will have to find out the spec of your bike. thats about the only sure fire way to test the stator to see if its good or not. If that test passes, its more than likely the rectifier. If the stator shows higher than 1.0 ohms, then it is shorted out and needs to be replaced. In order to do the test, unplug the stator and measure across all three wires. There is no order, just make sure you get all three measured. Such as, 1 and 2, 1 and 3, 2 and 3. if any of those measure over 1.0 ohms, then replace the stator.

speaking of temp. the test needs to be conducted with your amb temp being around 70F. that is generally where most measurements are taken. A slight varience is not a big deal, say 60-80, but if its 30 or degress out, your readings will not be correct.

 

Ok, thank you for all the help. Going to try my best at that, I have a multimeter but I'm not too good with it. Sounds pretty straightforward tho..

Also, just pulled the plug on the R/R and it appears two of the prongs on the connector are fouled up with melted/burnt plastic. Had to use pliers as it was kinda fused together. I'm actually excited to see that lol hopefully i finally found the problem! Is it ok to assume the R/R is shot? Hoping it didn't fry anything else along the wiring harness. Are there any other places on the harness you know off hand that I should check immediately?