Well I had 2500 carefree miles - until today

[Mastiff Rider64]

15 volts does seem like a little much. Can't remember what the readings with meter suppose to be at stator and on the battery side of the VR but might want to check those and post your findings on here, but it also will depend on the charging system too,. 32 amp or 40 amp.

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

15 volts does seem like a little much. Can't remember what the readings with meter suppose to be at stator and on the battery side of the VR but might want to check those and post your findings on here, but it also will depend on the charging system too,. 32 amp or 40 amp.

My take is that the meter is off by about 0.5v as then those numbers would be dead on. 13.3 for a Lead acid is above the norm of the chemistry involved on AGM/SLA etc batteries.
Years ago when I had my business I had a freelancer working with me, we were scheduled to go out on a service call -- He had just bought a brand new oscilliscope, mine was probably 10yrs old.
I happened to have access the week before to the calibration unit for scopes.
His was so far off that the work he would have done would have made the machines interoperable with each other.
My unit was so close I didn't need to even do anything to it.
First thing I'd do with the meter, and don't laugh, is change/check the battery.

 

[Sven]

The old battery; were the sides of the battery bulging out? No.
Did the battery give off a sulfur smell as you road it that day it died? No.
Does the headlight stay on all the time? I'll guess yes.
Did we see 13.v with the low beam on with the new battery? Yes?
We have no H/L connected at all and now the volts read over 15.v? Yes.

I'd hook that high beam up and check the voltage input to the battery again. Strange it read 13 and then popped up to 15. Strange again with all that riding, there is no mention of overcooking that old battery so the case blows out it boils the fluid and expands inside to push the walls out.

I can see 14.7-14.8v at a peak and balance off to 14.4v. But if 15.3v, remains steady and does not drop off to 14 and change, change out the V/R.

 

[Drdave427]

The old battery; were the sides of the battery bulging out? No.
Did the battery give off a sulfur smell as you road it that day it died? No.
Does the headlight stay on all the time? I'll guess yes.
Did we see 13.v with the low beam on with the new battery? Yes?
We have no H/L connected at all and now the volts read over 15.v? Yes.

I'd hook that high beam up and check the voltage input to the battery again. Strange it read 13 and then popped up to 15. Strange again with all that riding, there is no mention of overcooking that old battery so the case blows out it boils the fluid and expands inside to push the walls out.

I can see 14.7-14.8v at a peak and balance off to 14.4v. But if 15.3v, remains steady and does not drop off to 14 and change, change out the V/R.

Old battery was an AGM and showed no signs of trouble - On my charger it bounced around form dead cell to 10 volts to taking a charge for a second. I checked the voltage immediately after charging the new battery so I expected it would be high but I’ll look into it today again.
I can’t hook a headlight to it at all until I get a new connector- this volt meter I’m using is brand new- it’s a little different than what I have used but seems to be a good meter - I paid about $100 for it - which means nothing ! Thanks for your advice - I’ll keep sorting thru this
I DID ride trouble free for a couple hours Sunday — stopped at an intersection and it quit like the key was turned off — never missed or sputtered or stalled - just quit - I pulled the seat off and nothing was loose , extra hot or smelling burnt

 

[Drdave427]

My take is that the meter is off by about 0.5v as then those numbers would be dead on. 13.3 for a Lead acid is above the norm of the chemistry involved on AGM/SLA etc batteries.
Years ago when I had my business I had a freelancer working with me, we were scheduled to go out on a service call -- He had just bought a brand new oscilliscope, mine was probably 10yrs old.
I happened to have access the week before to the calibration unit for scopes.
His was so far off that the work he would have done would have made the machines interoperable with each other.
My unit was so close I didn't need to even do anything to it.
First thing I'd do with the meter, and don't laugh, is change/check the battery.

The meter is brand new - the best one Lowes had - (most expensive) I haven’t used it enough to trust it yet I guess - I may take some pictures of the readings I’m getting with it — the meter I have used for 20 years is not as precise as this new one is

 

[Mikeinjersey]

The meter is brand new - the best one Lowes had - (most expensive) I haven’t used it enough to trust it yet I guess - I may take some pictures of the readings I’m getting with it — the meter I have used for 20 years is not as precise as this new one is

It's Lowes take it back and try another one to see if you get the same readings. Maybe check the 2 meters you have on your car battery to see if you have a difference. I use an LCD voltage indicator from Battery Tender that plugs into the quick disconnect from the charger. It was around $15 . I got it to monitor my battery while on the road so I can get back to the barn if the circuit breaker pops for some reason or the charging system goes south. I highly recommend it for after you get your problem fixed . It gives peace of mind to know all is well in battery land.

 

[Sven]

Who said check/replace the meter's battery? Probably 9v. 20 year old meter is analog? Meaning, a needle swing, squint the eyes and see where it lands on the scale? This hudolla meter is digital and reads with numbers and a decimal point? Formula says; I build a clock be it analog with the second hand or digitally numbered, ohm law says it's only built one way, be it a cheap meter or a fluke kind of quality. A volt is a volt is what time is it? I gotta go.

 

[Drdave427]

I checked this 3 times now with different meters - 2 of them show 12.8 volts not running — 13.5 volts idling - and will go over 16 volts when I increase RPMs and chicken out and turn it off — 16 volts for sure on 2 different meters — they are digital meters - one is brand new
Looks like I need a voltage regulator too —but haven‘t tested the VR yet. I did unbolt it and the back of it look fine- not burnt looking like some I’ve seen —. Wow my dream machine is needing some more attention I guess.
Would a VR going out cause the headlight connector to fry and ruin the battery ?? It sounds feasible to me

 

[Drdave427]

Who said check/replace the meter's battery? Probably 9v. 20 year old meter is analog? Meaning, a needle swing, squint the eyes and see where it lands on the scale? This hudolla meter is digital and reads with numbers and a decimal point? Formula says; I build a clock be it analog with the second hand or digitally numbered, ohm law says it's only built one way, be it a cheap meter or a fluke kind of quality. A volt is a volt is what time is it? I gotta go.

I was told to check battery in meter – I got 1 ancient Simpson analog and 2 digital meters — one is brand new and will even show temperature and frequency - Never saw that in an ohm meter — I appreciate your help and I’m sure I’ll need more !

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

Who said check/replace the meter's battery? Probably 9v. 20 year old meter is analog? Meaning, a needle swing, squint the eyes and see where it lands on the scale? This hudolla meter is digital and reads with numbers and a decimal point? Formula says; I build a clock be it analog with the second hand or digitally numbered, ohm law says it's only built one way, be it a cheap meter or a fluke kind of quality. A volt is a volt is what time is it? I gotta go.

I said check the battery -- I have digital meters that are 20+ yrs old.
The first Fluke DVM was 1977 -- that was 43yrs ago -- time flies.
Analog meters even to this day have advantages over digital and it is usefull to have both, especially with erratic issues. Analog responds much faster and you'll see a intermittent swing on a needle that can easily be missed by most DVMs.

 

[Drdave427]

I said check the battery -- I have digital meters that are 20+ yrs old.
The first Fluke DVM was 1977 -- that was 43yrs ago -- time flies.
Analog meters even to this day have advantages over digital and it is usefull to have both, especially with erratic issues. Analog responds much faster and you'll see a intermittent swing on a needle that can easily be missed by most DVMs.

I replaced the 9 volt in the new one after you suggested it — The Simpson I have is an old one too - like me -I’d rather use it when I can !
Thanks Mike

 

[Drdave427]

I made a video of it with a correct meter on it securely and it idles at 13.5 and will go to 16.5 volts then I get scared and stop — I’ve checked everything by the manual -I”m convinced it is the regulator - going by such high voltage.
Thanks for all your help and advice

 

[Mikeinjersey]

I checked this 3 times now with different meters - 2 of them show 12.8 volts not running — 13.5 volts idling - and will go over 16 volts when I increase RPMs and chicken out and turn it off — 16 volts for sure on 2 different meters — they are digital meters - one is brand new
Looks like I need a voltage regulator too —but haven‘t tested the VR yet. I did unbolt it and the back of it look fine- not burnt looking like some I’ve seen —. Wow my dream machine is needing some more attention I guess.
Would a VR going out cause the headlight connector to fry and ruin the battery ?? It sounds feasible to me

Yes an over-voltage could do that. Check the VR for sure. Then move on to the Stator and Rotor. Get instruction for your specific bike. They have different amperage ratings.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

I made a video of it with a correct meter on it securely and it idles at 13.5 and will go to 16.5 volts then I get scared and stop — I’ve checked everything by the manual -I”m convinced it is the regulator - going by such high voltage.
Thanks for all your help and advice

16.5 on 2 meters tells you the story.

Up to you if you just want to change the VR or just replace the whole system while you working on the bike so you know what you got and plenty more amazing years of service out of it.

Think Eric Wolf will tell you about his stator going out at a BBBQ that cost him a new battery and losing a day to party. Rode home on a brand new battery pulling over for gas and I think only shut it off once in about 400 miles

 

[Mastiff Rider64]

I think someone suggested the Stator and VR a while back???? depending on which one it was...

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then...lol

 

[Drdave427]

16.5 on 2 meters tells you the story.

Up to you if you just want to change the VR or just replace the whole system while you working on the bike so you know what you got and plenty more amazing years of service out of it.

Think Eric Wolf will tell you about his stator going out at a BBBQ that cost him a new battery and losing a day to party. Rode home on a brand new battery pulling over for gas and I think only shut it off once in about 400 miles

Thanks — I’ll be calling you I guess !

 

[Sven]

... - and will go over 16 volts when I increase RPMs... It sounds feasible to me

Right. Look at a 32a stator. Half the sweep north is 16, and half the sweep south is 16 = 32a. There are 3 parts to the charging system; batt/vr/stator. Stator makes its own E up each wire and that is 16v say is the constant. The vr is the volt changer from AC to DC and regulates the 14v values, where the 1.6v is sent to ground.
Whereas the vr is still in the wiring loop, but 16v passes over/thru the wires and all 16v enter the battery, and that surface 16 heads for the bulbs and blows them out due to so much resistance built into the bulb... filament being a mini fuse and a light source, so a new vr is needed. Then check voltage stability.

Some swap all of it out even with a good stator blowing out bulbs. Again, your bike, your call, but throwing parts at is is one way, and diagnosing individual parts is another. Or said another way, you don't take a suppository for a headache, and you don't take aspirin for constipation. It's either or in other words.

Edit:
Yeah, the AC could backwash and heat the stator on the reverse. But that might take awhile to burn out the stator if there is the 'for every action'...etc. Only your fluke knows for sure if the stator is still serviceable.

 

[Drdave427]

ZIP TIES !!!!!!!!!! And road grime —

 

[Drdave427]

It's Lowes take it back and try another one to see if you get the same readings. Maybe check the 2 meters you have on your car battery to see if you have a difference. I use an LCD voltage indicator from Battery Tender that plugs into the quick disconnect from the charger. It was around $15 . I got it to monitor my battery while on the road so I can get back to the barn if the circuit breaker pops for some reason or the charging system goes south. I highly recommend it for after you get your problem fixed . It gives peace of mind to know all is well in battery land.

I picked up one of those Battery Tender LCD sticks — nice little tool ! Thanks for the info Do you have it mounted where you can see it while riding ?

 

[Mikeinjersey]

Yes , it's mounted so I have easy access if I want to check if the bike is charging. Usually at a stop light. Did the VR test bad or did you decide to go for the complete system?