Grounding problem? Or something else?

[ty]

Bit of background first....
I was a little absent minded thursday night... pulled up at home after work, pretty close to reserve and backed down the driveway to park it (driveway is pretty steep slope).
Tried to start the bike again about half an hour later and to cut a long story short I ran the battery pretty flat trying to start it before realising how close I was to reserve when I parked it and that the slope it was on probably meant it wasn't getting fuel. Doofus!

Anyway, jumped it off the car friday morning - started no problem, got into work, turned it off, turned it backed on just to make sure. All good, no problem.

Started fine to go home, but about 2 minutes from home the headlight starts going dim. Bugger, I thought, battery hasn't charged properly after all. Saturday morning I have to go to the shop to pick up a new front so figure I'd get a new battery too. I managed to push start it a few times saturday morning but when it comes to picking up the battery it won't even do that and I have to jump off the car again and hope I make it to the shop.

I make it, Gibbo swaps the battery over and checks things out. 'Hey Tone, your headlight's not working and the battery's not charging for some reason'. 'Shit' I say. He turns the bike off, turns it back on - the headlight's working now and the battery's charging. 'Huh?'. He does it a few more times and it behaves ok so off I go with both of us shrugging.

I get home and the headlight's not working again. So this time I pull it all apart, washing as I go, till the bike's naked - thinking maybe a wire has slipped somewhere and is getting squished. I try the headlight out - all good. Piece by piece I put it back together, checking the headlight's working each time. All back together and all still good and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I get up for the ride this morning and check it's ok - all good. Yay! Until halfway back from the nasho I pull up behind a car and notice the light's out again. GRRRR! I get home - still not working. I wash the car as promised, start up the bike to start checking it out again - this time a bit more scientifically with a multimeter in hand - and the damn light's working again! How can I find a short/problem when the problem's gone away?

This is damn frustrating but I'm hoping someone's got any specific ideas?
To me this is looking like a ground problem or a short - but why the hell did it start when the battery was swapped? Probably going to have to get someone else to look at it but thought I'd try myself first...
ty

[ty]

Damn - that was long. Sorry.

[Phil]

it was longer than your ride report

i thought it may have been a thread about you gringing your centre stand and i was gonna tell you how to fix it..........

then again we discussed the cure to that problem today..........

[Quarkz]

One of my friends had the same problem on his 85 ZX6R. He replaced the battery but it was still doing it. It turned out to be something or other (No idea) anyways, it was something that had metal wound around it and had to be rewound. Wow, you can really tell Im mech challenged. His had nothing to do with a grounding problem. Good luck.

[ty]

it was longer than your ride report

lol - it was wasn't it - well almost. I waffled a bit there too.

i thought it may have been a thread about you gringing your centre stand and i was gonna tell you how to fix it..........
then again we discussed the cure to that problem today..........

We did - but that first requires (put your ear plugs in Jason) robbing the reserve bank
Mebe one day when I'm all growed up and I've replaced my waifer-thin discs I'll be able to get me an ohlins like yours

Quarkz - you've made it so that whatever the problem is you're 100% accurate and therefore a guru. I'll let you know if it was the something or the other
ty

[dave#3]

i thought it may have been a thread about you gringing your centre stand and i was gonna tell you how to fix it..........
then again we discussed the cure to that problem today..........

Mebe one day when I'm all growed up and I've replaced my waifer-thin discs I'll be able to get me an ohlins like yours

I've been meaning to ask this for some time, this thread just jogged my memory

I am due to get off my P's in Feb next year and will be looking for a larger bike to carry my over-sized arse around (as an aside I found out today that I could comfortably sit at the lights with my feet touching the ground, though not flat-footed, sitting on the fuel tank of my ZZR-250)

A few months ago I was lucky enough to have a blast down the old road on a '95 ZX6R and was absolutely blown away by the handling ... it took me weeks to get the chubby back down and at that time I decided I was going to have a ZX6R if it was the last thing I did !

The only problem that I see with the ZX6R is the 160 Km commute I do each day - a ZZR-600 would be a more sensible bike, more suited to my commute and my lack of experience, but I always looked at them as a bit of a whale - big and heavy.

I am happy with heavy (see above regarding over-sized arse) but would like something that really handles, which (in a long-winded fashion) brings me to my question.

Can ZZR-600's be made to handle ? It doesn't seem that Ohlins do a shock for them but WP do seem to, and is it worth the investment in making one handle ? Is a shock and a bit of weight -loss program (for the bike, not me stoopid) enough to make it handle ? Am I dreamin' ?

As always, any help, opinions, advice, suggestions or otherwise are always appreciated.

[dave#3]

Sorry ty, I've gone and hijacked your thread .... it is the ksrc way though !

As for your electrical problem, I don't know for certain but I would be looking at a dodgey alternator or bad connection at the alternator (I spent a Christmas night on the side of the road with my old diesel truck running but not enough power to run my headlights 'cause of a bad connection at the alternator about 5 years ago)

I am more than happy for you to bring your bike to my place on the weekend and we can have a look - I'm no electrician but I've learned a thing-or-two along the way I suppose, and do have a reasonable range of tools.

Anyway, offers there if you like, and sorry again for hijacking your thread !

[ty]

Thanks - I'll see how I go this week and I'll let you know.
RE the ZZR - they can be made to handle well, just ask Phil.
He had an ohlins in his, so they do make them, and had it jacked up a bit with spacers.
Handled real well apparently.
ty

[spekt-r]

oz4x4 is correct, I would agree and say that its a prob with your alternator, Quarkz was also correct as your alternator can die and does have metal brushes inside and can need to be rewound, there is metal wrapped around the inside like in a coil.
For those that dont know the alternator is the piece of equipment that runs off your engine and produces a charge, this keeps your electrical gear running when the bike is going so it doesnt run off the battery and kill it. Racebikes dont have alternators so they constanty lose charge, this is where the term "constant loss" comes from.
If anything I just said is in some way inaccurate please correct me so im not corrupting others minds.

[dave#3]

RE the ZZR - they can be made to handle well, just ask Phil.
He had an ohlins in his, so they do make them, and had it jacked up a bit with spacers.
Handled real well apparently.
ty

Please Phil, tell me the secrets to your successes .... If I can make a ZZR handle without throwing a bazillion $$$ at it, I may just have the answer to which bike I am going to get - I only have another 113 days to decide !

[Smitty]

ty
sounds like the alternator regulator is on its way out....
works ...now and then....by the sound of it
and that will give symptons exactly as you describe...


cheers

[ty]

OK - all sounds reasonable.
Can someone explain though why it might have happened when it did?
ie something with the new battery? flattening the old battery? fluke?
ty

[spekt-r]

Like all mechanical devices they'll wear out eventually. Cant think of anything that would cause any problems with it.

[kwaka]

hey ty aren't electrical probs a bitch?
now i'm a bit vague on motor electrics as i've specialized on air con. systems(electrical) but i'll try
the easiest check(not scientific at all i can think of is) flex the wiring harness coming of your headlight? if it's a loose connection you'll know.
with regards to your alternator it might be worth doin' the same, check your wiring (plugs, cables etc,) i think there is 3 wires from memory
before we go any further is your alternator external or internal to the motor?(haven't had a chance to inspect a zzr6 up close, and i don't want to put my foot in it and steer you in the wrong path).
let me know i'll try to help if i can


Cheers PAUL

[ty]

Wiring harness for the headlight is fine - was flapping it around and moving it when I had the bike stripped.
Dunno where the alternator is though, and my Haynes is in a room on the other side of the house on a different floor and I'm too lazy and tired to move ;D
I'll have a squiz when I can - and thanks.
Can any mech fix the alternator or alternator regulator? Or do they need a licorice man (electrician) as I used to say a few years ago?
ty