Battery charging

Stereo · Post by **Stereo** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:32 pm

Please answer ONLY if you know a factual answer, please dont guess....

The gixxer got a flat battery recently.... Thought the battery was poked so I bought a new one.... The next day, battery flat again....

Now...

When I plug a battery into the bike (fully charged) I get a V reading of 12.10v...

If I hold the meter to the battery whilst reving the bike I get about 12.7 at 6000rpm...

Is this a normal reading for a healthy bike charging system?

Gosling1 · Post by **Gosling1** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:53 pm

No - a healthy charging system should give you a reading of 13.8v to be *specific*...........

SocialSecurity · Post by **SocialSecurity** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:54 pm

shes fucked mate

rec/reg for sure

rocketrod · Post by **rocketrod** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:55 pm

No,it doesnt sound healthy too me.Your battery should be about 12.5 volts and your charging should show 13.5-14.5 volts.

Gosling1 · Post by **Gosling1** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:03 pm

...The next day, battery flat again...

apart from a fucked regulator (pretty common with Suzuki's BTW), it also sounds like you have a short somewhere in the electrical system that is draining the battery in double-quick time ?? Has it got an alarm system or hand-grip warmers, something like that installed ??

Only guessing mate

, but unless we can *stand next to your bike with a multimeter and check everything*, its a *tad* difficult to guarantee a *factual* answer........elimination of all possibilities is the go when diagnosing electrical problems.......

SocialSecurity · Post by **SocialSecurity** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:11 pm

.... or perhaps a day of riding around with a brand new battery that wasnt being charged drained its life away

either way dont leave the battery flat, thats a good way to kill them. stick it on charge till you get a new rec/reg. be an idea to charge up the old one too, as it just might still be good... and it will stay good if you leave it on trickle charge or just give it a few hours once a month. or it will make a sizeable paper weight

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:45 pm

Gosling1 wrote:No - a healthy charging system should give you a reading of 13.8v to be *specific*...........

I am with Gos....

min when charging is 13.5v up to about 14

checked the drive to the alternator is ok??

Stereo · Post by **Stereo** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:31 pm

Smitty wrote:
Gosling1 wrote:No - a healthy charging system should give you a reading of 13.8v to be *specific*...........

I am with Gos....

min when charging is 13.5v up to about 14

checked the drive to the alternator is ok??

Remember, its like 12.8 at 6000RPM, this bike revs a lot higher than that..... I could probably get it to go higher....

Gosling1 · Post by **Gosling1** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:36 pm

Stereo wrote:....Remember, its like 12.8 at 6000RPM, this bike revs a lot higher than that..... I could probably get it to go higher....

Most m/c charging systems are designed to provide maximum charge at much lower revs than that......once you get over idle basically, you should be at or very close to, maximum charging rate.

Wish I lived around the corner, we could test your regulator and sort it out within 2-3 beers

.

Have you checked out the gixxer sites for any tips ?

Groggles · Post by **Groggles** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:15 pm

insert witty yet crude homo-erotic joke here

rocketrod · Post by **rocketrod** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:37 am

Yes you should get max charge at about 4000rpm.Your charge going into the battery will depend on how healthy the battery is.If it is full charge then you will prolly get a reading of around 13 volts,but as you said your battery was flat,then you should have around 14 to 14.5 going in.
If your battery went flat standing overnight,then as said above i think you have a short somewhere.This would also not help your charging system.
Sometimes a stuffed reg/rect will cause a short to earth if it is stuffed internally.If you are not sure what you are doing i suggest you take it to an auto elec as you could end up doing more damage.

ducati_paul · Post by **ducati_paul** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:35 am

Here's another battery question for you lot! ... I want to give the track bike battery a "Tickle up" before EC on the 10th, do i have to disconnect the terminals or can i just attach the charger to the battery with all the wires in place?

BladeBoy · Post by **BladeBoy** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:40 am

Answer: In Place.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:55 am

rocketrod wrote:Yes you should get max charge at about 4000rpm.Your charge going into the battery will depend on how healthy the battery is.

thats the whole point of a regulator
it allows a maximum charge depending on the state of the battery
up to a point...the charge going in will NOT get higher the faster the alternator turns over (becoz of engine revs)
The regulator works to stop overcharging ..and boiling the battery

.If you are not sure what you are doing i suggest you take it to an auto elec as you could end up doing more damage.

good idea....becoz there are lots of things that can be the cause
the rectifier in the alternator could be acting up
the regulator could be stuck shut or open or shorting
there could be internal resistance in wiring
get someone who know whats what

hth

Duane · Post by **Duane** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:00 am

Stereo

If ya battery is fked, ring Bond Batteries in ballarat, ask for seconds..

Just have the model of the battery with you

If they have any instock you'll be able to get one for under a hundy, and a nice ride