Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

umm i was gunna buy a cheap multi meter from the hardware store just to have in the shed..they start from abt $20...so its not great..but for the occasional use...

Neka79 wrote:umm i was gunna buy a cheap multi meter from the hardware store just to have in the shed..they start from abt $20...so its not great..but for the occasional use...

it's good enough really

I got a multi meter and a bike with a similar problem - have killed 3 batteries in 18 months. Redwing think I may have an intermittent fault with my rectifier (as they have tested the bike before). A new rectifier is $270. If I put the bike on the track and pull out the alternator and run straight off the battery, will I even need a rectifier? and can someone lend me enough cash to by a new 10?

photomike666 wrote:I got a multi meter and a bike with a similar problem - have killed 3 batteries in 18 months. Redwing think I may have an intermittent fault with my rectifier (as they have tested the bike before). A new rectifier is $270. If I put the bike on the track and pull out the alternator and run straight off the battery, will I even need a rectifier? and can someone lend me enough cash to by a new 10?

no you wont need a rectifier if you track it

buy an aftermarket reg/rect , ebay has em

plugs are different so either hard wire or use the plug on your existing reg

other option is to fit a volt meter and keep an eye on things

Strika wrote:

mrmina wrote:strika, it might be handy to use a multi meter instead of the bulb pen.

As I don't own one, then it will have to suffice. One would assume we are looking for a leakage, not the amps or voltage! So I reckon it should do the job

maybe on this particular occasion, u should be right .... if you can find the problem let me know and i'll help out.

i haven't lost a battle to an electrical fault/problem yet.

I dunno if I missed anything, but I don't see in your post where you actually say what the problem actually is?

Dan wrote:I dunno if I missed anything, but I don't see in your post where you actually say what the problem actually is?

Thats because I dont know what the problem is...... the battery went flat.... I bought a new one, it went flat again....

I take it to a mechanic, they dont fix it......... or even figure out what is wrong...

Stereo wrote:Dont know why suzuki cant fix this themselves..... You would think a mechanic would be taught how to locate electrical faults...

Mechanics are mechanics, not electricians. Its like asking a tyre-fitter to service your transmission ....

If all the electrical system components have been *checked* and are all OK (as indicated in an earlier post), then you have 2 dud batteries, thats it. Buy a new one and bung it in. (Did you see any results of testing against the standard specifications ? Or did Suzuki simply tell you that all the electrical components were OK ?)

If this new battery also goes flat, then at least one of the individual components *is not* OK, someone has fed you a line of shit about the components being *OK*, and whatever component is stuffed, will need to be replaced. Suzuki reg/rects are always failing, I would bet my left nut that you simply have a dud reg/rect, get it replaced and your problems will dissapear.

Take the fairings off, take it to an auto-electrician , not a mechanic, and leave it with someone who knows *exactly* what they are doing. The advice from Suzuki that "the wiring needs to be checked" is a load of frogshit. Unless you have some really bad earths, or the wiring harness shows signs of stress (melted wires, insulation fraying, etc), then it is *highly unlikely* to be a *wiring* problem. (Possible, but unlikely).

Electrical problems are not like a blown head gasket - they can be very hard to track down to the source of the problem, it may not show up under some conditions, and basically you can chase your own arse for ever looking for the cause. Get a sparkie to fix it.

Dan wrote:I dunno if I missed anything, but I don't see in your post where you actually say what the problem actually is?

So the problem is the battery keeps going flat....


How quickly is this happening? Ie. How long after you charge the battery and fit it does it go flat?

Also try d/c the head light and see if it takes as long. Just to determine if the charging system isn't keeping up with the power usage.


Dan

dan's the auto elec