Electrical Woes - have gone through the routine still no dice

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by radicaledward, Nov 20, 2013.

  1. radicaledward

    radicaledward New Member

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    Hi guys - I'm having the electrical issues on my 2nd gen RC24 that seem all too common. I didn't realize until I did some reading on here that the fact that my bike would cut out while waiting at a light meant I probably had some battery or R/R/ or alternator issue. Anyway, I ended up just getting a new battery because I simplistically figured that had to be the issue. Replacing the battery outright didn't seem to do the trick, however. The bike will start once, but won't crank over again after that. So I went through that thread that talks about testing the R/R, the stator, etc. Indeed, I found a melted connector between the stator and R/R. I couldn't pry those apart, so I just cut the wires and reconnected them (The three yellow ones). I tested the R/R continuity as stated in the manual and it checked out. Did the same with the resistances of the yellow wires coming from the stator which were all fine. I checked charging current back to the battery and that seemed to be okay too (+ current to battery at higher RPMs) Still having the same problems though. So here are some questions I have now:

    1. The battery is a 12 V battery, which apparently should have 13.2ish V on it (6 x 2.2 or 2.3 or whatever). I'm getting about 12.8 before I start it, 13.2ish when it's idling, and 13.8 at high RPMs which seems low. Is that right?

    2. The manual says that when doing charging output inspection: "use a fully charged 12 V battery (battery voltage above 13.5 - 14.5 V)" - wtf? how is that possible? Why would my 12V battery be producing 13.5 - 14.5 V before the motorcycle is even started? This is probably what is bugging me the most.

    Anyway, I'm not sure what to do next. I guess I'll go back to the battery place and have them charge up the battery or something. But I don't know if the R/R is bad or if the stator is bad as both check out. Looking through the previous owner's maintenance records, he seems to have gotten the stator replaced a couple years ago so I'm more inclined to screw with the R/R, despite the fact that it passes the tests.

    Any thoughts?
     
  2. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    Check the red connector on the starter relay.
     
  3. radicaledward

    radicaledward New Member

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    Thanks will do - as soon as this damn rain stops. That's the other problem - I live in FL, rains a ton and I don't have a garage and only manage to cover it up about 75% of the time. Huge amounts of moisture is probably what's causing these troubles.
     
  4. radicaledward

    radicaledward New Member

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    Also - is the starter relay the thing that "clicks" when I switch the key on to ignition? If so, I've been hearing that click without any issues
     
  5. rjgti

    rjgti New Member

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    a fully charged battery should be about 12.8 to 13 v dc. your charging voltages look about normal
     
  6. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Yes, but check the plug on top for evidence of wires melting as Tinkerbell suggested. Bad wiring there will reduce or eliminate charge going to battery even if the relay itself is OK.:distrust:
     
  7. radicaledward

    radicaledward New Member

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    Hey guys - just thought I'd follow up with some good news. I ended up fixing it (I think). Repaired the connection between stator and R/R (which appeared melted). Checked charging voltage / current per the manual, the R/R per manual and stator per manual - all of which were normal. Bike still wouldn't start. Resting voltage seemed a bit low so I just hooked it up to my car and charged it for 10 - 15 mins until it had a resting voltage of at least 13 V again. Bike started without a problem, and restarted again and again without any issues. So I guess all my messing about had just drained the battery and I wasn't letting it charge enough before shutting down and restarting.

    Been riding it for a week without any problems now, so far. The starter relay connection is melted but still functional (as yall figured it might be) so I'm planning in replacing that next. I still get nervous sometimes in traffic though, because engine will start sounding like it's about to lose power and shut off so I end up throttling to about 2,000 RPM to make sure it doesn't. 90% of the time it is completely fine. Wondering if R/R might be worth upgrading after all. The other thing is that gear-shifting is not very smooth. Sometimes I will downshift into first, coming into a traffic stop and I'll find that even with the clutch lever completely squeezed, the clutch is still partially engaged (if I let go of brake, bike will inch forward ever so slightly) and furthermore, I am unable to shift into neutral - it will go up into second but never halfway into neutral. I'm thinking this might also be a cause of losing engine power since in a way it is stalling. I'm gonna go through the service manual and see how to investigate the gear shifting mechanism.
     
  8. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Try bleeding clutch after cleaning the mc and draining out old fluid, replacing with new stuff.

    With a clutch that doesn't fully disengage, shifting will be hard and inconsistent.
     
  9. radicaledward

    radicaledward New Member

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    Thank ye kindly, squirrelman, I'm going to work on this today/tomorrow. Gotta love the beautiful FL weather (when it's not raining).
     
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