maybe parasitic draw? 2014 VFR800 (non deluxe) help!

Hello all! I just recently purchased a 2014 Honda VFR800 Interceptor (non deluxe version) and I have run into this super weird issue.

I purchased this motorcycle about four weeks ago. About a week after purchasing it the battery died. push started it to get it home and the battery charged enough to start for a few more rides. then after it sat for about 4 days i went to start it and the battery was dead. So i replaced it and chalked it up to being an old battery and bad timing. So with the new battery I rode it to work and back apx 50 miles per day. and the battery died on me exactly 18 days later. Would not turn the engine over and the lights were dim or completely off on the dash. I took it back to Oreilles and got a replacement for free. I also bought a multimeter to see if i could test if there was a parasitic draw on the battery. I tested the battery when i first got the replacement.

brand new battery... key off: 12.68 idle: 14.65 and at 5k rpm: 14.47 after 100 miles of riding (four trips to work, apx started bike 5 times)... key off: 11.93 idle: 14.20 at 5k rpm: 14.16



I am not experienced with electrical stuff at all and I am looking to see if anyone can help me or guide me on how I can diagnose this/ fix this. I keep reading that the VFRs are known to have a bad R/R so could it be this? This is a used bike but in very good condition. it is not the deluxe version as it does not have ABS but it has the OEM hand warmers. All batteries including the battery that came with the bike were Super Start AGM battery part number (ETZ12S)



Where do I start or is this an obvious parasitic drain? Any help will so appreciated!



Caleb Dollard (Tulsa Oklahoma)

feel free to reach out to me if you are in the area or have info that could help!

Calebdollard@gmail.com or 303-505-1257

 

Turn the ignition off. Disconnect the negative battery lead. Connect an amp meter between the negative terminal on the battery and the negative battery lead. You should only have about 22 mA of current draw.

 

Hey, good job with measuring and troubleshooting!!! You found good clue here:

This is not parasitic drain because you've got immediate low-voltage right after ride. Parasitic would show up as high-voltage 13,8v or so right after ride that drops to 11,9v after sitting overnight.

This shows charging system is NOT charging up battery properly. It could be stator output, could be rectifier/regulator or it could be bad wiring/connectors in between, or ALL of them (very unlikely). You can utilize parts-canon lots use and replace ALL those parts and it'll certainly solve problem. But is wasteful of time & money. Instead, you can do couple more measurements and find exact problem. Then you'll only have to replace ONE faulty component, or even just repair broken wire.

1. Very 1st thing, inspect 4-wire red start-solenoid connector. This is responsible for distributing power from RR to rest of bike's circuit and recharge battery. Highest-rated 6,3mm spade-connector I could find is 24a, Honda uses it in 30a circuit with disastrous results. Corrosion on bare-brass terminal starts whole downward spiral creating resistance and generates heat which causes more corrosion, erc. Note that burning starts under crimp due to insufficient contact surface area (only touches on tangent of circle of wire-strands).



If this is fried, DO NOT repeat Honda's low-spec mistake, upgrade to better-than-OEM whenever possible. Use tin-coated terminals, wards off corrosion and transmit higher current without as much heat. Use proper ratcheting open-barrel crimper that squeezes air out from between strands and performs dual-W crimps onto wire-end as well as onto insulation for strain-relief.



Wouldn't hurt to dab little bead of solder at tip of wire since solder conducts electricity better than air. Increases conductivity of joint over 600%. Also prevents moisture from creeping down between strands, causing corrosion and green/black wire disease.


credit: https://www.cycleterminal.com/crimp-tools.html

 

2. next up, inspect connector between stator and RR. Three yellow wires to RR connector.



Many people have tried to replace this with new connectors, but made same mistakes as Honda. Bare-brass terminals with crimp-only joints. It's made even worse by having TWO crimp-only joints in row, so double heat!!



Ultimately, through lots of trial & error by lots of people, many found only long-lasting permanent solution is proper Western Union/linesman splice. I discovered this technique while working at NASA then later learned that Army and Air Force also uses it.



No need to pre-tin thicker stranded wirea, too difficult to wire-wrap. Instead, I prefer to lightly sand bare wire-ends to remove corrosion. Then knot and apply some paste flux before soldering.

 

UPDATE. Thank you guys for all the help! I tried everything and eventually took it to the mechanic to get it fixed. He had it for about a month now and called me two days ago saying it was the most complicated motorcycle electrical problem he has ever had.
He said the culprit was the regulator/rectifier. the complex thing was that the battery drain was happening very inconsistently. Sometimes overnight, sometime only for a few seconds. After going over it three separate times he found out that the R/R was faulty and was drawing power both when they key was on and off. he stated the draw was anywhere from something super super tiny to a crazy amount of power for seconds at a time.

NOTE: this was a facebook marketplace purchase and is super nice condition aside from the last owner losing all kinds of plastic bolts and screws. I am assuming this is why he gave me the fantastic deal of trading my 22 Suzuki GSXS-750Z with 17k miles and 3 wrecks for his bike.

All in all I wanted to thank you guys for the downright crazy amount of detail and time you put in to explaining things to me. It will not be forgotten at all!

 

Hey Caleb, thanks for updating. You didn't say, but I assume a replacement reg/rec was fitted and the problem is now solved? Interestingly, yours is the first reported reg/rec failure on an 8 Gen that I'm aware of .

Just so you know, there is a new VFRDiscussion site where you can download the owners and workshop manuals for your bike for free. The latter includes all the various diagnostic test procedures for all the various bits of kit on the bike should you ever need them (hoping not!). The link to the site is here:
https://vfrdiscussion.nl/index.php?sid=12e57d4a13c98f302a9d39cfaba7da8a