How does the charging system work

I have an 86 with a bad charging system. what all is involved with this. I know on a car its pretty much just an alternator. However I am not familiar with working on motorcycles and the parts store mentioned something else, windings i believe.

What all about it do i need to know that i wouldn't know from working on cars?
thanks

 

It's a little different on a motorcycle.

The stator contains windings that create an electromagnetic field that generates electricity. This part is in a fixed position and a reluctor wheel mounted to the crankshaft spins inside of it. This part is located behind a round cover on the right side of the engine. There are three wires coming from this unit (yellow on my bike) through the Vee of the motor and to a connector on the right side of the bike. You can test the stator by checking for continuity to groud at any and all of the three wires. If you have continuity, most likely, your stator is toast.

From there, the wires lead to the dreaded regulator/rectifier (R/R). This part regulates the amount of electricity that is sent to re-charge the battery, which is next in the electrical line. There are some specific testing scenarios for the R/R, do a search for R/R and you'll find much more information. Based on previous experience, I'd guess this is the bad part in the equation.

When compared to cars, the R/R is generally built into an alternator, such that there is only a couple of wires coming from the alternator.

The battery is the third and final part that might actually be bad. A fried R/R can ruin a perfectly good battery (also speaking from experience). There are also voltage tests that you can do at the battery with the bike running to make sure the battery is good. Generally, you want a reading of 12.8V across the terminals on a non running bike, and somewhere north of 14.4V at idle, tailing off as RPM's increase.

I hope this helps.

 

Thank you very much. ill have to find my meter.

 

You need to buy the Honda Service manual for your bike. The testing proceedures are easy to follow.

On your bike the battery is NOT being charged at idle speed....charge will only start around 2500 rpm

idle speed is ADJUSTED by small black knob at left side front carb....look!

You need to buy a small 1-amp battery charger.