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Electrical Troubles #1,489,489,489
Here's my story:
Just started riding, bought a bike back in mid-august, a '79 XS11. The guy I bought it from did not use it as often as I was intending to.
Fast forward to about 1000 miles later on the bike, I just fill up at a gas station and am unable to start the bike. I was able to get it started by pushing it, but it stalled, and pushing that thing fast enough to start without a hill around ain't easy. The bike jumps fine and I drive it home.
The battery tests bad so I buy a new one, which lasts for my 100 mile ride to Gainesville, but doesn't start again without a jump. I've read through these forums, and through the Clymer repair manual that came with the bike. Today I just got a digital multimeter and found that the battery had somewhere around 10 volts going across it, but it's probably significantly drained, but still, with the bike on, not enough volts to charge the battery.
Looking through the receipts and maintenance records that also came with the bike, I see that the rectifier/regulator was replaced sometime in 2004 or 2005, along with some of the electrical wiring. Most of the connections I've looked at look ok, maybe somewhat corroded(white spots) but nothing huge.
Today I tried to check the resistances and voltages associated with the regulator unit. From the unit there's a plug with a brown and green wire, and I tested the resistance between each of these prongs and the frame of the bike, getting something ridiculous like 1.7Megaohms. Turning the ignition on, I didn't get any type of voltage reading between either of these wires and ground. There's also a plug with a green and brown wire next to where the connection box is (behind the right panel of the bike next to the battery), but that box isn't actually there on my bike, the wires are just kinda jumbled around back there, which might be good considering some of the complaints I've seen with connections in that box corroding. So, I don't know if that green and brown wire connection is the same one that comes out of the regulator/rectifier, but I get similar results testing it. The Clymer book also suggested testing the 5 or 6 white wires (which goto the stator) for their resistance, and I got some results that were higher than the book specified, but at least in the ball park.
I also read through a link that Geezer posted describing testing methods.
So, if I'm not getting any kind of voltage across the green or brown wires coming from the regulator, does that definitely indicate a faulty unit? Considering it's relatively recent replacement, is it normal for these things to go bust every 3 years or so?
Replacing the regulator would definitely be easier than messing with the alternator, but I want to be sure. Is there a way to test that the alternator works, even if the regulator is bad? Also, the Clymer's book says to test the voltages from the regulator with the bike on, but considering I have to remove the gas tank and disconnect that connection, I don't really know how to do that, unless the connector next to the battery is indeed the same one. Right now the only way I can start the bike is to jump it, and the battery charger I have is back in Jacksonville, so I don't know if it's worth driving back to get it or just buy another one, but I assume I need to have a fully charged battery to get good test results for the alternator.
Also, with the bike on I put a thin piece of metal next to the alternator, and found that there was a very weak attraction. I used an eraser shield for drafting class, which probably isn't affected very much by magnetic fields. Probably aluminum.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I need to ride again!
-Eric
Just started riding, bought a bike back in mid-august, a '79 XS11. The guy I bought it from did not use it as often as I was intending to.
Fast forward to about 1000 miles later on the bike, I just fill up at a gas station and am unable to start the bike. I was able to get it started by pushing it, but it stalled, and pushing that thing fast enough to start without a hill around ain't easy. The bike jumps fine and I drive it home.
The battery tests bad so I buy a new one, which lasts for my 100 mile ride to Gainesville, but doesn't start again without a jump. I've read through these forums, and through the Clymer repair manual that came with the bike. Today I just got a digital multimeter and found that the battery had somewhere around 10 volts going across it, but it's probably significantly drained, but still, with the bike on, not enough volts to charge the battery.
Looking through the receipts and maintenance records that also came with the bike, I see that the rectifier/regulator was replaced sometime in 2004 or 2005, along with some of the electrical wiring. Most of the connections I've looked at look ok, maybe somewhat corroded(white spots) but nothing huge.
Today I tried to check the resistances and voltages associated with the regulator unit. From the unit there's a plug with a brown and green wire, and I tested the resistance between each of these prongs and the frame of the bike, getting something ridiculous like 1.7Megaohms. Turning the ignition on, I didn't get any type of voltage reading between either of these wires and ground. There's also a plug with a green and brown wire next to where the connection box is (behind the right panel of the bike next to the battery), but that box isn't actually there on my bike, the wires are just kinda jumbled around back there, which might be good considering some of the complaints I've seen with connections in that box corroding. So, I don't know if that green and brown wire connection is the same one that comes out of the regulator/rectifier, but I get similar results testing it. The Clymer book also suggested testing the 5 or 6 white wires (which goto the stator) for their resistance, and I got some results that were higher than the book specified, but at least in the ball park.
I also read through a link that Geezer posted describing testing methods.
So, if I'm not getting any kind of voltage across the green or brown wires coming from the regulator, does that definitely indicate a faulty unit? Considering it's relatively recent replacement, is it normal for these things to go bust every 3 years or so?
Replacing the regulator would definitely be easier than messing with the alternator, but I want to be sure. Is there a way to test that the alternator works, even if the regulator is bad? Also, the Clymer's book says to test the voltages from the regulator with the bike on, but considering I have to remove the gas tank and disconnect that connection, I don't really know how to do that, unless the connector next to the battery is indeed the same one. Right now the only way I can start the bike is to jump it, and the battery charger I have is back in Jacksonville, so I don't know if it's worth driving back to get it or just buy another one, but I assume I need to have a fully charged battery to get good test results for the alternator.
Also, with the bike on I put a thin piece of metal next to the alternator, and found that there was a very weak attraction. I used an eraser shield for drafting class, which probably isn't affected very much by magnetic fields. Probably aluminum.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I need to ride again!
-Eric
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