Went to the Fazer after leaving it for about 4 weeks. Pressed the starter and......... nowt.
Checked the voltage of the battery and it was 4.5v.
Jump started the bike and then measured the voltage at the battery at tickover, 12.5v. Revved the bike up to about 5K and the voltage was still 12.5V.
So, does this indicate a Voltage regulator or Alternator failure? I would have said it was the rectifier, because I'm getting a voltage coming in to the battery and if the alternator was US it wouldn't be giving anything out. Right?
I'm pretty sure the battery is US too, so ill get a new one.
So, do we have anyone out there who knows about such things on here?
I would say it's the battery.
I could change my opinion, but then we'd both be wrong.
Shouldn't there still be more voltage going into the battery than 12.5V @ 5K though?
05-06-16, 08:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-06-16, 08:04 PM by Grayo.)
It should be 14.3v at tickover so I would say there are dead cells in the battery. Especially as the battery has completely discharged in only a few weeks.
I could change my opinion, but then we'd both be wrong.
It could be the battery, but even with a duff battery the voltage should be higher at 5k rpm. An alarm could possibly flatten the battery in 4 weeks, especially if its a bit "tired". Both rectifier/regulator or an alternator fault are a possible cause. Its possible for the alternator to have shorted turns or some coils to be open circuit and still give some reduced output, so the 12.5v @ 5k rpm unfortunately doesn't completely rule out a faulty alternator. If you have a multimeter you can do some basic resistance checks on the alternator windings while you are waiting for your new battery. On the thou (gen 1) behind the LHS side panel there's a connector with 3 white wires. With this disconnected measure resistance on the alternator side between each of the white wires. Should be around 0.3 Ohms. There should be no connection (high resistance) between any of three wires and ground.
05-06-16, 09:18 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-06-16, 09:28 PM by Billy Balthorpe.)
Right, I went out on the Fazer this afternoon, and it started every time. Came home about 5. Just been outside (9pm) to check the voltage and its 12.45V with no engine running. I fired the bike up and checked the voltage at tickover and it was 14.5V. So it looks like the fairies have fixed it, it might have just needed a good bloody thrashing, which it got this aft.
I think I'm going to put the multi meter in line and check for a current drain when the ignition is off. There's got to be some reason it wont hold a charge for long periods.
Find a local garage with a Drop Tester and get them to stick it on the battery, if it won't hold charge, chances are it's a dead cell (or two).
Good idea, i'll nip into Foley Motorcycles tomorrow and get them to test it for me.
