Speedo Quit Working

[sly]

Originally Posted by DaBull

ya know that meter that i never got around to buying.............?

[dabull]

in the meantime i went out to the garage:

-Turned key on
-- head light, front lights, and frt blinkers worked
-- rear light on/worked
-- rear blinkers did NOT work

-Started bike (yes it started!)
--All worked, front and rear, blinkers too, BUT
--- rear blinkers seemed dim and the main rear tail light also blinked with the blinker(s)

Walked around bike for about 3-4 minutes scratching chin and head while it was running...

Grabbed throttle and revved several times....scratched chin again, revved throttle and it "hesitated" to rev...did this about 3 times, each time it hesitated....then she died....then see the video, volume up...


[flash=350,287:3qsprqs3]http://www.youtube.com/v/GPu4b0TRbeg&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:3qsprqs3]
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[trosco]

Derry, It sure sounds like your battery is giving up the ghost! But a bad ground can create the same symptom. Check all your graounds. Itf you don't find something loose take the battery out and take it to a batteries plus store. They will check it for free. It's 5 years old and that is about a reasonable life for one down here in the heat. So be prepared to by one while you are there! And say thanks that it did this in your garage and not on the first day of a week long trip!

[dabull]

thanks bro...batter 2 years old though...grounds all good....

New battery didn't arrive today.....old battery on charger all night/day....

- Checked it not running at 13.05v....
- Cranked her up (full charge remember)..... 12.35v
- Five minutes later, bike still running, 12.26v
- Five minutes later, bike still running, 12.17v
- Five minutes later, bike still running, 12.06v
- Five minutes later, bike still running, 11.82v
- Five minutes later, bike still running, 11.63v
- Engine off, 12.08v
- Re-start, 11.63v........can only presume that it would continue to degrade.....

[ringadingh]

Derry; it sounds like your alternator isn't working. If you have the bike running and check the voltage, it should read about 14.2 or close to that. If the bike is running and the voltage keeps dropping its telling me that it is running off the battery and not charging.

[dabull]

or the battery is totally shot??????????? not sure it would take a charge if this were the case though??? <not electrician by ANY means>

[ringadingh]

If you had it on a charger and it started the bike it wasn't dead, even if it won't hold a charge for a while. Once the bike is running the alternator should try to keep the battery topped up. It may also be the rectifier or voltage regulator gone faulty, but I still think its more than just a battery. If you have a manual check what it says to test the charging system.

[dabull]

thanks Ring.....i am currently in a state of denial.....lol

[ringadingh]

I don't blame you for that at all!
If you do install a new battery and the charging system isn't working it will run fine for a while and then quit, better to make sure everything is ok first.

[Yellow Jacket]

Derry,

From your readings it definitely sounds like a charging problem to me. It appears that neither of the two alternators is producing an output.

Two possibilities here.

1. Both alternators and/or both regulator/rectifiers have failed at the same time. If even one was still working you would still get about 14 volts with the bike running.

2. You have lost the ground to the alternators. There is only one ground connection to both alternators. If you lose this ground you lose output from both alternators.

Go to this link for the charging circuit:

http://www.kawanow.org/pdf/VN1600Man...icalSystem.pdf

Scroll down to page 43.

You will see a BK/Y wire running from the negative post on the battery, through a connector and up to a block labeled with the number 7. That block is joint connector 2. If the connector between the battery post and joint connector 2 comes loose or unplugged you will lose the ground to both alternators and will lose all output.

As an electrical trouble shooting procedure you always want to look for a "single point of failure" when multiple issues arise. It is unlikely that both alternators or both regulators/rectifiers would fail at the same time.

Hope this helps some.

[ve3hzz]

Originally Posted by DaBull

or the battery is totally shot??????????? not sure it would take a charge if this were the case though??? <not electrician by ANY means>

Nope, even if the battery was F'd and would allow you to boost it and then RUN you would see 14+ Volts at the battery as the charging system would TRY to recharge it. Even if the battery would not take a charge the charging system would try. The charging system would be the only thing running the bike. If the battery is discharging while running then it's a charging issue. I would suspect the voltage rectifier/regulator first. On Nomads there up front and get a lot of crap. Check the connectors for corrosion (had that on an old bike) pull the connectors and if corroded, clean up (baking soda works) and then use electrical contact cleaner/lube to stop correct this. If not that then more digging. I hope it's that (most common problem I've seen in electrical charging of most motorcycles).

Scott

[dabull]

Bob...Scott....Thanks for the info...will check these out :)

[dabull]

bike in the shop,,,getting new stators and rectifiers while it there...bending over, grabbing cheeks.... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks......

[Old Crow]

Sorry to hear that my friend. Any time I run into something that I can't figure out and end up dropping off either the bike or a car to the dealer, I usually walk away muttering to myself "this is gonna hurt".

And I suspect Burt Reynolds isn't around to help you out of this one.

Hope the bill isn't too bad.

[dabull]

<<-_(*^&_(#@$*(&_+{)(@W)(UERW}POJXLKNW)(*EU>> head down,,,,muttering...grabbin butt cheeks, wlakin funny....something about 5 bills...stator and rectifier...blah blah blah......(*&*(&@^#$)*&^@)#*&^PUIIUPOQHSKJQ*OE{O&