MooseJaw Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 The situation: My '99 XX died in the middle of a ride last week. The bike hasn't been ridden much the past few months. Mostly short 1/2 hour jaunts around town even when it does get exercise. Anyway on this particular day, I had done about 2.5 hours of riding on a combo of freeway and backroads. Stopped for about 3 hrs shooting photos and then a bit of lunch. On the return, was stuck in 10mph traffic for about 30mins. I stopped at a 7-11 for a quick p-break before doing the freeway rest of the way home. Got back on the bike, she would not start... barely enough voltage to prime the fuel pump when I turned the key. Not enough to crank the starter. There were a coupla HD riders in the parking lot... I wasn't gonna become their joke of the day. So I did the big no-no for an FI bike. I got the bike rolling and bump started it. The XX started and got me home. When I got home, everything tested fine. Though, I replaced the '99 OEM battery since its about due anyway. Question: What could be wrong? - No big deal, just an old battery on its last hurrah - the rectifier/regulator (R/R) is about to go. BTW, I did a search and found a few threads about dying R/Rs. Didn't notice any of the dull wires sometimes indicative of failures mentioned in one of the threads. - something else ??? Like to hear your opinions. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 That battery already gave you more time than I'd expect. You mentioned heavy traffic; the alternator just doesn't put out enough power to keep the battery charged at idle. So don't worry about it, put in a new battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG BOY Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I have sort of a similiar problem myself. My bike is an '01 with original battery in it. When i'm riding, it's fine. But what i experienced was, when i got caught in a traffic jam, more than once recently i stopped to get a pack of smokes at the convient store and when i came out to start my bike, it was dead. I bump started it, then rode the rest of the way to work via back roads. When i got to work i shut the bike off, got undressed then i wanted to see if the bike would start, it did. So at the end of my work day i went to go home and the bike started no problem. it happened after that also in the same situation. I think the battery is on it's last leg personally. Am i right???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooseJaw Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 Thanks guys. BigBoy... that was exactly what happened. Wasn't sure if the XX shared the R/R problem with the VFR80's. Got the new battery in already, was a little worried... but no longer. thanks :cycle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodeRash Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 If you are still concerned about your RR, run a quick check with a voltmeter. You can get actual numbers from a Honda repair manual, but basically, you are looking for the following.... The voltage shown on the meter should increase when you rev the motor. The voltage should peak at around 14v. A failed RR may do one of the following. 1. It doesn't allow the system to charge (voltage will not increase with engine revs) 2. It no longer controls the output of the alternator, and the voltage could be showing more than the 14v. (say around 17 or so) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajjer9 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 heh anything over 14 volts will fry the battery fyi...just replaced my battery 2 weeks after failed regulator...the one i put on was putting out 18 volts...i figured a day or two with that one would suffice til i got the new one int the mail...it did but cost me the price of a battery...on the good side, walmart carries a battery for the XX and did not cary one for an f4i Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodeRash Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Per the manual. A fully charged battery should measure between 13.0 and 13.2 v. Check this first, and remember the number. Then, to check the regulator.... Check voltage at 5000 rpm with headlight on high beam. Voltage should read higher than the voltage check when the engine is off, and below 15.5 v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blkbrdrydr Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 A guy from Yuasa once told me that it almost takes a 1/2 hour ride at freeway speeds to just replenish the amount of current that was used to start the bike in the first place. If most of your riding consists of rather short hops, you should really keep a Battery Tender connected while your bike when you're not riding it. Other than that... a 1999 battery has already lasted longer than you had any right to expect it to and should be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motobeagle Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I had the same thing happen to me, but I was running a widder vest, chaps, gloves, GPS, and high beams (75w bulbs). The last leg of my trip was stop and go for about 20 minutes. I'm still going to check my r/r, but a new battery might be a good idea anyway. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 It sounds like your battery. Check this with a voltmeter as it should read very close to 13 volts with no load. IF it is the battery DO NOT simply install one and ride with it as this will not allow the battery to properly charge. Put it on a charger for at least one full day prior to th bike to attain maximum capacity. Believe me this makes a significant difference. Second. Get yourself a battery tender. This is a trickle charger that maitains your battery and draws very little curent from your house. There are several brands and types - BMW, Daltrans, and many others. I opted for the "Battery Tender" from DalTrans from tucmoto.com which ran me $40. I ride both bikes but still make sure that I have it on either bike. In the last few days my car was giving me grief too and this charger helped. The size is only about 4"x3"x3". Lastly, if your bike is more than about 3 years old go through each electrical connector and spray it out with electrical contact cleaner, got mine form Home Depot for about $4. This will really reduce the resistance and make sure you have good connections, do not use grease or oils as they will attract dirt. This should take only a few minutes to do the whole bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I agree with all the above (for the most part). :grin: Your alternator is designed to maintain your battery charge, not to be used as a battery charger. Stator & R/R life will be compensated if you try to use it as a battery charger. Use a battery tender if you operate high loads on a regular basis, or stop/go traffic, frequent starts in short trips, etc. If the battery is suspected of being low on charge, use a trickle charge for 24hrs to recharge it, or a 2 amp charge for at least 12hrs. A fully charged battery (without a surface charge) should read 12.6volts on a digital meter. To measure the battery right after charging, turn on the headlamp for about 5 seconds, then off. This will remove the surface charge. Running, you should be reading 13-15 volts, but if you're reading 15 volts at idle, you have a problem. Idling should be above battery voltage, and revving around 4k should show around 14V. Hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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