Zero Knievel Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Here I am in Oregon, and on today's ride I saw the voltmeter drop to less than 10v and even flicker. No loss of performance in the bike, I was going around 80 at the time. I've been doing a lot of hours in the saddle for the last 6 days. This had me worried, but when I eventually slowed down, the meter jumped back up to 13.5-14.5 on a consistent basis. I suspect the R/R is going, but what are my odds? It's not overcharging (greater than 15v), but I'd think if the battery was at full charge, it would hold steady at about 12v. Should the R/R be failing, what is likely to happen? I'm hoping I can make it back home without being stranded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB4XX Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Could toast the stator and battery. And be stranded on the road...watch the guages, if they start jumping around, your time is very limited. Maybe pull the headlight fuse during the day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Check your PM. My cell phone # I'm located in Springfield and have a trailer if neccesary. I am working Saturday. All day off Sunday. I would carry an extra 30A main fuse. If the R/R shorts it will take the fuse. Remove the rear cowl, unplug the R/R, replace the fuse, pull the connection on the headlites. Your good for about 75 miles in highgear @ 75mph. Ask me how I know? Edit: your XX has fuel pump, mine doesn't. Mileage will be less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 Thanks. I hope it isn't serious. The system seems okay when I'm parked and testing by revving the motor, but I'm wondering if I should replace the R/R when I get to Bend, OR, but getting a R/R might be difficult on short notice, and I won't get to Bend until Saturday afternoon...late. If the local Yamaha shop has a compatible R/R, I could reimburse someone for picking one up. So long as nothing fails on me tomorrow, I'll get to Bend and can switch out R/R units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I will check with Ramsey-Waite Yamaha shop tommorow. I will be home about 4pm. I see you are still up. CALL ME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonXX Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I found an R1 R/R in stock in a shop in Austin for $102. It seems that Yamaha shops keep them in stock while Honda shops don't. Check your PM's again, like CALCXX I'm about 3-4 hours away and have a spare you can have if you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverbird1100 Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Pull that headlight fuse, could be the stator also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 Well, here is where I stand. For the most part, I suppose the system is working normally, but the whole dropping below 12v (down to 9 or 8 for a moment at a time) happens when the RPMs are upward past 5-6K. Keeping it around 4-5K, the voltage stays in a normal range. I'm in Bend, OR right now. A guy who suggested he might be able to put me up never PMed me back, so I suppose I'll find a motel for the next couple of nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I checked with both the Honda and Yamaha dealers in the Eugene area. None on shelf. All say 4-5 working days out. JonXX has a spare in Portland. Want an escort to Portland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 No. I'm not sure what's up, but it starts and runs fine. I don't see anything anomalous unless I get it up over 5-6K. I might just gamble that I won't have a problem for the rest of the trip. If I didn't have the Datel installed, I'd not even know something was odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomek Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Are sure you are getting correct readings from your Datel ? Honestly,I don`t think you would get spark with less then 10 V. Try multimeter straight to the battery. Does it happen every time you rev it passed 5-6 k rpm ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Are sure you are getting correct readings from your Datel ? Honestly,I don`t think you would get spark with less then 10 V. Try multimeter straight to the battery. Does it happen every time you rev it passed 5-6 k rpm ? Talking with CALCXX, we think it could be an odd connection of the Datel, but we can't be sure. It's not that it goes below 12v and stays there. It's that it bounces from 14.5 down to 8v at random. Supposing I have no problems the rest of the way, I'll need to connect the Datel and a multimeter to the battery and see what both read when I test. The odd behavior is prominent when I push past 5K, more so past 6K. Under 5 and definitely under 4, it's fairly stable. At least, that's what I've noticed so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 CALCXX brought his multimeter on today's ride. He's of the opinion that my Datel has a bad connection or is defective, but my R/R tests fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Yes, my Fluke meter records the min/max voltage. Your datel "blipped" 10v reading on the display and I trust my Fluke more than I trust your Datel. Mike be sure to inspect the plug connection @ the R/R again the first chance you get. The terminal that usually fails is in the corner and that terminal shunts the uneeded current to ground. Some darkening can be expected. Blackening is unacceptable. You mentioned a recent inspection and all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonXX Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Are sure you are getting correct readings from your Datel ? Honestly,I don`t think you would get spark with less then 10 V. Try multimeter straight to the battery. Does it happen every time you rev it passed 5-6 k rpm ? Yep... If it's dropping to 7-8V, and still running right, and the gauges aren't jumping around like crazy, it's a voltage problem to the gauge... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 When I get home, I'll put a multimeter to the leads running the Datel and see if the readings match. If yes, the Datel is fine and it's the connection I need to work on. If the readings don't match, it's the Datel that's defective and not the connections. I'm not an idiot with wiring, so I'm figuring it's possible I got a faulty voltmeter, but since I noticed this problem after the lowside, there's a chance something came lose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Yes, and if you're running it off of your fused power, it could also be that the connection at your fuse, or on your relay is a bit intermittent... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 Well, I found out it's the connection. As soon as I pulled the lowers off, one of the wires to the voltmeter fell free. Once reconnected, the voltmeter kept pace with a multimeter directly on the battery; didn't see an error factor of more than 0.1 volts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
none Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 What does it mean when I replaced the R/R and the new one also gets fired within a few miles of riding? Here's the OEM R/R looks to be fried, wiring seems to be in good condition: The new unit got pretty hot to the touch just idling at around 1500 rpm for about a minute, battery voltage was reading healthy 14.4v around 3000 rpm.. The after a short ride of 6 miles, the idling voltage dropped to 12.4 and doesn't get above that even when engine is reving at 3000 rpm.. and R/R was hot to the touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted August 15, 2009 Author Share Posted August 15, 2009 R/R is supposed to be hot. It's channeling a lot of voltage. Anything with cooling fins/heat sink is fair warning that it gets hot. If parts are melting, it's too hot, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
none Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Does anyone know the power generating difference between 97-98 Blackbird stator vs 99-07 Stators? Here's a pic of the stator that's currently on my 98 Blackbird.. Does it look like a OEM stator for 97-98 model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willxx23 Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Does anyone know the power generating difference between 97-98 Blackbird stator vs 99-07 Stators? Here's a pic of the stator that's currently on my 98 Blackbird.. Does it look like a OEM stator for 97-98 model? Don't know if there is any difference in power generating but that looks identical to the one I just replaced in my 00. I ended up replacing both the R/R and stator after initially only replacing the stator thinking it was the only problem, its been perfect since so if I had to do it all over I'd just replace both if they are of any serious age...mine were original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Does anyone know the power generating difference between 97-98 Blackbird stator vs 99-07 Stators? Here's a pic of the stator that's currently on my 98 Blackbird.. Does it look like a OEM stator for 97-98 model? The actual wattage I don't remember, but the 99+ stators have a higher output to handle the EFI. The wiring connectors are completely different for the 97-98 model vs the 99+ model For the 97-98 model, the connectors connect up to the main wiring harness under the tank. On the 99+ models, it's got a longer wire that connects up to the RR on the riders left side of the bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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