IcePrick Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 '97 bird with an aftermarket voltage monitor. Original stator, R/R, 25k on the clock. HID, heated grips/gear but the latter is disconnected. Before I left for Florida, the battery was dead. Jumped it, wont charge while riding. Charged it overnight, no luck. It was an auto parts store brand, and had been off the tender for some time. I put a fairly new battery from another bike in, lit right up. 13.7v while at speed. Fast forward to day two of the trip. 12.8v showing before I hit the starter. Had to wait a long time at a major intersection with some construction work, maybe 8 minutes at idle (cool temps, I don't think the fan came on). Pulling away from the light, I hear the low voltage alarm chirp and see 11.1v on the display. Charges above 3k RPM just fine, and when pulling into this rest stop, no voltage drop when I stopped and idled for a minute. Thoughts? Guesses? Incantations? Voodoo sacrifices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Now at 14.1 - 14.6 at speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmike Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I suspect the battery - especially if it wasn't fully bench charged before it went into the (first) bike... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Stator. Mine was doing about the same thing on a couple of trips year before last. I got about 1K of riding out of it before it had to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Stator. Mine was doing about the same thing on a couple of trips year before last. I got about 1K of riding out of it before it had to be replaced. Put the battery on a charger, make sure it's FULLY charged... once it is, keep an eye on it from here on out. IF it's not being consistent, then stator is suspect.. as Philip suggests. No charging is either Stator or RR. I would also check the stator leads, on a 97 they connect into the main harness under the tank, and then into the RR on the rider's left side of the bike under the tail cowl. It's possible that they're cooking/loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I vote for the R/R. You indicated the voltage keeps fluctuating. Don't think a bad stator would do that. Bad battery is a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Not the news I was hoping for, but I'll take a look at the leads/connections. It's now in the high 15v to occasional 16v area when at speed. I don't ever recall seeing over about 14.5v before... But when an R/R goes, isn't it just gone? Do they die an agonizing death? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I've not heard of anyone producing a studied account of component demise that was conclusive. Fluctuating voltage would more probably indicate the regulator or a connection point than the stator itself. As you're on the road and limited in what you can do, I suggest you sticking to basic plan. #1. Check and clean the regulator plug and mounting point. #2. Buy a battery at some discount retailer. $65 or so won't look like much when you can easily swap it out and be functional should whatever it is that can't make up its mind goes tango umbrella. #3. Continue to monitor your voltage. That's your damage control unless you are on an extended vacation/road trip. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Good advice, as always. Tomorrow morning I will take apart all the leads/connections, get a new battery, and try to source a R1 R/R in Daytona. Even if it isn't the R/R, I want to upgrade anyhow. Thanks for the help - I'll report what I find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HANKSXXX Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Good advice, as always. Tomorrow morning I will take apart all the leads/connections, get a new battery, and try to source a R1 R/R in Daytona. Even if it isn't the R/R, I want to upgrade anyhow. Thanks for the help - I'll report what I find. R-1 regulator uses a different plug IIRC so plan on getting that too. BTW, I have a buddy in Daytona...Lemme know if you need some help from a local... Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Good advice, as always. Tomorrow morning I will take apart all the leads/connections, get a new battery, and try to source a R1 R/R in Daytona. Even if it isn't the R/R, I want to upgrade anyhow. Thanks for the help - I'll report what I find. R-1 regulator uses a different plug IIRC so plan on getting that too. BTW, I have a buddy in Daytona...Lemme know if you need some help from a local... Hank Many thanks - local help is always good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 The trip to Daytona went fine, steady at 14.3v - 14.7v. I'm convinced it was the battery. Made it home at 2PM today after 5 hours in 36* weather with the electrics going full blast. Tomorrow I'm going to take things apart and check all the connections to be sure there isn't anything egregious hiding. Then I'm going to get a stator to have as a spare and change the R/R to the Yamaha. I've searched, but the forum seems to be full of the keyword "regulator", "R/R", and "Stator". Can someone point me to one with all the info I need to do the conversion? I think someone makes a solder-in adapter harness? Who has decent prices and/or a board affiliation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HANKSXXX Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 For R-1 style regulator: http://www.roadstercycle.com/ Great service, great advice, kit for wires to the stator, the connectors in this kit make the factory one's look like a bad joke. My bike has been trouble free since installing this kit. If you go this route, get in touch and I'll give you some helpful suggestions on where to connect the wires. For aftermarket stator and good electrical advice: http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/ OEM stator...just price shop the net If you get the stator from Rick, Have him lengthen the wires and bypass the connector under the carbs. Last suggestion is a 99 and newer rotor...according to Rick at Ricksmotorsportelectrics, the stators on all Blackbirds are the same with the exception of the connector. The extra output on the FI bikes comes from a change in magnets in the rotor. It was a cheap and easy swap so I figured why not. Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 I got the R-1 style R/R from Roadstercycle.com as recommended by Hank. I also ordered a Shorai battery (the 18amp), so when that shows up, I can test the stator before doing the install. I really think it is okay and the issues stemmed from my flukey battery, and the R/R is a peace-of-mind thing. I'll remove (hardwire) the stator connector under the tank if it shows ANY signs of heating, and clean it and apply dielectric grease if not. I'm thinking of applying heat sink paste to the back of the new R/R for extra measure. While buying the Shorai, I bought one for the 990 Adv and the 530EXC-R. And a special Shorai charger. That was an expensive phone call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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