Battery/Rectifier? Please help

[Spanner87]

Hi there,
Just got my Sv 2 weeks ago, at first it was fine but after going away for a week it now will not start. I thought it might be the battery until i looked on here and now think its the rectifier or stator,

I'll give a list of what I have checked and stuff so people can give me their thoughts.
I should also mention that it has an aftermarket meta alrm fitted (not by me) but the alarm siren does not work on it.

Bike didnt start after sitting for a week, charge battery, bike starts but not often, sometimes it would start, other times it need to be pushed.

bought multimeter,
Battery read 10v, bump started and went for a spin, battery read 12.5v.

went to test generator coupler (the 3 pin plug thing on the back right but couldnt get a reading for continuity,( the multimeter did nothing!!!) multimeter does work cause when the terminals of the meter are touched it reads 0.

check battery again - 12V, bump started and test at 4000 rpm, reading 13.2V

Checked the red white wire socket thing at back right by seat and found whitish film of hard powder, did best to clean but didnt get far.

Should also add that the starter does turn over but very weakly,

Also the alarm doesnt seem to have been wired in very "professionaly", i.e tape and wires all over the place.

Please help me out, I can check more stuff if you tell me what to do.
thanks in advance

[Baph]

Hi, welcome to the house that is mad!

It sounds to me like there's a dodgy earth somewhere in the poor alarm wiring, which is bleeding your battery dry whilst the engine is off. This then leads to you not being able to start the engine, but as it's bump started, the regulator charges the battery slowly (as it should do).

Check the regulator/rectifier output (do a search on here, there's some very good guides on what you're looking for). If that's fine, charge the battery & avoid using the alarm (the siren doesn't work anyway, so what's the point?)

When you have the chance, first, buy an Optimate (or similar) to charge the battery from household mains (don't use a car charger!!) and rip that alarm out. Optionally re-fit the alarm with decent wiring.

[Spanner87]

i'm going to get rid of the alarm when it stops raining, it arms automatically so i cant turn it off,
when i have time i'll try rewire it properly cause it has an immobiliser which is really handy.
thanks

[glang]

Ive had some fun trying to sort out a similar problem in the past - its a pig cos the generator, regulator and battery all affect each other so for example you replace the battery as u diagnose, correctly, that its knackered but its like that because of a regulator fault so the same thing happens with the new battery! Anyway the best is to start with the simple and easiest to check stuff. You want to find out if there is a drain on the battery with the ignition off - for example from the dodgy alarm. This u can do by selecting DC amps on the multimeter and connecting it between the red battery wire and the positive terminal, note: THIS MUST BE DONE WITH THE IGNITION OFF AND NEVER CONNECT THE METER ACROSS THE BATTERY IN THIS MODE OR IT'LL BE KNACKERED OR WORSE. Anyway when connected there should be no current flowing and if there is u need to find out what is causing it. Try this and let me know the result before we pass on to the next stage. One thing Ive been told is never to bump a flat bike (or car), its best to recharge the battery with a charger cos using the engine to charge it can blow the generator/regulator with the high current demand :smt090

[yorkie_chris]

Alternator not working? I doubt it ... check that you have multimeter set to ACV not DCV

4krpm giving 13v with a flat battery, that sounds like it is charging, sort of. Repeat the test with a CHARGED battery at 5krpm with the headlights on.

Meta alarms tend to immmobilise automatically after 30 seconds, you have to arm alarm manually.

[Spanner87]

its def the battery being drained, cause i charged up the battery, electric started and went for a spin, came back and disconnected the battery, went for a spin again later again with lecy start, so my battery is bing recharged but when turned off it gets drained.

Is there anywhere i can get a woring diagram/ manual for my meta alarm/immobiliser, i've checked their website but not much on it

[yorkie_chris]

Nah, you need to just figure out where they've bodged your wiring and bypass it all. Loads of fun.