GSXR600 not charging battery.

[SIII]

Some assiatance required from the the wise org!

My neighbour has a GSXR600 on a 57plate, only done 3k on it since new! Got it out last month, and the battery was flat, fitted new battery and it was OK for a week and then won't start, left it for a month and now battery got 2.5v.

I have put my spare battery on it and starts fine, put meter across battery and it reads 12.2v even when engine running. Check current drain when bike off and it is 0.2A. (no aftermarket alarm fitted)

Questions - I would have thought there should be 0A drain when bike is turned off? Pulled all fuses and still there is a drain!

What could be broken if the bike is not charging? (I only really have car expierence) Is there an alternator on a bike?

Would a knackered reg/rec cause this problem? (Everytime i hear about charging problems, someone always puts reg/rec at fault) What does reg/rec do?

Any assistance would be appreciated. ;)

[Bibio]

doubt its the RR. could be a corroded wire somewhere. but the biggest problem is the bike is not being used 3000 miles in 5 years no wonder its got gremlins.

[Sid Squid]

left it for a month and now battery got 2.5v.
A battery as flat as that after a month is either proper knackered or is being drained.

I have put my spare battery on it and starts fine, put meter across battery and it reads 12.2v even when engine runningWhich may not be enough, so regulator may be the problem, but at what engine speed did you check the voltage? This is important.

Check current drain when bike off and it is 0.2A. (no aftermarket alarm fitted. Questions - I would have thought there should be 0A drain when bike is turned off? Pulled all fuses and still there is a drain!There's never no drain, semiconductors aren't perfect, but 0.2A is a fair bit. There might be a clue there - if you removed the fuses other than the main one the regulator would still connected, is that what you did? Try again after disconnecting the regulator - does the drain go away?

What could be broken if the bike is not charging? (I only really have car expierence) Is there an alternator on a bike? Totally different systems - motorbikes make electricity by magic, thus there's no need for an alternator or regulator or any of that rubbish.
OK, that's not true, they work pretty much the same, yes, there's an alternator, the only difference is that most bikes have separate alternators and regulator-rectifiers whereas most cars have them all built in as one. Mostly this is a matter of packaging.

Would a knackered reg/rec cause this problem? (Everytime i hear about charging problems, someone always puts reg/rec at fault) What does reg/rec do?Well most people haven't got a clue and trot out the usual, common problems without understanding what it means, but if they said it this time they'd probably be right. Regulator-rectifier: Rectifier takes alternating current, (AC), produced by alternator and by means of diodes rectifies it to DC, (battery can only work on DC voltage). As alternator speed varies, (it turns with the engine), the voltage output also varies, (can be 100V or more at high engine speed), regulator keeps voltage at nominal 12V, (actually 13-15ishV).

It's always worth checking the wiring and I'd check the alternator output, but the results you've got so far point to a regulator failure.

Any assistance would be appreciated. ;)
I'm hoping there's some written above here.

[SIII]

Thanks. Will try disconnecting reg/rec and see if current drain goes away.

Its kinda what I suspected but wanted confirmation from someone wiser.

Cheers.

[Sid Squid]

wanted confirmation from someone wiser.
Wait, what?

If you wanted someone wise you'll need another website, we won't be able to help you there, sorry.

[embee]

Wait, what?

If you wanted someone wise you'll need another website, we won't be able to help you there, sorry.

True, true.

If you want some more drivel however...............
quiescent current (that stuff described above about when everything is "off") shouldn't be more than a couple of mA on a standard bike. Aftermarket alarms can sometimes be quite hungry in this respect, but 0.2A is way way above anything normal.

That sort of discharge rate suggests a major component fault, and our dear old friend the reg-rec is a likely culprit, allied to the lack of charging volts and it's an odds on favourite.

Lead acid batteries don't like being flat for any length of time, the plates change irreversibly if left flat. It's then a paperweight. Yours could well be in this category by now, but sort the potential reg-rec issue first and you never know, it could be resurrected. Be aware a really dead battery can mess up charging volts measurements, though if it's still just about serviceable it shouldn't.

A useful link for checking charging circuits
http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf

[SIII]

That looks the bizz, embee. Cheers. Will print off and have a check over, thanks.