MOT and Reg/Rec

I have just given my SV650 K3 in for an MOT and told the garage that I didn't think the battery was charging. I told them that the reg/rec might be at fault, and that maybe I should get a Honda one or something. THey said "oh no no no you should get a genuine Suzuki one, there have also been problems with Honda ones like the CBR600 and 750 blah blah blah". Is this just them trying to sell me a suzuki one, or are there problems with all makes? How much would a suzuki one cost?

I hate all this garage crap, but I don't have the tools or the experience to do a reg/rec by myself, and although the battery does seem to show 14V over the terminals when the bike is on, it still seems to be increasingly struggling to turn over and the voltage doesn't change when I rev the engine, so I still think something is wrong

Originally Posted by Warthog

I have just given my SV650 K3 in for an MOT and told the garage that I didn't think the battery was charging. I told them that the reg/rec might be at fault, and that maybe I should get a Honda one or something. THey said "oh no no no you should get a genuine Suzuki one, there have also been problems with Honda ones like the CBR600 and 750 blah blah blah". Is this just them trying to sell me a suzuki one, or are there problems with all makes? How much would a suzuki one cost?

I hate all this garage crap, but I don't have the tools or the experience to do a reg/rec by myself, and although the battery does seem to show 14V over the terminals when the bike is on, it still seems to be increasingly struggling to turn over and the voltage doesn't change when I rev the engine, so I still think something is wrong

the voltage shouldnt change when you rv the engine as thats the job of the regulator rectifyer, it makes sure v=oltage satys constant within perameters set.

your battery might just be shott they dont last forever.

14v across the terminals runnig sounds about right.

Originally Posted by 454697819

the voltage shouldnt change when you rv the engine as thats the job of the regulator rectifyer, it makes sure v=oltage satys constant within perameters set.

And those parameters are a few volts - they should rise when you rev the engine, just not as much as if you didnt have a regulator.

[johnnyrod]

In the old days Suzuki RRs were a pile of crap and it was common to replace them with Honda ones. They're a lot better these days, not worth the replacement, but it sounds like yours is fine. Check the AC voltage from the (disconnected) alternator wires, you should get at least 75V at 5000rpm across each pair. Sounds more like your battery has died as it's not holding charge (checked the water level?), though as I think you know lots of people replace the battery when it isn't at fault.

I have recently replaced the battery as I thought it was that at fault. Could there be a different reason as to why it struggles to turn over? It kind of turnsover once, pauses, turns again a bit more and starts, sometimes accompanied by a fearsome clonk.

Voltage is 13 with engine off, static 14 with engine on irrespective of revving.

Maybe something else is draining the battery?? I don't have an alarm.

Don't worry.... I have just been through all of this and it really is quite easy to replace. Don't even bother with the garage
First of all go to
http://www.electrosport.com/electros...t_finding.html
and click on the link to download the flowchart.

Just work your way through the tests and it will more than likely be either the battery or the R/R.
We worked through all the tests after going through 2 batteries in as many months, and came to the conclusion that it was indeed the R/R unit. It is held on with 2 cross head screws and couldn't be simpler to remove. (After taking the seat units off etc!)
When we took the R/R off this is what we found...



The internal coil had exploded in the heat of July!
I got a new one from
http://www.wemoto.co.uk/
which does do mail order, but is luckily 5 mins down the road from me
Best of luck with it, and don't be scared of the electrics, I was suprised at how easy it was, and apart from the multi meter, all you need is a screwdriver and some allen keys

Top post, thanks very much!

Charging fine they say, and the MOT cost £27!! Thats rather cheap is it not?

Nay problem!
Weirdly enough, just after I had posted this, my boyfriend's R/R on his SuperFour went and we are leaving for the South of France tomorrow
World's End saved the day again...and at least we knew what we were doing this time

If you have 14v when running then the RR is charging the battery ok but it could still be faulty. If the bike starts ok after a short stop but not after the bike has sat overnight or longer then the battery could be discharging itself through the RR. The RR is designed to isolate itself from the battery when the ign sw is turned off, if this function has gone to pot then that could be your problem. If you suspect this to be the case then disconnecting the battery overnight will show if the RR or battery is at fault.
hope this helps
Stewart