Broken voltage Regulator

I just got back from having my battery checked at the local shop and am still recovering from the shock...

The checked the battery - that's fine - but when they checked the chaarging voltage it was low - 12 - 13 instead of 13.5 to 15 V.

The mechanic checked the resistance across the coltage regulator - it was showing open circuit across the connections (all combinations) of the black three pin plug. So i was told I needed a new one (Does this sound right?)

Then they gave me the cost of a new one. 188 euros. Not fitted. That seems a huge amount of money to me. But does it sound about right to those on here?

TIA,
Stu

[Biker Biggles]

I put a used CBR 600RR one on mine and it cost about £20.A good investment is a cheap multimeter so you can check the system yourself.Theres a good guide on here somewhere how to do it,and its very simple.When my reg failed the charge voltage went up not down(about 18volts IIRC.)

[embee]

Electrex are well respected for electrical parts for bikes, their reg/recs are more like Eu80 rather than Eu180. I'm sure they'll post to you. Simple enough to fit, just plug and play providing you get the correct one.

It's sadly common for the reg/recs to fail on the SV650. I've got a sneaking suspicion they just run too hot tucked in where they are, not enough airflow.

Worth a double check first though, was he measuring the alternator connector pins? Alternator winding resistances will be quite low anyway (not sure exactly what), and I'm not sure you can diagnose the reg/rec itself by resistance measurement. Alternators are less likely to fail but it's not unknown, so no point getting a new reg/rec without being sure, just in case it isn't that at all.

Here's a comprehensive flow chart for fault finding.

If you have an open circuit across all connections, then yes you'll need a new Reg/Rec unit.

The question is why has this gone? Has the alternator output been checked? If not, check it before you put another Reg/Rec in just to make sure.

188 Euro's is actually a little on the cheap side for an OEM replacement Reg/Rec. Although I recently bought one on Ebay for £23.99 inc P&P (to UK).

Originally Posted by Baph

If you have an open circuit across all connections, then yes you'll need a new Reg/Rec unit.

The question is why has this gone? Has the alternator output been checked? If not, check it before you put another Reg/Rec in just to make sure.

188 Euro's is actually a little on the cheap side for an OEM replacement Reg/Rec. Although I recently bought one on Ebay for £23.99 inc P&P (to UK).

Thanks for the help and the comments people.

In the end after calling around I went for the OEM one (most things came at about the same price over here). The shop fitted the part free - and did recheck everything (the head mechanic fitted it when I mentioned that the apprentice - they confirmed the other guy was an apprentice - didn't fill me with confidence)

In the end the bike does start a whole lot easier now, and runs a whole lot better - I noticed that when riding back from the shop.

They also mentioned that the part has a 45000km life expentency. That seems quite short for a 190 euro part to me.

Also strange... They said they used to sell aftermarket ones but the returns were too high and it blew a couple of bike computers so they stopped selling them and stuck with OEM parts.

Originally Posted by MavUK

Thanks for the help and the comments people.

In the end after calling around I went for the OEM one (most things came at about the same price over here). The shop fitted the part free - and did recheck everything (the head mechanic fitted it when I mentioned that the apprentice - they confirmed the other guy was an apprentice - didn't fill me with confidence)

In the end the bike does start a whole lot easier now, and runs a whole lot better - I noticed that when riding back from the shop.

They also mentioned that the part has a 45000km life expentency. That seems quite short for a 190 euro part to me.

Also strange... They said they used to sell aftermarket ones but the returns were too high and it blew a couple of bike computers so they stopped selling them and stuck with OEM parts.

That's where the CBR ones are better which are OEM parts. But still once they diagnosed it i would of bought one myself and fitted it, pretty easy.

Originally Posted by thefallenangel

That's where the CBR ones are better which are OEM parts. But still once they diagnosed it i would of bought one myself and fitted it, pretty easy.

The problem was the cost of the part and Dutch law which can be tricky to interpret).

The investigation cost me nothing (it turned out that fitting also cost me nothing). But if I had brought the part and it turned out that either there was something else wrong which popped the part, or that the part was not broken I couldn't get a refund (they do not do refunds on electrical items over here). If they fitted it then they took all the risks of expensive parts.

Plus I needed the bike as fast as possible as rather than the fun transport it normally is I needed it to get to work due to issues with my (folding peddle) bike and my car...

Fitting it would indeed have been simple (take the cowling off - that I do every year for a spring clean and unbolt the part then reverse to put it back on) but it was the cost risk that made me decide to let them do it.

The law bit is that you can only fit bits designed for a bike / car to a bike car. If you change even small things you *may* have to get an single vehicle approval test done to the bike. They are much stricter over here than in the UK (if you have a BMW 3 series 2.3 and you fit the 2.5 engine then you have to have an SVA as it is no longer the 2.3 BMW that has type approval). Hence it's really difficult it seem to do most of the mods that I would like to do to the bike without fallin gfoul of thelaw (and probably insurance...)

I just hope it doesn't die again!

[yorkie_chris]

It's only reg-rec. Doubt they'd ever notice.