Regulator knackered ..... or not?
 

I know this has been on loads of times but I confused.

I replaced the regulator about 9 monts ago and have started to get what on the surface appear to be the same symptons - battery not charging!!

So the question is

1) Are these regulators so fragile that they can fail in less then a year?

2) Can a duff battery "look like" a duff regulator? If yes, how do I test the battery?

3) I've heard tell of the 6 wire regulators being more reliable. How do I wire it in given that I would now have an extra wire.

Your help would be appreciated as it takes the edge off the ride waiting for the thing to cut out or not restart after refueling!

Cheers

Tris

u need a multimeter to test the battery ! worth having one- about a tenner in argos-

Aldi have some for a fiver at the moment...!

Yes a multimeter is great and if you can use one properly essential, but if you don't understand electrics it will be of limited use, ceap ones won't have an ammeter (amps reading) and this is the only sure way of checking if a rectifier is doing it's job.
Save yourself heartache and get your battery out and down to an auto electrician/motor accessory shop - they will be able to 'drop' test (load test) your battery for nowt and tell you if it's f*%ked.
If it isn't then you have to start messing with an ammeter in series with your battery and see what charging current it is getting at various revs. I'm guessing now 'cos I don't have a manual but if you get around 6Ah @ 1500 revs your battery should be well topped up.

BUMP :)

4) Can a regulator be OK when cold but duff after a run

Cheers

Tris

It sounds like some part of the charging system has had it, I think what you are seeing is that when the bike is cold (i.e. battery has been doing nothing for a while) you have no probs but after a run (life sucked out of battery as it's not being charged) the electrics are giving you grief.

The easiest way to test goes as follows, but you will need either a multimeter or could get away with a bulb and a wire. Disconnect the regulator, and check for continuity between the three wires in three pairs, i.e. pick any two and check current flows down one and back up the other, repeat for the other two combinations. You should have continuity (a few ohms resistance). Check for continuity between each wire and earth (the engine or frame will do) - there shold be no current flow. If both these tests are okay then the stator coils should be fine, but to confirm you would need to measure the voltage across pairs of wires with the engine running (>75V at 5000rpm is usual). Really if the resistance tests pass then it will be the regulator, these days they should last for ever so I would just get another Suzuki one, it's not the 70s/80s any more thank God.

If the stator coils are knackered then it could be that the regulator has gone and therefore burned out the stator. You can test it but you need a resistance table, should be in the manual. Don't assume that there is only one fault.

New stator should be around the £30-40 mark, try Electrex near Reading or West Country Windings.

Cheers Johnnyrod

I rode it to work this morning with only the marker light :? on. The multimenter gave me 12.2 as soon as I checked it.

I'll give your suggestion a go

Tris

Sorry, I got carried away. If you have a voltmeter, put it across the battery with the engine off and with it on (off idle). With the motor off you should get about 11-12V, with it running and a few revs you should get 13-15V - if not then it's not charging (though even a knackered setup can provide a little bit of juice). If you've only got 12.2V with the engine running, you've got a problem and you need to figure out if it's the stator, reg/rect or both.

6-wire RRs have 3 wires for the alternator, a + and - for the battery, and a "reference voltage" wire (not sure if this is the right name). This is attached to a live point, usually the flasher relay, and lets the RR know what the system voltage is, so it charges a couple of volts higher. It sounds daft cos it should know as it's connected to the battery +, but it does work. I don't know that there's any difference in reliability between 5 and 6 wire ones, but like I said, they're all pretty reliable these days so I'd go for a straight replacement if you need one.

looks like the R is Sha@@ed

I expected the regulator to last for more than the 9/10 months I've had it. Maybe the mistake was getting a pattern part?

Does the switched voltage go to a switched suply for a 6 wire RR?

Cheers

Tris

I have n Original Suzuki Regulator/Rectifier sat in the garage :D . If you want it give me a bell. I bought it thinking mine was Knacked but turns out it was Split/burnt wires under F seat #-o . I'll make sure it works before i send it ( if you even want it) Cost me £20 from scrappers off an 01' model so i was told.
Edit: When you fit a new one, Run the bike with low beam on at all times. Lengthens life of reg and it's cheaper for new bulb than reg :D

YES, in fact not uncommon, makes it kinda hard to diagnose

motorcyle RR units are destine to failure by design unlike automobile type charging systems that regulate the voltage by regulating the field strength of the alternator's armature and thus regulating the amount of electricity being made,

most motorcyle charging systems have a permenent magnet (magneto) type charging system, the faster the engine spins, the more electricity that is being made, the RR converts the electrity to DC than grounds the excess back to the frame threu the RR and disapated the excess energy as heat. the semicoductors in the RR do not like heat

IMHO the more electricity you are using the less that has to get disapated as heat, so accessories like heated grips , auxillary lights are good for the charging system to the point that they are not demanding more electricy than being made.

example, my son has an 86VFR, with RR under the seat, the seat gets hot from the RR, when it gets so hot that the jewels are burning, he turns his heated grip on, and the seat cools down