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Post by wildcard on Oct 22, 2012 20:09:53 GMT -5
ok guys. i put brand new brushes on my bike over the weekend and i checked the battery when i got home from work and its still not charging. any more ideas?
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Post by grizld1 on Oct 23, 2012 9:03:39 GMT -5
Ideas? Why, sure! Buy a manual and a decent multimeter and follow the directions for inspecting the rotor, stator, and regulator.
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Post by XS Rod on Oct 23, 2012 13:21:46 GMT -5
Wildcard, If you're going to work on your own machine, you will need a multimeter and a manual as Griz states... What method have you used to determine that your machine is not charging? Is it "just a dead battery"? Or are you not making voltage? You need to do a little more to "spark" a conversation bro... Year, model and mods is a good place to start... then maybe a problem statement to kick thinks off... What "you did" is great info... a description of what the bike is or isn't doing is equally important... I know you're a regular here bro... but I won't remember your machine... Yo
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Post by wildcard on Oct 23, 2012 20:02:35 GMT -5
ok. 1980 xs650 100% bone stock. ive changed the stator and brushes,rectifire and battery. the bike isnt recharging its self. i have to charge the batery every night. its past the point of pissing me off.it has no wires showing anywere. ive gone through the entire harness.
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Post by richard on Oct 24, 2012 0:05:01 GMT -5
See if this helps
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Post by Tom Graham on Oct 24, 2012 10:14:14 GMT -5
One thing that catches even the most knowledgeable mechanics is that the XS is rubber isolated everywhere. Nothing is grounded to the frame and must have a separate ground wire. This is what caught me when I pulled my hair out testing and retesting every component good in my charging system. I'm not the only one. To give myself an excuse, the ground tested good, it was only when the key was on that the ground tested bad. A false ground! Simple to overlook, simple to rectify but it stopped the XS charging system enough that the bike sat for 20 years until I diagnosed it.
Tom
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Post by XS Rod on Oct 24, 2012 16:33:50 GMT -5
Wildcard... simple question, not bustin' ba... Can you use a meter, any experience with one? You can buy a defective part.. The diagnostic process as it is described in the manual will start at a certain component and go thru the system component by component. Your issue may not be easy to find... but your search should be systematical (sp that) the manual is available online... start with the recommended component first... have a meter and ask the fellas component related questions. You know we want to help, but you ain't gonna hit it with a shotgun bro. Hope you saved your other parts... some may have been good. Yo
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Post by wildcard on Oct 24, 2012 20:58:58 GMT -5
my bike may be showing signs of charging now. i checked my battery after starting the bike 5 times today and it showed 12.1 volts from 12.5 volts this morning. now my question is,how many volts should it show at the battery when the bike is running. ive never used a multi meter before. only test lights.
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Post by grizld1 on Oct 26, 2012 9:29:38 GMT -5
The manual available as a free pdf download at www.biker.net covers both XS650 charging systems (there are differences in wiring between 70-79 models with mechanical regulator and separate rectifier and 80-84 models with solid state reg/rec unit). Look it up. A word to the wise: if you're going to maintain an old motorcycle, you'd be well advised to buy a quality multimeter and learn to use it.
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Post by XS Rod on Oct 26, 2012 15:20:02 GMT -5
Wildcard... a battery is "DEAD" when the material on the plates in the battery is depleted to a point that the chemical reaction between them no longer maintains a minimum voltage. A fully charged cell on a lead acid battery is 2.2 volts. We have 6 cells in our batteries, hence 6 cells X 2.2 volts = 13.2 volts 12 volts is a nominal figure that is used. To charge a battery the charging system must provide more voltage that the battery. So, no book here, the nominal charging voltage with the engine running and at a specific minimal RPM... say 14.5 volts. So... you stuff the battery to charge it. 12 volts will not fully charge a 12 volt battery... Its either broke or it ain't... "May be showing signs of life" will have you sitting on the curb looking for a ride. If the problem is intermittant it will usually break completely rather than heal itself. We'll help you on the multimeter... just don't cook it... the meter that is...
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Post by headcase on Oct 27, 2012 1:44:48 GMT -5
Also beware of multimeters that plug into the wall or claim to be wireless. I've never seen or heard of either one, but you just never know nowadays.
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Post by wildcard on Oct 29, 2012 19:56:51 GMT -5
well, its chargin now. looks like all i had to do was clean the stator and drum really good. no more chargin the battery every night.
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Post by XS Rod on Oct 30, 2012 12:38:03 GMT -5
Just a little love was all it needed... Did you save your components, the ones that weren't dead?
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Post by wildcard on Oct 30, 2012 20:46:53 GMT -5
yep. thay are in my spare parts box. along with 2 extra starters,kickstart lever, rear brake peddel,shifter ,L&R air boxes,chrome oiler tube alinimum seat bar,chain and a back up light module
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Post by XS Rod on Oct 31, 2012 16:16:54 GMT -5
cool...
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