XJ600s
Wed Aug 19th, 2009, 11:49 AM
So after riding from Northglenn to Boulder the other day, I turned off my bike for a quick stop (not more than 5 minutes). When I went to start it back up, the battery was COMPLETELY dead. End up push starting it and rode home.
Once I got back to Northglenn I checked the voltage of the battery, it was 12.30V. Started the bike up and revved it to 5k rpms where within-specs it should be charging at 14-15V, it was at 13.3V.
This battery is 1.5 years old, bought from COPowersports in Boulder. Back when I bought it, I explained to them that I was having the same problems (found the service order/invoice and it says "Unit is only charging at approx. 13.5 volts at 5,000 rpm" on the notes section. They inspected my entire charging system, supposedly, and told me I needed a new battery.
Now that I am getting the exact same issues and feeling that 1.5 years for a battery is very young, I drove into Boulder yesterday to speak with them about it. After the 30 minute ride into Boulder again, it was only at 12.35V. They tested the battery and gave me a reading of 50% something, and 70% something else. Then proceeded to tell me that a motorcycle does not charge a battery, it merely maintains the batteries voltage (which, last time I checked IS charging).
So I got home after being very pissed off by Aaron, once again, and threw the battery on the trickle charger. Let it charge overnight to take it off this morning and find the battery voltage at 13.21V. As I held the voltmeter there, I could see the battery dropping .01V every second. Until now, 10 minutes later, the voltage is at 12.74V.
I inspected the voltage regulator and stator, and the stator is within spec for the resistance (.4ohms and it needs to be between .32-.48 ohms). The VR connector that has 4 wires in it has 1 wire that the terminal got hot and melted through the plastic (anybody have any idea where I can pick up a new connector without getting a new wire harness?).
So I am tempted to think that the VR is not working properly which is why the battery charges at 13.3V instead of 14V+ at anything over 5000 rpms. But at the same time, I can't decide if the battery is toast because it is acting very funny and isn't always doing the same thing. (Like 2 days ago, I put it on the trickle charger for 8 hours, at the end of it, the battery was at 12.38V, not higher than 12.6V like expected).
Thoughts? Opinions? I really don't want to spend money to fix either thing, but this bike is really starting to frustrate the shit out of me. I'm also half tempted to take the bike to the COPowersports at 104th and 287 to see what they think. Might get better service out of them, or at least a new battery free of charge because Boulder COPow is retarded...
Once I got back to Northglenn I checked the voltage of the battery, it was 12.30V. Started the bike up and revved it to 5k rpms where within-specs it should be charging at 14-15V, it was at 13.3V.
This battery is 1.5 years old, bought from COPowersports in Boulder. Back when I bought it, I explained to them that I was having the same problems (found the service order/invoice and it says "Unit is only charging at approx. 13.5 volts at 5,000 rpm" on the notes section. They inspected my entire charging system, supposedly, and told me I needed a new battery.
Now that I am getting the exact same issues and feeling that 1.5 years for a battery is very young, I drove into Boulder yesterday to speak with them about it. After the 30 minute ride into Boulder again, it was only at 12.35V. They tested the battery and gave me a reading of 50% something, and 70% something else. Then proceeded to tell me that a motorcycle does not charge a battery, it merely maintains the batteries voltage (which, last time I checked IS charging).
So I got home after being very pissed off by Aaron, once again, and threw the battery on the trickle charger. Let it charge overnight to take it off this morning and find the battery voltage at 13.21V. As I held the voltmeter there, I could see the battery dropping .01V every second. Until now, 10 minutes later, the voltage is at 12.74V.
I inspected the voltage regulator and stator, and the stator is within spec for the resistance (.4ohms and it needs to be between .32-.48 ohms). The VR connector that has 4 wires in it has 1 wire that the terminal got hot and melted through the plastic (anybody have any idea where I can pick up a new connector without getting a new wire harness?).
So I am tempted to think that the VR is not working properly which is why the battery charges at 13.3V instead of 14V+ at anything over 5000 rpms. But at the same time, I can't decide if the battery is toast because it is acting very funny and isn't always doing the same thing. (Like 2 days ago, I put it on the trickle charger for 8 hours, at the end of it, the battery was at 12.38V, not higher than 12.6V like expected).
Thoughts? Opinions? I really don't want to spend money to fix either thing, but this bike is really starting to frustrate the shit out of me. I'm also half tempted to take the bike to the COPowersports at 104th and 287 to see what they think. Might get better service out of them, or at least a new battery free of charge because Boulder COPow is retarded...