[keychain]

About 2/3 of the way through a 10 hour trip I hit a serious traffic jam. Cars were backed up for about 12 miles. I killed the engine so the bike wouldn't overheat. Then the bike wouldn't start. It tried to turn over, then the battery was totally dead.

A motorist next to me gave me a jump start and I went back to the last town and bought a new battery (OEM battery lasted 8 years!) I rode on for about 2 more hours, hit traffic again, and this time the bike died on its own. Dead battery again.

So...I'm thinking either the stator or rectifier. Anything I should know about those? How many hours of labor for each? Anything else I should look for?

03 Vee with 51,000 miles

 

[PTRider]

Here's a simple diagnostic test if you have a voltmeter. Use your charger to fully charge the battery, disconnect it, let it sit several hours to allow the surface charge to dissipate, or turn the lights on for a minute or so, then turn them off. You should have about 12.6 volts on the battery , but whatever the voltage is, note that. Start the engine and run up to about 5000 rpm. Note the voltage. If it is higher than the voltage with the engine off, the charging circuit is working. If the running voltage is lower, the charging circuit isn't working. Post the voltages and you'll get more help here. If the engine won't start, you might have a bad new battery, or loose or dirty connections somewhere in the wiring.

 

[tmcgee]

A motorist next to me gave me a jump start and I went back to the last town and bought a new battery (OEM battery lasted 8 years!) I rode on for about 2 more hours, hit traffic again, and this time the bike died on its own. Dead battery again.

Before you go chasing ghosts, was the new battery fully charged?

Also, it could be something dragging the battery down rather than a failure to charge from the bike.

These things are easy to verify with a meter.

 

[keychain]

Thanks for the diagnostic tips. I'll let you know how that goes.

The new battery started the bike up very strong. I ran the bike for a couple of hours after installing it, so it should have been charged enough if the charging circuit is working.

Not running any accessories.

 

[keychain]

Battery shows 13.1V with bike off, 12.5V with the bike off. The manual I have says minimum voltage should be 14V.

I followed the steps to test the generator/stator, and it seems fine. I've run into a snag testing the regulator/rectifier. The manual says to test between six connections and shows one electrical plug, but my bike has two connectors (one with three, one with four). Pic attached.

What now? Go ahead and replace the rectifier? I checked the battery for drainage and nothing is drawing on it that shouldn't be.

 

[keychain]

And here's what the manual shows:

 

[realshelby]

Let me see if I can remember this right; The black connector with three wires is the stator. Unplug the R/R from it and test each lead with an A/C voltmeter. With engine running and one lead of tester to ground you should see 75+ volts from each lead and all should be close. Next, using an accurate ohm meter, test for infinity ( open circuit) on each of the three leads. All should test infinity, if not there is an internal short. That checks out the stator, good or bad.

 

[keychain]

Between the three leads, with the engine off, I get 0, 0, and 0.3 ohms. Looks like I need a new stator. Damn.

 

[realshelby]

Keychain, where are you in Texas? I have a new in box stator.

 

[keychain]

Yup, check the winding at the four o' clock position. It looks burned out:

How much would it be to overnight your stator to me in Slidell, LA (zipcode 70461)? That's where I'm stranded right now (I live in Austin, can't wait to get home).

Thanks to all for the support so far. By the way, I can't recommend Suzuki City in Biloxi, Mississippi enough. Those guys run a great shop.

 

[realshelby]

You have a pm....

 

[Gosling]

Battery problem

From a frustrating and costly personal experience.
Remove your battery terminals and check for corrosion underneath. Not easy to observe from the outside. When checking your battery with a voltmeter, place the probes on the terminals to check your connectivity. Bike connections corrode underneath.

 

[Dave MP]

***DISREGARD, I posted in the wrong section***

UGGGG!

I believe that I am having a similar issue. Would like to test the "rectifier" (looks like the one in the photos above), but have no clue what pins to check. There are 2 plugs attached to the rectifier (both black) 1 is roundish the other is more square.

This is on a 2014 DL650 (46000+ miles)

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[greywolf]

The regulator/rectifier is very rarely a problem. It's almost always the stator. Here's the test procedure though. On some models, the three stator wires are yellow instead of black.

A good reason to replace the R/R though is to get a series type instead that is easier on the stator. Series Regulators for Enhanced Stator Reliability

 

[Dave MP]

The regulator/rectifier is very rarely a problem. It's almost always the stator. Here's the test procedure though. On some models, the three stator wires are yellow instead of black.

A good reason to replace the R/R though is to get a series type instead that is easier on the stator. Series Regulators for Enhanced Stator Reliability

Thank you

I was afraid this was the case. Nothing coming through when testing the yellow wires (either side of plug). Already called shop to order the parts and have them replaced.