| Author | Message | ||
     Wesbronco |
Help me u understand what's happening to my bike! Background Completed the stator/rotor/VR repair days ago. Fired up with zero hesitation on the very first try. 14.5v idling for 15minutes. I rode it soft for three days. Not a hiccup. The only two things I'd say were strange is a. A popping sound on the initial startup but I will attribute that to the K&N high flow air filter I upgraded to. B. A split second during startup the display will flash the "charging system..." error, but it goes away instantly once the bike turns over. No codes. No yellow light. The problem started about the 4th day The Batt shows as low as 13.2v while idling now. And every time I kill the emgine and then turn the key on. It flashes the low Batt light. I'm at 11.9v! I charged the battery, and noticed when the Batt is full, I don't get the charging error clash. So I bought a new dek a battery. Popped a new Deka in and it Started great fresh. I rode around again at v ranging 13.2 - 14.7, i then parked, turned it off, and as the fans were blowing I could see the Batt drop from 13v, to 12.6, 12.2, 11.8... I turned it off. Wtf??? Turn the key on, and saw the Batt low light is one. What's going on???? Tl;Dr Battery is super low after every ride despite showing solid charging while riding, and v will drop to 13.2 while at low speeds. And v will drop to 11.9 during the shutdown sequence. | ||
| Dennis_c |
I wander if you over charging the battery | ||
| Wesbronco |
@dennis_c I am keeping a close eye on it. It didn't have a single problem since my inital post. But I've been extra careful to not turn the key on until I'm ready to go and I don't idle the bike, I just get to my destination and turn it off. I also wonder if the sh847 VR is fluctuating charging based on need and that's why I see 13.2 numbers? So confusing. I guess no one has really had this happen. | ||
| Bubba_ |
so.. just to be clear after riding you see the low battery reading. but is the battery discharged? if so... and assuming these symptoms are new vs some that were present prior to the upgrade... i'd be suspect of the repair/ upgrade - bad stator? - bad VR? (as you mentioned) - maybe a new connection you made is faulty; burnt wire/ plug, loose cable etc etc think i'd check stator output; each phase at 3000 RPMs is your old VR usable? might be useful for troubleshooting similar issue maybe: SH847 *disclaimer: i'm barely shade tree level expertise | ||
| Buellrobot |
Even less of an expert her either, but just did the rotor/new stator modification two weeks ago on a new-to-me CR. Mine was stranding me with dead (brand new) battery. Now it seems to stay solidly between 13.8 and 14.2 during idle and riding. Did you have the "improvement" harness on? If you did, and you didn't remove it, that could be a big part of the problem. Not sure about the "charge error". Maybe check fuses, ground, etc? Great suggestion from Bubba re: try the old VR if that's still usable. Good luck! These bikes are fun when they're working properly. | ||
| Panshovevo |
Off the top of my head, it sounds like you have the Harley "fix" installed, which drops one leg of the charging circuit to try to protect the stator from excessive heat. The relay that is used to drop a leg sometimes goes bad, and that leg of the stator never does come online. What were the symptoms that caused you to replace the regulator, and what regulator did you install? On a reread, I see you installed the SH847. Another member reported recently he initially hooked his directly to the battery, and had problems. He then hooked it up like the original, and as far as I know, it worked normally after that. I'll take a look, see if I can find the thread. (Message edited by Panshovevo on August 19, 2017) | ||
| Wesbronco |
@Buellrobot What is the improvement harness? I just cut off the original cable from the the stock VR and soldered onto the SH847. @Bubba_ Old VR is not usable. But the only time problems arise is the moment I turn the key and see the battery light, and the moment I start it and see, for a split second, a charging error screen. Everything else works like a charm. I will say, it hasn't happened again since my initial complaint. Typical. But I have been extra careful about no start/stopping my bike in short time frames, or idling much in this 100+ heat. The V has been dropping as low as 12.7 during traffic crawls, but once I get going it is consistent 14.5V. I don't mind the drops, as long as when I press the yellow button it starts up. I'm starting to guess a)the SH847 is not needing much V during traffic crawls, and charging the battery very little b)The battery might have been over charged. idk if the red batt light specifically means LOW batt. It has always started despite the indicator lights since the stator/rotor/vr replacement. (Message edited by wesbronco on August 21, 2017) | ||
| Bubba_ |
In 2009, the 1125Rs were outfitted with an upgraded charging system; (they felt it needed more volts for an improved Instrument cluster; headlights - I'm not sure); the 2009 models began having stator failures with the new system; Turned out the increased output was frying the stators. hence you see a lot of folks with the Completed the stator/rotor/VR repair .. like you posted; Harley, in an effort to resolve the chronic problem, developed the Harley harness. or band aid, or harley fix, or improvement harness. It included a wiring harness with a relay that shut down a leg (or 2?) of the stator. Hopefully, cooling it down; results were less than optimal. Owners discovered if they installed - the upgraded rotor w/ the oil jet - a "series" regulator Then, the Harley harness could be removed. voltage output would be improved as well. stators would stay cooler and problem would be finally resolved. at least, that's my understanding. so, if you installed all those components with the upgraded versions.. you might benefit removing the harley "fix". (Message edited by bubba_ on August 21, 2017) | ||
| Buellrobot |
More info in this thread: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/709261.html?1380371362 And a video (though I don't think the person in video fully removes the harness, which is fine to do): http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/718035.html?1375322835 Good luck. | ||
| Bubba_ |
the Google Buell 1125R Forum link, at the top of the page, is really helpful researching these issues | ||
| Nm5150 |
I got rid of the "fix" from Harley and upgraded my regulator and the stator was fixed under warrenty.When I fire up Peggy I get warning lights but after a few minutes they go out.I use the kill switch to kill the bike and I know it is not normal but she always comes through.One thing I have noticed is the battery has to be hot so I run a trickle charger.Hope this helps. | ||
| Araignee |
Couldn't resist responding to the "I use the kill switch to kill the bike and I know it is not normal..." remark. I realize that may not be exactly what the poster intended, but there is a message here. When I started riding street bikes in 1978, I quickly moved from a 350 Honda to a BSA 650 Lightning. Actually rode a 10,000 mile tour on it with my girlfriend on the back wearing a friggin' Kelty pack. I hadn't yet discovered what a cool idea saddlebags were. Later I spent many happy miles and too much time wrenching a much-modified Norton Commando Interstate. Both British bikes had ignition keys located in hard-to-reach places like under the aircleaners or on a panel behind your leg. This was common in those days, and my XR-1000 Harley has an ignition between the cylinders and above the rear cylinder exhaust pipe where it leaves the head, an idiotic choice guaranteed to cook your hands if you reach for it. Thus I got used to using the kill switch to shut the bikes down, then reaching for the key when I could see where it was and ensure it wasn't glowing like a cherry. Kill switch for British bikes of the day was on the upper left switch housing, and on the right of the HD. Usually, I could keep this straight when switching between bikes, despite also having to remember the Norton shifted one up three down on the right, i.e., GP style. Japanese bikes placed the ignition conveniently in the center of the triple clamp, just like the 1125R. This made it easy to just turn the key off after a ride. A British lad I met in the UK who had ridden mostly British bikes all his life got caught out by an unorthodox (to him) kill switch location on his first Honda. He was proud of his machine, and had just washed and waxed it before going for a ride. He was admiring the autumn leaves, until one landed on and wrapped itself around his right side switchgear. Taking offense, he brushed it away, hitting the kill switch, which stopped the engine cold with only one of his hands on the bars while traveling about 65mph. This came as a bit of a shock, because he remembered the kill switch being on the left, like the UK bikes he had always ridden. Fortunately, he survived by thinking quickly enough to pull the clutch and coast until he could figure what just happened. All of this leads to trouble later, so bear with me. I bought a CB1100F in 1983, added clubman bars, a Yoshimura pipe, and Raask rearsets, then modified the engine to around 90-95 bhp. I used a bank of 4 Keihin carbs, the hot racing choice of the day. While riding one of my favorite rural roads at a brisk clip in 3rd gear, the carbs stuck open at about 3/4 throttle. I immediately began frantically thumbing the UK-approved left side kill switch, which meant I was actually flashing my brights at the oncoming cars. Probably a good response to my situation, in hindsight. I was exiting a curve next to a fairly steep grassy hill. The last thing I was thinking of was to take my hand off the bars and reach for that ever-convenient centrally mounted ignition. I tired pulling in the clutch, but my newly-modified motor began screaming like a dragster in heat, and I knew that would destroy it, so I figured if I upshifted and dropped the clutch, it might stall. The result was a magnificent sky-clawing wheelie. All of this was occurring at about 70mph. I was evidently too scared to attempt the brakes, but I was leaned into a curve at the time, and traction was pretty limited. The only thing I COULD think of at this point was to head up the steep grassy hill to slow down, hopefully without hitting a rock or a tree. I climbed a fair way with the engine roaring, but it did eventually die and slide back down the hill in defeat, with me sitting on a 500 lb beast that tried to kill me because I couldn't remember how to turn it off. I eventually figured out that a set screw that held one of the four in-line carbs had come loose and was wedged into the throttle body, which pinned all four carbs into place. Never trust your life to a factory product without giving it a good pre-flight before riding. I have since taught myself to ALWAYS use the kill switch. Fortunately, modern bikes almost always position it on the right where it can be reached without taking your hands off the bars. If you don't think it's "normal" to use the kill switch, you may be setting yourself up for some serious trouble in the future. Hopefully it will result in only an amusing anecdote. (Message edited by araignee on August 25, 2017) (Message edited by araignee on August 25, 2017) |
