So rode to work no problems, about 12miles. Left work, bike wouldn't start, heard fast clicking like a dead battery. Cluster was lighting up, horn nice and strong. It's a new battery which is kept on a tender. Got it started by popping clutch, but noticed some hesitation/lag on throttle...didn't seem quite right. Came to red light and bike shutoff and wouldn't start back up. Same clicking sound. Battery 12+vdc. And wouldn't start with trying to get a runny and pop clutch like it did first time.
Lots of experience and knowledge out there....what are some thoughts ? Rectifier? Just got the bike back home from tow.
Appreciate any ideas/tips...thanks
I had similar issue with my 95 last year.
One or more of battery, r/r and stator likely needs to be replaced. There are tests to run with a multimeter but the component may test okay when cold but fail when hot.
Take a look at the stator/rr connector behind the right fairing. It may be fried.
Take a look at the r/r connector. It may be fried.
Take a look at the starter relay connector in front of the battery. It may be fried.
I replaced my battery, r/r and installed a VFRness, sold by member tightwad on WireMyBike.com. The wires in the starter relay connector were partially fried so I had to splice in the new wires included with the VFRness. If yours are okay the installing it is really easy.
You'll just have to investigate to find out which components failed. I bought a stator too but haven't needed to install it. I now get steady 14.5V at +5K rpm but with some fluctuation at lower revs. I've been told it could be a grounding issue so make sure those are clean too,
Welcome to the wonderful world of the VFR charging system.
Good tips! Appreciate it. Will check and update root cause. Thanks again.
Your plugs (here the one from the Stator to the wire that goes to the RR; this one on the right side) should be free of corroson not browned.
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For good measure I used a narrow tie-wrap the make sure to above would make a firm contact
Ok, so got to taking fairings off and physically checking plugs. All are good and look brand new and are tight. One thing though is I measured battery voltage while running and under throttle and it DID NOT increase indicating to me the battery is not charging while riding. Is the device responsible for that the module on behind the right rear fairing- rectifier ? Is there a known best method to test this or other devices responsible for charging?
Thanks people
The stator is on the left side and it outputs AC voltage. The AV voltage is rectified to DC current and regulated to max 15V by the r/r. This DV voltage charges the battery.
The failure could be in either of these components, but also in the battery. Have it charged and load tested.
You can test the stator and r/r with a multimeter. The procedures are on the WireMyBike.com website.
I replaced my r/r and battery and installed a VFRness on my bike last year. I get steady 14.5V at 5K rpm now.
It's not hard but just need to go through it all to find the faults.
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I had the same thing happen to my 94. On mine, the R/R failed. It was the original one, lasted 38k, and it left a gooey black dripping mess when that black rubberized/gel-like fill heated up when it failed.
I got a new OEM R/R (they have fins now!) and swapped it out.
That one failed too. Lasted 18k miles.
I left the OEM stuff completely, and went to www.roadstercycle.com and bought their kit FH020AA for $140 + $5. It has a new R/R (and new plug & play wiring) from a Yamaha, the most stable one made, apparently.
I've had mine 18 months now without a single charging issue.
As a bonus, the new R/R mounts right up to the old OEM R/R spot, and the tail fairing still slides over it A-OK with no issues or clearance problems.
My oem r/r went at about 70K km which I replaced with the updated finned oem one. That failed last year at about 164K km. I am now at 167K km. All km with original stator. So with electrical components YMMV is very true.
As auggius said, get the battery tested. This is the simplest and cheapest thing: it's free at most auto parts stores.
Be aware though, that a dead battery can be caused by either age of the battery OR a bad regulator or stator. So even if your battery tests bad and you replace it, you may still have a problem in the system that will kill your (new) battery (again!).
The same way, if you replace your regulator and/or stator but your battery is dead, you will still have issues. So the moral of the story is that you have 3 components plus some connectors to troubleshoot and inspect. Don't stop when you find that one of them is bad. Inspect and test them ALL and make sure to replace/repair everything that is not in spec. Otherwise, you run the risk of burning out a new component.
If you do not see the voltage across the battery increase with RPM (should be around 12-ish volts at idle and up to less than 15 at 5000rpm) then you must start troubleshooting the regulator and stator.
If you search the site, you will find thread that will tell you which connectors to unplug and how to measure the right voltages for each component. I don't remember off the top of my head, to be honest. Make sure you know how to use your multi-meter and switch it to A/C when you measure the output of the stator. :)
As auggius said, get the battery tested. This is the simplest and cheapest thing: it's free at most auto parts stores.
Be aware though, that a dead battery can be caused by either age of the battery OR a bad regulator or stator. So even if your battery tests bad and you replace it, you may still have a problem in the system that will kill your (new) battery (again!).
The same way, if you replace your regulator and/or stator but your battery is dead, you will still have issues. So the moral of the story is that you have 3 components plus some connectors to troubleshoot and inspect. Don't stop when you find that one of them is bad. Inspect and test them ALL and make sure to replace/repair everything that is not in spec. Otherwise, you run the risk of burning out a new component.
If you do not see the voltage across the battery increase with RPM (should be around 12-ish volts at idle and up to less than 15 at 5000rpm) then you must start troubleshooting the regulator and stator.
If you search the site, you will find thread that will tell you which connectors to unplug and how to measure the right voltages for each component. I don't remember off the top of my head, to be honest. Make sure you know how to use your multi-meter and switch it to A/C when you measure the output of the stator. :)
I found that an analog meter is not at all accurate enough to be reliable. Suggest a digital meter.
It's kind of sad that there are so many of these threads. There should be a sticky in this sub-forum to address it.
Thanks people....yeah I have an know how to use the dig meter. Also my 1994 has 17k so sounds about right for things to start failing.
Because my battery is new and I had it on a tender since inception and only had the bike out on new battery less than a few times, I'll start with the charging devices....thanks again.
Geez, brings back memories. Twice had the same issue. Was the R/R both times. Went through the Honda upgraded R/R's both times. Finally got smart and went '07 R1 R/R with all the wiring/connector upgrades from Eastern Beaver. Problem solved.
UPDATE. Performed the stator tests from wire bike and
- have continuity between all three yellow wires
- no continuity from any yellow to ground
Battery is good...but no charge...so likely the rectifier..best prices from wiremybike? Or better yet, best quality product?
Here is a pic of my rectifier...doesn't look bad, but I guess internally it's damaged.
Attached Images
Joshua from wiremybike can make you a MOSFET one with a plg so it will fut on your 4th gen.
He made one for me. :beer:
Joshua from wiremybike can make you a MOSFET one with a plg so it will fut on your 4th gen.
He made one for me. :beer:
+1 go this route ...
DutchybeerbackpackCome on Dutchy give some props ...
It's a great photo crop ???
UPDATE. Performed the stator tests from wire bike and
- have continuity between all three yellow wires
- no continuity from any yellow to ground
Battery is good...but no charge...so likely the rectifier..best prices from wiremybike? Or better yet, best quality product?
Here is a pic of my rectifier...doesn't look bad, but I guess internally it's damaged.
That's the oem r/r so definitely worth replacing just on that point alone. I have a Ricks' r/r from Wiremybike but I don't think it's a MOSFET type one which apparently is the latest & greatest.
It's gotta be a MOSFET R/R or you'll be replacing it again. I don't think the Rick's version for the Gen4 is MOSFET. The R1 R/R is MOSFET and one side screws right into the location of the stock VFR R/R...you'll need to drill a clearance hole in the mount plate for a second bolt and nylock nut. Simple. Can be picked up on eBay for less than $50. I'd advise upgrading the stator wires and connectors while you're in there.
Be sure to check the connector to the starter relay!
Not sure where you ended up on this, but it sounded like you were assuming the R/R was bad, because the stator checked out but the bike wasn't charging. Did you check the R/R using the multimeter? Just because the bike isn't charging and the stator is good, don't make the mistake of assuming it's the R/R. Yes, they fail. But they are not the only thing that will cause that symptom.
The starter relay connector sits on top of the relay, right in front of the battery. It's easy to neglect this connector, but they also get corroded, develop high resistance, and then will heat up and even start to melt (ask me how I know). If this connector is bad, then the R/R has to shed a LOT of extra power as heat, which could cause the R/R to fail also - so they could both be bad.
Also - R/R failures can be intermittent (I've had two that were). Sometimes a failure will show up when hot, sometimes at random.
The best advice I can give: keep connectors clean, and install a VOLTMETER!