Necessary mods

[303frost]

As with any bike, there are always mods to help the bike run smoother/more efficiently. I'm not looking for performance (I can handle that part , but just looking for "long term remedies". This bike is going to be my daily driver so I want it to be as reliable as possible. That sparks another question. What are the known failure parts that I should have handy in case it does break down?

 

[Cosworth]

Does the bike have frame pucks? If not those are necessary. I strongly suggest a Volt meter. And get familiar with how to read the bikes CEL which can be done with a dongle or by jumping two wires on the service jack.

As far as failures the ones that are prevalent arent something you would carry around with you like a VR or Stator, make sure you got a few extra fuses

 

[BambamXB12r]

What bike?

 

[303frost]

2009 xb12r. It has the frame pucks and LED turn signals and flasher already. Right now I'm hunting down a charging issue. I tested the stator, it's cranking out good voltage. 28-30 volts and idle, 40-50 at around 2500-3000 rpms. I lose .01 volts every 10 seconds at the battery. How do I check if the VR is bad? I didn't see that anywhere in the manual. It just says replace if it's bad haha. The stator isn't grounding out, and the connectors looks great. Ground at the frame near the battery looks great, are there any other grounds I need to check? The bike has no draw on the battery whatsoever when it's off either. The battery actually gains voltage back when I shut the bike off.

 

[303frost]

How do you check CEL by jumping the two wires on the service jack? I understand what jumping wires is, but where am I reading the codes? The dash?

 

[Cosworth]

Yes sir, you jump the two port wires and the CEL lamp will flash in series, the link below tells you how and what the codes mean
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/146574.html

And VR test below

AC Output Check
1. Test AC output.
a. Locate voltage regulator connector [46] under
sprocket cover. See 7.25 SPROCKET COVER WIRING.
Disconnect from alternator stator wiring.
b. Connect an AC voltmeter across stator sockets 1-2.
c. Run the engine at 2000 RPM. The AC output should
be 32-40 volts AC. (approximately 16-20 volts per
1000 RPM).
d. Repeat test across stator sockets 2-3 and 1-3.

 

[303frost]

Is that VR test the same for the 08-09 xb12r's? The stator is different for those models

 

[onetuford]

IIRC you must have a diode tester (a good multimeter has this built in) to check your voltage regulator. You checked volts at the stator and it was good now check volts running at the battery and it should be around 14ish volts DC.

 

[onetuford]

Wait, now maybe the diode test was for the rectifier part of the R/R. you just need a volt meter at the battery to check voltage.

 

[303frost]

It was the VR. Bike runs perfect now!

 

[BambamXB12r]

Thanks for letting us know.

 

[303frost]

Well I guess I spoke too soon. It's now having a stalling issue once it's warm from a 30min+ ride. I rode to meet up with a buddy, let the bike sit for a few minutes and went to fire it up to show him the bike and it started great, then stalled out 30 seconds later and wouldn't crank over very well after that. I finally got it started and had to keep the reva up to 2k to keep the bike from stalling at stop lights. After a few miles the bike wouldn't stall anymore. Park the bike, let it sit for a 20 minutes or so and the same thing. If the bike sits long enough to get cold it fires up great and runs great.