Voltage/Charging issue?

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jragz33

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Joined
Feb 15, 2011
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19
i took my bike out for a ride today and as i was out the battery light came on and the check engine light followed it, it said system voltage low, i have had the bike for a few months now and it has 4k on it, i am confused because the voltage dropped to 11.7 and did not go any lower then that, but then it would jump up to normal operating voltage between 12.5 -12.8, but would not stay there and then drop again, could this be caused by a bad ground or is the alternator not charging? or could it be something else. it is still under warranty but if it is something as simple as a bad ground i would like to just fix it myself instead of taking it to the dealer because the dealer will have it for weeks and i dont want to miss out on any riding if i dont have to -- if someone could help me out i would really appreciate it--[confused]:p
 
Make an Appointment with your favorite Dealer.Also see if theres a factory Recall on the bikes charging system.Also might want to list your year & model of bike so as when you are posting questions someone can get you in a possible area thats needed to help you with the problems being experienced.
 
its a 09 1125 cr, the dealer by my is horrible, they had my bike for 3 weeks to do rear tire and front pads...thanks for the advice
 
That is horrible, but back in Nov my bike was in the shop for a month for a weeping water pump and whacked VSS! :(
 
Yep it sounds like you have a ground problem...BUT in this case...that's a BAD thing.
Most modern bikes have a magneto as a charging system. Permanant magnets with a wire wound core, that's a magneto.
And "normal" voltage is between 13.3 and 14.3 volts

Anyway, sounds like you've got the bad stator syndrom that most all of us have had or apparently will have. The stator wires heat up and ground themselves to the stator core, and therefore, don't put any power out to the electrical system.

I spent the big bucks to buy my own new stator from the dealer so I'd still have one to get rewound when/if the current one goes south..
I don't want to get stuck down the road a coupla years and won't be able to get ahold of a stator if I need one.
I had the first one rewound by "Custom Rewind" and put it on the shelf for possible later use (many have had more thAn one stator go out on them). A shop in AL.
http://www.customrewind.com/

The work to change the stator takes about two hours, at least, that's what it took me, going slowly.
So a "good" dealer should only have your bike a week, week and a half max. Four or five days to get it and a day to install it.

Good luck.

Mike
 
Sounds like a stator. I did a rewind and new vr on mind sucks to spend money on warranty crap but I need mind relible just about 1 k in miles and charging strong so far
 
Hallo to all out there.im new to forum. good stuff.sound like stator ide check regulator also as it controls what an how much gets to battery the output figures you gave before in the 12v region is to low perhaps at idle ok but any more revs than that it should be running in 13v+ range but not into the 15v range. The regulater controls that. easy way to see wich it is unplug stator an see whats coming out of it if its out put is normal prob to do with earth on reg or wiring damage or regulator F@#$%^&* Kiwi
 
mike van v-how much was a new stator from the dealer? I'm kind of thinking the same on this issue!
 
Called dealer they said there so busy that it will be 2 weeks before they can even look at it, I'm going to try other dealers if I get the same result I will just have to install it myself and lose out on the warranty, but It ticks me off cause I got the bike from them 2 months ago, or I call the salesman and demand they squeeze me in...I'm not happy with this dealer AT ALL
 
boreas -

Don't recall exactly...but, new from the dealer....about $600.00.
Talk about outrageous right...!?

Good thing, the rewind (from Custom Rewind) is only about $150.00, and they do very nice work (visually). At least they did on mine. And the turn around was about a week and a half.

Mike
 
Custom rewind does a good job.z33,you may have to look around for a dealer to make you happy And as always be[polite] & you need make an aquiantance with the dealer and Service area and Parts counter employees that you are thinking of using this way you can feel them out.Not all Dealers [HD] are jerks but Well (many) are,that said not sure where you live call around & ask for information on the factory recalls.And when you call ask if they have buell Techs. If you decide to repair the Stator yourself give us DIE HARD Buellers a post and many will try to help you. You will need to be ready to invest in Tools and some down time. After all is done you will be glad you have a dependable ride. A great savings as well. You can always report a dealer to the Warranty dept, but nowdays not sure it will help. You can call the Warr., dept and get a list of Dealers That are buell knowledgeable & Friendly .If the one that treated you poorly comes up (list) let the warr., dept know of your problem that occured & would like a different one. Not all people are patient or knowledgeable enough to do Mechanical. Hope you find a Dealer that will do the warrantys so you can Ride.This would also be a good time Should you do it yourself for A How to w/picts. so you could help others that need it as well.Welcome to the Forum.
 
I was actually impressed with the speed in which my local dealer replaced the stator in my 09CR. All in all, it was about 2 weeks. I say use the dealer under warranty. 2 weeks is well worth saving $600, well, to me it is.
 
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