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| Frequently Asked Questions and Diagnostic Information |
1. The battery in my bike doesn’t stay charged , what should I do?
Before you can suspect any charging system component of failing you first should check all the easy stuff. First make sure all the cells
in the battery have electrolyte up to the full line. Use a hydrometer (a fancy name for a tube with floating balls in it) and check all the
cells after the battery has been charged. You can get a hydrometer for only a few dollars at most bike shops. The ones made for cars
are way to big to use on 99% of bike batteries. Once you are sure you have a good battery...
Next check all the connectors. The battery cables and all the other wiring connections should all be clean and tight. A weak or dirty
connection can cause poor charging system output. A melted plug is also a sign of a loose or dirty connector. The heat comes from
the resistance of completing the circuit through oxide (or oil and dirt) on the surface of the terminals. If you use spray cleaner to flush
out any plugs check for signs that the plug is being damaged from the solvent and discontinue using it if there is. Also use an air nozzle
(or caned air) to blow out the connectors after cleaning them. Some of the spray lubes like WD-40 are good for cleaning out
connectors but I do not endorse them as lubricants. Again check to make sure the spray lube is not damaging the plastic plugs or
insulators.
Bikes with mechanical voltage regulators may also need to have the points in the regulator cleaned or better yet replace it with an all
electronic voltage regulator.
If you still have a charging system problem after this, then start working your way through the charging system with an electrical meter
as described in the repair manual for your bike. If something doesn’t make sense, ask me and I’ll try to make it clearer for you.
Before you can suspect any charging system component of failing you first should check all the easy stuff. First make sure all the cells
in the battery have electrolyte up to the full line. Use a hydrometer (a fancy name for a tube with floating balls in it) and check all the
cells after the battery has been charged. You can get a hydrometer for only a few dollars at most bike shops. The ones made for cars
are way to big to use on 99% of bike batteries. Once you are sure you have a good battery...
Next check all the connectors. The battery cables and all the other wiring connections should all be clean and tight. A weak or dirty
connection can cause poor charging system output. A melted plug is also a sign of a loose or dirty connector. The heat comes from
the resistance of completing the circuit through oxide (or oil and dirt) on the surface of the terminals. If you use spray cleaner to flush
out any plugs check for signs that the plug is being damaged from the solvent and discontinue using it if there is. Also use an air nozzle
(or caned air) to blow out the connectors after cleaning them. Some of the spray lubes like WD-40 are good for cleaning out
connectors but I do not endorse them as lubricants. Again check to make sure the spray lube is not damaging the plastic plugs or
insulators.
Bikes with mechanical voltage regulators may also need to have the points in the regulator cleaned or better yet replace it with an all
electronic voltage regulator.
If you still have a charging system problem after this, then start working your way through the charging system with an electrical meter
as described in the repair manual for your bike. If something doesn’t make sense, ask me and I’ll try to make it clearer for you.
2. Do I need an expensive test meter to figure out what's wrong with my bike?
An inexpensive electrical multi-tester can be purchased for around $10~$20 at most home center stores. These are more than adequate
for diagnosing charging system problems and well worth the price. I wouldn't be with out an electrical meter and I always have 2 or 3
of them around and I keep a small one in my bags when I travel.
For testing rectifiers, a small battery and a light bulb wired together will give you an adequate test light. So long as the light goes on
when you touch the ends of the leads together, it'll work for testing connections and rectifiers. This is a schematic for a simple test
light made with 2 AA batteries and a 3 volt flashlight bulb.
An inexpensive electrical multi-tester can be purchased for around $10~$20 at most home center stores. These are more than adequate
for diagnosing charging system problems and well worth the price. I wouldn't be with out an electrical meter and I always have 2 or 3
of them around and I keep a small one in my bags when I travel.
For testing rectifiers, a small battery and a light bulb wired together will give you an adequate test light. So long as the light goes on
when you touch the ends of the leads together, it'll work for testing connections and rectifiers. This is a schematic for a simple test
light made with 2 AA batteries and a 3 volt flashlight bulb.
3. How do I to test a rectifier?
Start with one lead of the meter (or test light) to the positive lead on the rectifier. Touch the other test lead one at a time to each of the
AC terminals of the rectifier. At this point you will either have continuity or not but it should be the same with all the AC terminals on
the rectifier.
Swap the test leads (still working with the positive terminal of the rectifier) and repeat the test. This test should have the opposite
result as the previous test. Again the result should be the same for each of the AC leads.
Move on to the negative lead off the rectifier and repeat the 2 previous tests. This is test is easier with a test light than with an
electrical meter. The point is to check that power flows one way but not the other and the exact numbers isn’t as important. If your
meter has a buzzer for continuity, this works very well too.
This will catch a bad rectifier 95% of the time. The rest of the time they only fail under load and will usually get pretty hot.
Start with one lead of the meter (or test light) to the positive lead on the rectifier. Touch the other test lead one at a time to each of the
AC terminals of the rectifier. At this point you will either have continuity or not but it should be the same with all the AC terminals on
the rectifier.
Swap the test leads (still working with the positive terminal of the rectifier) and repeat the test. This test should have the opposite
result as the previous test. Again the result should be the same for each of the AC leads.
Move on to the negative lead off the rectifier and repeat the 2 previous tests. This is test is easier with a test light than with an
electrical meter. The point is to check that power flows one way but not the other and the exact numbers isn’t as important. If your
meter has a buzzer for continuity, this works very well too.
This will catch a bad rectifier 95% of the time. The rest of the time they only fail under load and will usually get pretty hot.
7. Diagnostics for 1979~1984 Honda 750~1100 DOHC fours (and SOHC CB650)
The following information also applies to the CB550 Nighthawk but the resistance on the field coil (black to white wires) is
lower. Honda has released an updated stator/field coil assembly for this bike (this is the only bike I know that uses this
arrangement) and I recommend calling the Honda dealer for this information as the manual may be wrong.
The first test is to test the voltage between the red wire on the rectifier / voltage regulator unit (do not unplug it for this test) and
ground with the bike running. If you're only getting battery voltage then you have a problem. If you're getting over 15 volts then
the regulator is bad.
At first all those wires look rather intimidating but once you break it down it's rather simple. Unplug both of the connectors and
use the test procedure above to test the rectifier part of the unit. The red wire is positive and the green wire is negative and test
them against the 3 yellow AC leads.
The next test is to test the voltage regulator. Plug the small plug from the regulator / rectifier back into the wiring harness. With
the ignition on but the bike not running and if the regulator is good, you should get less than battery voltage between the black
and white wires in the large plug from the regulator / rectifier. You can do this test with the bike running but I find it usually
doesn't make any difference.
If these test have positive results the next thing to check is the resistance on the rotor. Remove the alternator cover and check
the resistance between copper rings on the rotor. There should be 4.5 ~6 ohms resistance if it's good. Most of the time when
rotors are bad there will be either infinite resistance (completely burnt out) or less than 2 ohms resistance (internally shorted.)
Either way you're looking at getting a new rotor. If the rotor checks out good the next step is to check the resistance between
the black and white wires (with the alternator cover installed.) Wiggle and tug slightly on these wires during this test. If the
resistance changes at all during this test or is different than the resistance between the copper rings on the rotor, the wires leading
to the brushes (black and white wires) will need to be replaced. The wires to the brushes going bad is more common than one
ouw think
The next thing to check is stator. I left this test for last because this is the least likely thing to go wrong. There should be about
.5 to 1 ohm resistance between the yellow wires from the stator and infinite to ground if the unit is good.
The following information also applies to the CB550 Nighthawk but the resistance on the field coil (black to white wires) is
lower. Honda has released an updated stator/field coil assembly for this bike (this is the only bike I know that uses this
arrangement) and I recommend calling the Honda dealer for this information as the manual may be wrong.
The first test is to test the voltage between the red wire on the rectifier / voltage regulator unit (do not unplug it for this test) and
ground with the bike running. If you're only getting battery voltage then you have a problem. If you're getting over 15 volts then
the regulator is bad.
At first all those wires look rather intimidating but once you break it down it's rather simple. Unplug both of the connectors and
use the test procedure above to test the rectifier part of the unit. The red wire is positive and the green wire is negative and test
them against the 3 yellow AC leads.
The next test is to test the voltage regulator. Plug the small plug from the regulator / rectifier back into the wiring harness. With
the ignition on but the bike not running and if the regulator is good, you should get less than battery voltage between the black
and white wires in the large plug from the regulator / rectifier. You can do this test with the bike running but I find it usually
doesn't make any difference.
If these test have positive results the next thing to check is the resistance on the rotor. Remove the alternator cover and check
the resistance between copper rings on the rotor. There should be 4.5 ~6 ohms resistance if it's good. Most of the time when
rotors are bad there will be either infinite resistance (completely burnt out) or less than 2 ohms resistance (internally shorted.)
Either way you're looking at getting a new rotor. If the rotor checks out good the next step is to check the resistance between
the black and white wires (with the alternator cover installed.) Wiggle and tug slightly on these wires during this test. If the
resistance changes at all during this test or is different than the resistance between the copper rings on the rotor, the wires leading
to the brushes (black and white wires) will need to be replaced. The wires to the brushes going bad is more common than one
ouw think
The next thing to check is stator. I left this test for last because this is the least likely thing to go wrong. There should be about
.5 to 1 ohm resistance between the yellow wires from the stator and infinite to ground if the unit is good.
6. All of the components in the charging system on my bike test out OK but it still doesn’t charge.
This is almost always caused by dirty, corroded or weak terminal connections. Corrosion on the terminals acts as a resister dropping
current flow and creating heat. The heat often ends up melting the plugs making the problem even worse. The only fix is to clean all
the connections and coat the terminals with dielectric grease to prevent them from corroding again.
For more info on how to take care of this problem, go to the connection cleaning and repair section.
This is almost always caused by dirty, corroded or weak terminal connections. Corrosion on the terminals acts as a resister dropping
current flow and creating heat. The heat often ends up melting the plugs making the problem even worse. The only fix is to clean all
the connections and coat the terminals with dielectric grease to prevent them from corroding again.
For more info on how to take care of this problem, go to the connection cleaning and repair section.
9. If I plug a terminal into the wrong place in the housing, can I get it out?
This is easier than it looks but to avoid repeating myself, the description on how to do this is in the FAQ just above this one.
This is easier than it looks but to avoid repeating myself, the description on how to do this is in the FAQ just above this one.
8. My bike drains the battery when sitting, how do I find out what's causing this?
Solder 2 wires on a turn signal bulb and insulate it generously with electrical tape. Disconnect the positive cable off the battery and
connect the turnsignal bulb in-line between the negative post on the battery and the battery cable (do not try and run the bike with the
bulb in the circuit.) With the ignition switch in the off position, the bulb should be out. If it's lit, then something on your bike is
draining power. To find this, start unplugging connectors until the light goes out. The thing you unplug that makes the light go out is
the problem.
It’s also possible that the main wiring harness has shorted wires but if that’s the case, your bike will be regularly blowing fuses.
Solder 2 wires on a turn signal bulb and insulate it generously with electrical tape. Disconnect the positive cable off the battery and
connect the turnsignal bulb in-line between the negative post on the battery and the battery cable (do not try and run the bike with the
bulb in the circuit.) With the ignition switch in the off position, the bulb should be out. If it's lit, then something on your bike is
draining power. To find this, start unplugging connectors until the light goes out. The thing you unplug that makes the light go out is
the problem.
It’s also possible that the main wiring harness has shorted wires but if that’s the case, your bike will be regularly blowing fuses.
4. Charging system diagnostics for older Honda singles and twins (Pre-1978)
First off, read the above articles. These things all need to be dealt with when you have a charging system problem.
There are 3 wires from the stator and depending on the year of your bike they will be different colors. From 1969 on the colors were
pink, yellow and white. The pink wire connects to a full charging coil, the yellow to a 2/3rds coil and the white wire to a 1/3rd coil.
The yellow and white wires connect in the headlight switch when the lights are turned on. What this means to you is that the
resistance from pink to white will be a little less than pink to yellow. You should get around 3/4 to 1 ohm from yellow to pink and
somewhat less from pink to white. None of these 3 wires should have continuity to ground. Check the stator with an ohm meter and
if it passes these test then move on to checking the connections.
The white and yellow wires from the split coils are connected together (in the headlight switch) when the headlight is turned on
directing more power into the charging system. If the switch fails the charging system will not give full output. To make this more
confusing, most pre-1969 Hondas use the same system but with different wire colors from year to year and sometimes model to
model. On these bikes the brown wire usually represents the full charging coil and yellow and pink wires are from the split charging
coil. The best way to be sure is to check the wiring diagram in a repair manual for your bike. The best fix is a new switch but they
are usually no longer available. Some people bypass this and connect the white and yellow wires together at the rectifier giving full
charging all the time. This is only a good idea if you ride with the headlight on all the time.
Proceed to the next article if you are still having problems.
First off, read the above articles. These things all need to be dealt with when you have a charging system problem.
There are 3 wires from the stator and depending on the year of your bike they will be different colors. From 1969 on the colors were
pink, yellow and white. The pink wire connects to a full charging coil, the yellow to a 2/3rds coil and the white wire to a 1/3rd coil.
The yellow and white wires connect in the headlight switch when the lights are turned on. What this means to you is that the
resistance from pink to white will be a little less than pink to yellow. You should get around 3/4 to 1 ohm from yellow to pink and
somewhat less from pink to white. None of these 3 wires should have continuity to ground. Check the stator with an ohm meter and
if it passes these test then move on to checking the connections.
The white and yellow wires from the split coils are connected together (in the headlight switch) when the headlight is turned on
directing more power into the charging system. If the switch fails the charging system will not give full output. To make this more
confusing, most pre-1969 Hondas use the same system but with different wire colors from year to year and sometimes model to
model. On these bikes the brown wire usually represents the full charging coil and yellow and pink wires are from the split charging
coil. The best way to be sure is to check the wiring diagram in a repair manual for your bike. The best fix is a new switch but they
are usually no longer available. Some people bypass this and connect the white and yellow wires together at the rectifier giving full
charging all the time. This is only a good idea if you ride with the headlight on all the time.
Proceed to the next article if you are still having problems.
10. If I damage a terminal for one of the connector plugs you sell, can I get more?
I have a some extras and can supply a few if needed but not enough to sell them separately as a regular item (unless you want several
thousand and then I'd call the manufacturer and have them make them up.)
I have a some extras and can supply a few if needed but not enough to sell them separately as a regular item (unless you want several
thousand and then I'd call the manufacturer and have them make them up.)
11. Is there a cheaper alternative to the OEM sealed beam headlights?
If your bike has a 12 volt electrical system and headlight is larger than 5 ¼”, you can replace the bulb with an auto sealed beam.
This fix is perfect for many older bikes with 6" round headlights.
Take an old dead sealed beam and tape up the glass with duct tape, put it in a paper bag, then whack it with a hammer in about
the center of the lens. Carefully remove all the broken glass and discard it. With a die grinder or similar tool cut out around the
bulb so there is about a 1" hole in the back of the reflector. Purchase a car 5 1/4" Halogen sealed beam and glue it in with a
generous amount of silicone rubber sealant. You will need to get a plug for the back of the car headlight but many larger
Japanese bikes use the same plug and it should be easy to get one at most motorcycle salvage shops.
This type auto headlight has an internal halogen bulb surrounded by a glass reflector and lens so if it gets hit by a rock and gets a
small hole in it, it'll keep on shining. This should run you about $7 for the sealed beam and you'll use about a dollar's worth of
sealer. It'll also be about 50% brighter but the Halogen bulb will draw a little more power.
For bikes with 7" round or odd shaped sealed beam headlights
Most 7" round sealed beams are directly replaceable with H4 lens/reflector assemblies that take a replaceable bulb. However
some OEM sealed beams have and odd mounting system and will need to be either spliced like below or use a 7" glass sealed
beam like above.
To make a spliced lens/reflector assembly carefully cut the factory sealed beam steel reflector about 1" above the bulb with
a die grinder with a cut off wheel. This will leave about a 2" diameter hole in the back of the unit. Take a Automotive H4
headlight and cut it's lens about half way between the bulb and the lens. You will see that the back of the H4 unit and the front
of the stock sealed beam will be 2 cones that pretty much fit together. Clean them both well and glue them together with high
temp silicone sealer. It is very important to remember is to maintain the stock bulb position in the sealed beam so that the lens
doesn't over heat and crack and to get the correct light pattern. You can cut to slits in the H4 reflector (from about 1/2" from
the bulb to the edge of the cone so you can roll the cone a little tighter. Be sure and give the high temp silicone sealer at least 24
hours to dry but over a weekend would be better.
Do either of these modifications at your own risk. These instructions assume that you have some proficiency with
hand tools and always wear safety goggles when using a die grinder or breaking glass.
If your bike has a 12 volt electrical system and headlight is larger than 5 ¼”, you can replace the bulb with an auto sealed beam.
This fix is perfect for many older bikes with 6" round headlights.
Take an old dead sealed beam and tape up the glass with duct tape, put it in a paper bag, then whack it with a hammer in about
the center of the lens. Carefully remove all the broken glass and discard it. With a die grinder or similar tool cut out around the
bulb so there is about a 1" hole in the back of the reflector. Purchase a car 5 1/4" Halogen sealed beam and glue it in with a
generous amount of silicone rubber sealant. You will need to get a plug for the back of the car headlight but many larger
Japanese bikes use the same plug and it should be easy to get one at most motorcycle salvage shops.
This type auto headlight has an internal halogen bulb surrounded by a glass reflector and lens so if it gets hit by a rock and gets a
small hole in it, it'll keep on shining. This should run you about $7 for the sealed beam and you'll use about a dollar's worth of
sealer. It'll also be about 50% brighter but the Halogen bulb will draw a little more power.
For bikes with 7" round or odd shaped sealed beam headlights
Most 7" round sealed beams are directly replaceable with H4 lens/reflector assemblies that take a replaceable bulb. However
some OEM sealed beams have and odd mounting system and will need to be either spliced like below or use a 7" glass sealed
beam like above.
To make a spliced lens/reflector assembly carefully cut the factory sealed beam steel reflector about 1" above the bulb with
a die grinder with a cut off wheel. This will leave about a 2" diameter hole in the back of the unit. Take a Automotive H4
headlight and cut it's lens about half way between the bulb and the lens. You will see that the back of the H4 unit and the front
of the stock sealed beam will be 2 cones that pretty much fit together. Clean them both well and glue them together with high
temp silicone sealer. It is very important to remember is to maintain the stock bulb position in the sealed beam so that the lens
doesn't over heat and crack and to get the correct light pattern. You can cut to slits in the H4 reflector (from about 1/2" from
the bulb to the edge of the cone so you can roll the cone a little tighter. Be sure and give the high temp silicone sealer at least 24
hours to dry but over a weekend would be better.
Do either of these modifications at your own risk. These instructions assume that you have some proficiency with
hand tools and always wear safety goggles when using a die grinder or breaking glass.
12. Do special orders cost more?
For the most part they're the same price and only take longer. If I have to use a lot more wire or get some special connectors I do not
normally have, then there will be a small additional charge.
For the most part they're the same price and only take longer. If I have to use a lot more wire or get some special connectors I do not
normally have, then there will be a small additional charge.
13. Why don't the parts you sell look like the ones that came on my bike?
The parts I sell are of my own design and construction. Currently I cannot make parts that look like the ones from the OEM supplier
in Japan so I settle for ones that work better. If you don't like how my parts look, then perhaps they're not for you...
The parts I sell are of my own design and construction. Currently I cannot make parts that look like the ones from the OEM supplier
in Japan so I settle for ones that work better. If you don't like how my parts look, then perhaps they're not for you...
14. Why don't the wire colors on some of your rectifiers match the colors on my bike?
In electronics red is positive and black is negative. Yellow is the most popular color on motorcycles for AC. I went with these colors
because they made the most sense to me. If I get enough requests for other color wires, I’ll look into getting them for special orders.
I include installation instructions with my parts that are not sold with a plug installed.
There’s nothing to explain on the parts that come with a plug. Plug it in, bolt it down and that’s it.
In electronics red is positive and black is negative. Yellow is the most popular color on motorcycles for AC. I went with these colors
because they made the most sense to me. If I get enough requests for other color wires, I’ll look into getting them for special orders.
I include installation instructions with my parts that are not sold with a plug installed.
There’s nothing to explain on the parts that come with a plug. Plug it in, bolt it down and that’s it.
15. What are the limitations on the guarantee?
There are no special terms to the guarantee on my parts but I expect them to be installed correctly as per my instructions.
Before retuning any parts you need to eMail me and let me know you are having a problem. I’ll help you check it out so we know for
certain that it’s the part and not something else.
I do not pay return shipping but I pay the shipping of the replacement / repaired part to you (in USA and Canada, and half of shipping
on replacements outside of the North America.)
The guarantee is not transferable from bike to bike or from person to person. How will I know if the part has been used on more than
one bike? I won’t, so I trust you to be as honest with me as I am with you.
There are no special terms to the guarantee on my parts but I expect them to be installed correctly as per my instructions.
Before retuning any parts you need to eMail me and let me know you are having a problem. I’ll help you check it out so we know for
certain that it’s the part and not something else.
I do not pay return shipping but I pay the shipping of the replacement / repaired part to you (in USA and Canada, and half of shipping
on replacements outside of the North America.)
The guarantee is not transferable from bike to bike or from person to person. How will I know if the part has been used on more than
one bike? I won’t, so I trust you to be as honest with me as I am with you.
17. Do I have to use on line payments to buy from you?
I accept money orders and cashiers checks by mail. Click on the link below for a mail order form.
I accept money orders and cashiers checks by mail. Click on the link below for a mail order form.
18. Do you have other bike parts?
For the most part "what you see is what you get." I'm always looking for new stuff to add to my line but business growth is moving
rather slowly.
For the most part "what you see is what you get." I'm always looking for new stuff to add to my line but business growth is moving
rather slowly.
16. What is your return policy?
Returns for warranty or exchange only. No refunds, no exceptions.
Returns for warranty or exchange only. No refunds, no exceptions.
5. Why don’t you make a regulator for the old Honda singles and twins?
Change that, I now have a unit that will work great on the these old bikes. This unit is built by an outside
supplier to my specs but it's a great part that I'm happy to put my name on... See the VRRPM2-HCB on the
regulator/rectifier units page.
There are a few things to consider before buying one. First are you running any electrical accessories that
cannot handle a voltage spike over 15 volts. If all you are running is the stock lighting, this unit is not worth
your money but if you've added a radio, electronic ignition or a GPS, odds are this unit will be a worthwhile
addition to your bike.
Change that, I now have a unit that will work great on the these old bikes. This unit is built by an outside
supplier to my specs but it's a great part that I'm happy to put my name on... See the VRRPM2-HCB on the
regulator/rectifier units page.
There are a few things to consider before buying one. First are you running any electrical accessories that
cannot handle a voltage spike over 15 volts. If all you are running is the stock lighting, this unit is not worth
your money but if you've added a radio, electronic ignition or a GPS, odds are this unit will be a worthwhile
addition to your bike.