[Rotty]

The procedure in the manualy clearly says to connect the tester to the wires then start the bike--indicating the battery is connected. A faulty battery would be a drain on the system which is why it should be the first thing checked. If it checked fine, then a good battery that is connected should have been taken into consideration with the voltage output numbers provided by KHI.

 

[Rotty]

I need to check each yellow wire against the other wire's resistance? Have I done that? I don't want to change magnets if the house never swaps out or hardly needs the rotor to be replaced.

Watt SaYE now?

Valid question to ask yourself. A simple wire resistance test is free and should be performed prior to disassembling the alternator. If the resistance is found to be high in one wire, there is corrosion or a partial break and should be fixed anyway. If the wires test fine, you now have confirmed that you really should replace the rotor.

 

[Rotty]

The manual says to test the battery voltage 30 minutes after taking the battery off the charger, did you wait to test it, or did you test it right away?

 

[Rotty]

A little seems to be a lot when it comes to electrical. A 12v battery is considered garbage if it tests at 11.9 volts. It seems to me if you're seeing 75v @ 4000 rpm when the manual states 85v -120v @ 4000 rpm, the alternator is insufficient. According to the manual, if the output is low but the stator resistance is normal, the rotor magnets are probably weak and the rotor must be replaced.

 

[Rotty]

duuude!!! I just wanted to figure out why my bikes broke That said, I do appreciate the in depth education on the properties of batteries...you got some smart peeps at this forum

Simply put, youre battery is seeing surface charges from the charging system on short rides but a surface charge has less real power than a deep charge. With a surface charge, the bike will start but loose some charge in the process. If you go for a ride that is insuffciently long to replace the charge just used to start the bike, you are now working with less charge than you started with. Give the battery a deep charge on a battery tender and see how it goes. If you regularly park the bike for more than two weeks at a time, you should hook the battery up to the tender to maintain a full deep charge.

 

[Rotty]

Yes. Acid loves to decompose lead.

No. Electrolyte remains like water if it never evaporated meaning. The water vapor is the chemical reaction so that depletes the water thru heat [the gas] meaning, you get it near a spark and all that. So no, the acid does not evaporate. The water solution to make the correct specific gravity does. So you see why you have to add water to the battery to get the specific back to 1.300?

Hubz,

These are sealed batteries that don't require service. Sealed meaning there is no way for the water vapor to vent to air and evaporate. What you're describing are the older batteries where you would periodically have to use a hydrometer to check the electrolyte levels and adjust if necessary.