Hi/Lo beam switch and charging problems 5th gen

My stator and new RR test good but I have only 12.75v at the battery which is also new. My hi-lo works but sometimes hi beam will not come on when I operate the switch. Lo beam always works. Could the switch be causing charging problems? I don't see any grounding issues or corrosion anywhere.

 

Wow ok, not 100% sure here, but if it were me, thank god it isn't, sorry, I'm not a fan of electrical issues. I would see what it takes to take the lights off the grid, hopefully a plug that can be un plugged, then to do a test. My thinking here is there is such a load that it can't quite recover from it. IDK just saying is what I'd do for a check. Do you have a good digital test meter ? check out grounds by ohmimg things out.

 

The hi-beam switch contact may just be corroded. Open the headlight switch case, shoot the briefest of squirts of DeoxIT or equivalent on the headlight, horn, and turn signal contacts. Work each switch a bit, let it dry, then close it.

12.75 is right where a brand new battery would be, with the bike off, after a long rest. Can you clarify your statement, at what RPM did you measure that voltage?

 

I tested the battery voltage with the bike off, at idle and at 5k and the voltage does not change at all. It stays about 12.75v. Stator puts out about 56v when revving. I replaced the RR thinking it was bad with a new Rick's RR. Both the old and new RR test the same so I guess I wasted my money on the new one.

All the fuses look good, the starter relay looks clean. I tested using 2 known good batteries with same results. I'm getting NO voltage to the battery. I guess I need to tap into the wires on the RR just past the stator wire plug to see if I still get good stator voltage there.

Anybody know if I can test the voltage at the starter relay terminals? Should that voltage be the same as at the battery?

The only other issue is the hi-lo switch does not work sometimes. I flick it to hi and the headlight goes out. Sometimes it will come on after a couple of seconds or a couple tries then stays on. Lo beam always works. I may try RVFR's suggestions and pull the fuse to the headlight and then test everything. Still, I don't think that will explain no voltage at the battery.

I'm stumped.

 

you really need to get the "FSM" factory service manual for your bike. You can test each leg of the stator with your dmm set on AC, each leg should have a certain voltage, its been a while since I needed to do this. Far as the head light goes, see if the fuse is making good contact, could be a bad connection there.

 

The Usual Suspects! Ironic. Great flick. I had similar problems. Just used a switch cleaner lubricant on the headlight switch. Seemed to be an isolated problem. I now have a R1 RR, hard wired. Have you checked your connectors? I had similar results before I ditched them. I now have a fused and switched voltmeter on the triples.

Sent from my SGP512 using Tapatalk

 

Baz is on the money, you obviously still have the connector between the stator and R/R, get rid of that greatest charging problem that Honda fitted to these bikes regardless of your headlight problems. I still think there may also be something wrong have you done the "Drill"

 

UPDATE
OK, I put my old updated honda rectifier back on and soldered the connection. When I stripped the stator wires one of them was discolored blue'ish (heat damaged). While the stator tests fine without load when I hook it up and test at the battery at 5k the voltage drops to 9-11 volts. At idle it's about 12.5v and engine off about 12.5. So the voltage is dropping at higher RPM. The RR gets hot in about 30 seconds. So, I'm thinking my stator is in fact faulty.

I'm also thinking the stator just does not have enough power to overcome the new Rick's RR and that's why I don't see any voltage increase at the battery at higher rpm's when I test that one. Looks like with no load the stator tests fine. Does higher rpm's cause more drain on the stator?

Rundown
factory stator (wires soldered)
57v at 5k rpm
12.7v at idle on battery
9 t0 11v at 5k on battery (voltage drop)

Rick's RR
factory stator (wires NOT soldered)
57v at 5k rpm
12.7v at idle on battery
12.7v at 5k rpm on battery (no voltage drop but no charging either)

I just gonna bite the bullet and get a new stator and solder it in. What say you?

 

Kizer (or should that be Verbal?) Earlier on you said: I'm getting NO voltage to the battery.

By my reading of your tests, I think it is likely that your stator is OK, stator to RR connection is OK, new RR is OK, but it all goes downhill from there. I'd be tracing the wires from the RR to the battery and looking for a break, bad connection or a bad earth. On my digital multimeter I have a setting that puts out an audible tone for checking continuity, and I would be using that to check the red/white wire connection from RR to battery via the fuse.