96 VFR cutting off.

So simple, if it is charging 16 volts the reg is not doing its job, you will fry the battery if you ride it

 

Well Norm, page 15-5 of the service manual disagrees with your assertion. It lists the regulated voltage at 13.5-16 V at 5000 rpm. I'm going to side with the Honda engineers on this one.

 

Karazy, just one dispute. I found that after charging my battery it took much longer than an hour to reach steady-state voltage. The voltage continued to decline even after 24 hours. I am sure there are many factors involved so YMMV. I think a reasonable guideline for a steady reading may be 24 hours. But then if one is testing for shorts, check it again several days later.

 

to see a charge voltage at 16 v means that the battery has an issue. i would charge on a 5a setting and measure initial charge voltage plus taper voltage at one hour charge time. anything over 15% of 12.8 voltages on charge means a battery issue. after complete charge i would check sg and load test and test sg again. one load test should drop a good battery 10% sg. honda manauls have been know to contain errors. do NOT always trust them explicitly

 

Yes you are right, but remember Honda engineers designed this pile of shit charging system that fails on a daily basis, I go with my gut feel on what I have learnt in the last 70 years and I would not ride with my charging system pumping 16 volts. This is why these dam things need a voltmeter fitted

 

Yah, gotta agree with NormK ... 16v is incredibly excessive and I'd be concerned with anything 15v or more.

My Honda "Service Manual" (6th gen bible - the giant one that the dealers use) states that charging voltage should be less than 15.5v but higher than the measured battery voltage (13.0-13.2 resting).

I think that 13.5 - 14.8v is a pretty safe range. I believe mine sat consistently between 14.3v - 14.4v once I beefed up the wiring ... prior to that, it was down around 13.5-13.8v.

 

Rj is going old school on us. It's pretty hard to check sg on a sealed battery, which I'll assume most of us have.

Current, more than voltage, is the battery killer. Of course, if the voltage is very high, the current would naturally increase. Although 16 V is high, I would try keeping an eye on the battery, just to be on the safe side. It takes seconds to remove the seat, to have a peak. That 16V was a peak voltage. Anyone who has done the drill will testify that keeping it at the peak for very long is not easy.

Knight, no two batteries are going to act exactly the same. These batteries are constantly losing charge, when standing, which is why we buy trickle chargers. A new battery will normally drop from ~13.5 to ~12.8 in about an hour, after the charger is removed. A few tenths of a volt, here or there, doesn't really matter.

Back to the OP...we're still waiting for an explanation on how the charging system managed to supply 16V with a dead stator.

 

My fault, I meant the stator instead of the battery. While my friend was with me he did the stator test and told me it was sho. Said it wouldn't go past 16v and he was revving 6k

 

Ok so that is 16 volts A/C

 

Yes the stator is toast.

So go out a buy a replacement stator, but don't just assume that is it = problem solved.

You may indeed have found the issue, but once the new stator has been installed, it is sensible to work through the drill to check there are no other faults lurking in the charging system which could leave you stranded! Remember you need to do the drill TWICE - once with the bike cold and then again - after a 30 minute plus ride by which time all the components in the charging system will be good an hot and any heat related defects should become apparent.

All 4 elements of the charging system need to be in good health (Battery, RR, Stator, loom). A fault in any one component may damage all or any of the others. The main reasons for the stator to fail are age related breakdown of the windings insulation and a meltdown/short at the dreaded RR/Stator connector - so if you really want to keep it make sure it is in perfect condition - personally I would direct solder and heat shrink wrap that connection.

If it was my bike - whilst awaiting the new stator, I would (1) put the battery on a decent motorbike trickle charger (best ones have intelligent charging circuitry to assess, restore and revive a discharged battery allowing it to hold a decent charge, obviously replace the battery if the charger finds it defective, (2) give the charging system loom a through visual inspection - you are looking for signs of charring, corrosion or loose connections at places like battery terminals, (3) obtain and fit one of them cheapo eBay volt meters - so in future you can keep an eye on things. Note these meters are not known for their accuracy - so as long as its in the 12-15 volt range, what really matters is that the volts remain reasonably stable.

Good luck



SkiMad

 

Ok appreciate it bro. Will go for a long drive when I get a chance. I'm currently trying to clean the carbs and I gotta order a new throttle tube. I broke the old one and the throttle gets stuck and cut off if I'm not on the gas correctly. Preferably want a aluminum throttle tube.