December 10th, 2017, 11:19 AM | #1 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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Tacho and Fuel Guage.
Hey guys. I have an issue with my dash.
Couple months ago jumped started a ninja that was in storage in my shed for about 5 years. Had to do a carby clean to get it started. Once I finally got it started, nothing on the dash was working. Only the lights were working. Then the tacho started going crazy, the needle jumping up and down. Bike was only in idle. After a couple of weeks, I bought a new battery and after i let it run for about 15 mins the speedo starts to work and has worked every since. The fuel guage will work once in a while and the tacho will sometimes work after riding for a while. I have looked up other threads and tried changing the cdi. That did nothing. Then I changed the whole cluster. Everything worked good but the next day the fuel guage stop working. Tacho also starts working after about a minute or two after starting. I am not sure if it had the problem before it was stored years ago. Only other mod is led front blinkers. I have seen other people having the same problem with no definitive solutions. Any help is appreciated. |
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December 10th, 2017, 12:37 PM | #2 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '18, Aug '17, Aug '16
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To begin, it might be a good idea to measure your battery voltage while the engine is running and revved a little. Under certain conditions, a regulator can be damaged while jump starting. One way it can happen is if the vehicle supplying the jump start is running and has a battery voltage higher than the set point of your bike's regulator. Then the regulator, which is a shunt type, tries to shunt current to ground, and since there can easily be more current available through the jumper cables than the regulator can handle, it fails.
I don't expect this will solve all your problems, but it would be a good idea to eliminate a failed regulator as a possibility before you continue troubleshooting. And welcome to the board, Raymond! |
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December 10th, 2017, 12:42 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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That makes sense. I will replace the regulator today and let you know how that goes.
Thanks for taking the time to explain that to me. Really appreciated. |
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December 10th, 2017, 12:44 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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Btw what voltage should it be under load. How do I know if I have a failed regulator. I have one on hand already but just good to know.
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December 10th, 2017, 01:01 PM | #5 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '18, Aug '17, Aug '16
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I wasn't suggesting you immediately change your regulator, just check the battery voltage while the engine is running. With the engine revved a little, it should be somewhere in the range of 14-14.5 volts probably. If it's 12.5 or 16, for example, the regulator isn't doing its job.
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December 10th, 2017, 01:51 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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I tested the battery under load and it was 10.5ish volts at around 3 to 4k rpm. But as I was testing it the fuel guage decided to start working.
Luckily I had a spare rectifier on hand so I swapped it over and now its reading 14v at the same rev range. Everything works good now except that it still takes 1 to 2 mins for the tacho to work after starting it. Ill let you know how it goes and lets hope it stays like this. Again, thanks for your help. |
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December 10th, 2017, 02:08 PM | #7 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '18, Aug '17, Aug '16
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You're certainly welcome. So the regulator was bad, interesting. At least that problem is fixed and you can move on to the next item.
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December 11th, 2017, 11:21 AM | #8 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jim
Location: Alhambra
Join Date: May 2017 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 Posts: 39
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I have similar problem with my 08 ninja tachometer and fuel gauge. When I started ignition, the tachometer and fuel gauge didn't work immediately, I had to use my hand to punch the dashboard to make the tachometer worked. The fuel gauge only worked after 2-5 minutes warmup.
Last week I changed the front tire. The tachometer problem is solved. |
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December 11th, 2017, 11:36 AM | #9 | |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: AKA JacRyann
Location: Mesa, AZ
Join Date: Dec 2011 Motorcycle(s): CB125T CBR250R-MC19 CBR250RR-MC22 NSR350R-MC21 VF500F CBR600RR SFV650 VFR750F R1M ST1300PA Valkyrie-F6C Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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Quote:
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December 17th, 2017, 05:27 AM | #10 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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Just an update. Everything is working now after changing the regulator. The bike is even running better. It was struggling in 2nd gear before and idling really low ( close to stalling) for a bit after first starting but now its alot better.
The guages still dont work for a few minutes after first starting her and it doesnt run 100 percent but after those first few minutes, everything runs good. It doesnt bug me too much, I am quite happy with the bike now but does anyone have any suggestion what will cause this? Could it be bad stator? Or battery? (3 months old) Cheers guys. |
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December 17th, 2017, 06:34 AM | #11 |
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '18, Aug '17, Aug '16
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If the battery is at 14 volts with the engine running, there's nothing wrong with the stator. Does the headlight come on right away, or does it stay off until the instruments start working?
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December 17th, 2017, 02:30 PM | #12 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Raymond
Location: Sydney, Australia
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 and a grom Posts: 6
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Ill double check the voltage again later on. Headlight comes on normally.
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December 18th, 2017, 09:10 AM | #13 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Ethan
Location: Maine
Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r SE Posts: 38
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Sometimes when I first start my 2010 250 the tachometer acts like it’s stuck for a couple seconds... kinda weird
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