2003 charging issue

TheAmazingKickstand · August 31st, 2009, 09:42 AM

Hey,

So the bikes 2003 with 900 miles on it. I got it with 600 miles last month and the previous owner supposedly put in a new battery right before i bought it.

Bike ran great until yesterday. We went for a 100 mile ride and all was well until I turned it off at a store 5 miles from my house.

Went to turn it on and it just went trrrrr.trrrrr.

The starter wouldnt turn but the lights were on.

Ive turned it off a number of times during the ride and no problems.

Got home and started it from my car battery with no problems. Started right away and ran perfectly.

I put a multimeter on the battery while running and it read 15.7-16.

Then turned off the bike and it read 14. The bike started perfectly under its own power a minute later.

So I'm guessing something didn;t charge the battery along the ride. Regulater/rectifier/stator????

How do I logically and properly check all of the things?

Thanks!!!!

CRXTrek · August 31st, 2009, 10:46 AM

This "Other Forum" has good info for the old gen... http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Electrical_%26_Lighting

JCCJMM_ · August 31st, 2009, 11:06 AM

15 to 16 volts seems a bit high. I have never seen over 14.3 at any rpm on my bike.

I would suspect the regulator in your case.

I recently had to replace my battery, it showed an open-cell voltage of 12.9 volts but would not even light up a 2 watt bulb.

Several places can load test the battery for you, some for free.

Snake · August 31st, 2009, 11:13 AM

Auto zone will load test your battery for you.

TheAmazingKickstand · August 31st, 2009, 12:05 PM

16 did seem high to me. I i remember from auto shop, batteries should never be more than 15.7 while running.

Do you think the fact that i ran a heated vest for 4 hours had anything to do with it?
My FZ1 ran the vest with no problems but maybe it's too much for this little guy.

But more importantly, I was concerned about seeing 16 last night.

Alex · August 31st, 2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAmazingKickstand

Do you think the fact that i ran a heated vest for 4 hours had anything to do with it?

It definitely could have. A perfectly functioning charging system on the pre-gens (and new-gens, for that matter), only has a little less than 100 watts of extra juice. If you're running the high beam, it may have a little less. Depending on the heated vest, the ones I've seen vary from 50 watts up to about 100 watts. If you were running it continuously, and either the charging system wasn't working completely optimally or the battery wasn't charging perfectly, the bike could very well have been in a discharging state.

TheAmazingKickstand · August 31st, 2009, 04:48 PM

Problem solved. It was the vest!!!
Now I need to buy a warm jacket.

Bike runs and charge fine.
Thanks

Alex · August 31st, 2009, 04:53 PM

There are vests with electric controllers that can limit the wattage effectively. That way you can turn it way up to heat the vest up to full temp, then back it down to much lower while you're moving along, allowing the battery to come back up to full capacity. I use a Gerbing electric liner with an electronic controller all the time on the ninjette, rated at 75 watts at full bore (if I'm remembering correctly) and haven't had an issue as of yet, knock on wood.

TheAmazingKickstand · August 31st, 2009, 09:24 PM

hmm... Im premanantly cold in life, so the vest is always turned up to 11 on the controller =). I tried it on lower settings a few times but whenever i need the vest, Im freezing.

Wes · September 3rd, 2009, 12:47 PM

You just need to dress better. Get some thermal undershirts and long johns. Long johns alone add about 20 degrees F of tolerance for me.

August 31st, 2009, 09:42 AM	#1
TheAmazingKickstand ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: SSF Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): yellow ninjette Posts: 12	2003 charging issue Hey, So the bikes 2003 with 900 miles on it. I got it with 600 miles last month and the previous owner supposedly put in a new battery right before i bought it. Bike ran great until yesterday. We went for a 100 mile ride and all was well until I turned it off at a store 5 miles from my house. Went to turn it on and it just went trrrrr.trrrrr. The starter wouldnt turn but the lights were on. Ive turned it off a number of times during the ride and no problems. Got home and started it from my car battery with no problems. Started right away and ran perfectly. I put a multimeter on the battery while running and it read 15.7-16. Then turned off the bike and it read 14. The bike started perfectly under its own power a minute later. So I'm guessing something didn;t charge the battery along the ride. Regulater/rectifier/stator???? How do I logically and properly check all of the things? Thanks!!!!

August 31st, 2009, 04:53 PM	#8
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	There are vests with electric controllers that can limit the wattage effectively. That way you can turn it way up to heat the vest up to full temp, then back it down to much lower while you're moving along, allowing the battery to come back up to full capacity. I use a Gerbing electric liner with an electronic controller all the time on the ninjette, rated at 75 watts at full bore (if I'm remembering correctly) and haven't had an issue as of yet, knock on wood. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

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August 31st, 2009, 10:46 AM	#2
CRXTrek FORMER MOTORCYCLE RIDER Name: Steve Location: On a Trek SU200 or in my CRX Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): Rode an 08 250r then rode an 08 ZX-6R until i totaled it on 7/10/10 Posts: 758	This "Other Forum" has good info for the old gen... http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Electrical_%26_Lighting

August 31st, 2009, 11:06 AM	#3
JCCJMM_ ninjette.org member Name: John-Michael Location: Texas Join Date: Aug 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2007 EX250 Posts: 133	15 to 16 volts seems a bit high. I have never seen over 14.3 at any rpm on my bike. I would suspect the regulator in your case. I recently had to replace my battery, it showed an open-cell voltage of 12.9 volts but would not even light up a 2 watt bulb. Several places can load test the battery for you, some for free.

August 31st, 2009, 11:13 AM	#4
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Auto zone will load test your battery for you.

August 31st, 2009, 12:05 PM	#5
TheAmazingKickstand ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: SSF Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): yellow ninjette Posts: 12	16 did seem high to me. I i remember from auto shop, batteries should never be more than 15.7 while running. Do you think the fact that i ran a heated vest for 4 hours had anything to do with it? My FZ1 ran the vest with no problems but maybe it's too much for this little guy. But more importantly, I was concerned about seeing 16 last night.

August 31st, 2009, 04:48 PM	#7
TheAmazingKickstand ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: SSF Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): yellow ninjette Posts: 12	Problem solved. It was the vest!!! Now I need to buy a warm jacket. Bike runs and charge fine. Thanks

August 31st, 2009, 09:24 PM	#9
TheAmazingKickstand ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: SSF Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): yellow ninjette Posts: 12	hmm... Im premanantly cold in life, so the vest is always turned up to 11 on the controller =). I tried it on lower settings a few times but whenever i need the vest, Im freezing.

September 3rd, 2009, 12:47 PM	#10
Wes ninjette.org member Name: Wes Location: Kingston, ON Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): EX250-F14 Posts: 41	You just need to dress better. Get some thermal undershirts and long johns. Long johns alone add about 20 degrees F of tolerance for me.