Re: How do you know when ....?
GMslave said:
the regulator/rectifier is going bad ? Does it just puke out, or is there some sign ? Suddenly, this year I have had the bike just cough up and die while idling. I know I prolly need to change the plugs again, but other than that I'm at a loss. :?
To answer your question about the reculator rectifier, yes, sometimes they do fail suddenly and without warning, but other times they can fail less subtly, ie: undercharging the battery or overcharging the battery.
The first item of business is to troubleshoot this and determine if you're dealing with a battery/charging problem. Start with a know good and fully charged battery and fresh spark plugs. The ignition system is dependent on a good battery to induce the high secondary voltage necessay to fire the plugs. Remember that most bikes are not charging at idle and it's for this reason that the bike have a strong battery. It's possible that a battery with low voltage could cause the plugs to foul by not being capable of supporting the high secondary voltage necessary to fire the plugs. If the battery is fully charged and accepts a load ( take it to your dealer and have it load tested), then your problem lies elsewhere. If the bike sat all winter long with fuel in the carbureters, I suspect that the slow speed circuit is blocked.
Unfortunately it's very difficult to troubleshoot a bike online. There's too many variables to take into account. Be as pecific as you can about the problem and when it happens, ie:, does it stall when hot? Does it restart right away or does it take several minutes? Is this just an occasional occurance? Is the bike stock? If not what mods? When did it the problem begin? Was it sitting for a long period before so?
To test the charging system, grab a multi-tester and set it to DC 20V Voltage. Place the probes across the positive and negative terminals of the battery. At around ( I don't know the actual break even speed) 1500 RPM the battery voltage should increase to between 14-15 Volts. If it's more, the regualtor is bad, if it's less, it could be the regulator/ rectifier or the stator itself. Again, this testing is only accurate with a known good battery, fully charged.