Pretty sure battery is not charging.

Ran the XJ650 today. Bobbers are not fun on the freeway, but runs great opened up. Anyway, it's running good above 1/8 throttle. Has an uneven idle and a bog from the idle to 1/8 throttle. I think a little rich at the pilot mixture screws. Still adjusting those and the carbs in general.
My question is, if my battery is dying out when I ride, would that cause the bike to stall out when it gets running a while? I ran it today a good twenty five to thirty minutes. Including on the freeway. When I got off the freeway, it seemed to almost die out when I started off from a stop. Like around the 1/8 throttle mark. Idles uneven but stays idling. I don't see any change in headlight brightness when I rev it. So, I think a couple of problems.

1. Carb mixture screws not right or float levels too high, etc. (maybe too rich now) I've got a little blackness around the plug, not directly on the electrode though. Electrode brown/tan.
2. Brushes at generator/stator worn out.

when it died out, it wouldn't restart with the starter. Like a dead battery. Lights came on, not enough to start though. Waited a few minutes and I did get a little starter response. I was able to compression start with no problem.

My main concern/question right now is, WHEN the battery dies, would that cause the bike to stall out, stop running? Because it seems like a heat thing. When the bike gets well warmed, it seems to run worse at the 1/8 throttle mark.


82 XJ650 Maxim. Ebay Pods, some exhaust baffle is chopped off.

 

Valve clearances are in spec, right?

You can test whether or not the battery is being charged by putting a meter across the terminals and running the motor up to 2200RPMs. You should get 14.5V ~14.7V on the meter.

 

Valve clearances a-ok!
Compression decent!

Will check when I get another multi-meter. They sell some really crappy tools these days! X(

Everything is made in China but, how are you supposed to tell the ok crap from the terrible crap.

You think the bike stops running when the battery dies out?

Thanks

 

Very possibly.

 

Most likely yes, without sufficient voltage the electronic ignition will fade and fail to throw a spark. Maybe there was something good about points and magnetos after all...
As for crap tools vs good ones, anything from the following stores is crap;
Harbor Freight
Wal Mart
Target
Most auto parts chains
You want a good multimeter, you are not going to buy one for $20, buy a Fluke or go to a store that specialized in electricians tools and buy one from them. I have a Cen-Tech I bought back in the mid 90's when I was an apprentice electrician that the nylon case is almost worn out I've used it so much. Not the highest end, but it serves me well.
For most tools you (a shade tree hobby mechanic) can get away with cheap Chinese garbage, ratchets and hand tools and such, but for precision and electronic tools you really should go high end. Torque wrenches, calipers, compression testers, dial gauges and of course multimeters.

 

Settled for a radio shack digital multimeter. We'll see!
Anyway reading 11.5 volts no matter how I rev it.
10.5 when I hit the starter. So looks like new brush time.
That's ok, I needed to remove and polish that cover anyway.

Thank You

 

Replaced the stator (alternator) brushes and still no charging. So, I was this close [] to starting that flow chart to diagnose the stator and RR when I found a corroded red wire loose from the RR plug block. Connected it and TADAAAA! 14.5 volts when running. Very happy.

 

Very good. Now go through every electrial connection on the bike and clean any corrosion that you find. Better to find it now than on the side of the road.

 

Is your battery fluid low (if have that style)?
Is the battery bad?
Let local store test it for free

 

Is the headlight supposed to get brighter when you Rev it up? And when you let off it dims?

 

I wouldn't call it dim, but yeah, not as bright. What I found was a corroded broken thick red wire at the eight wire connector that goes to the regulator/rectifier.

 

Yes, the intensity of the headlight is visibly different from 12V (battery voltage) to 14.5 V (regulated voltage).

At idle, the rotor in the alternator is not spinning fast enough to generate enough energy to produce 14.5V. Essentially, the electrical system is running off the battery. As the revs increase to from 2500-5000 rpm, the alternator should support the entire electrical load on the bike and its output is regulated at 14.5V. This is what the entire electrical system sees, so the headlight also gets this voltage increase and is visibly brighter.

RiceBiker, was your connector melted? Red wire melt at that connector is a common problem. The connection corrodes and creates some series resistance, which produces a lot of heat given the amount of current that flows through that connection.

Make sure the connector housing, and the pinned connectors are in good shape. Depending on how much piece of mind you want, you can even re-pin all of the connectors in the ignition-switch/charging system (basically the wires that carry the highest loads) to ensure you won't have charging problems in the future (I did this to my Turbo Seca and it's been doing awesome electrically).

Finally, running off the battery, until the ignition system dies (and the ignition system can run on a low voltage, resulting in deep discharging your battery) can actually ruin the battery. Fully charging it may save it, just be prepared to have battery issues soon that require replacement.

 

Glad you found the problem quickly! You'll be an xj-wizard (I WANT MY STATUS BACK....lol) in no time flat!

But yeah....if your battery isn't getting charged due to a charging system not charging, then you are running on just battery power--when batteries run out of power, things shut off. Flashlights, cellphones......BIKES, CARS-----you get the idea now.....hehee

dave

 

Round Slide carbs are so much easier to deal with. Bwahahahahahaha! At least they were when I could ride. CV carbs with pods = adjust, ride, adjust, ride, cuss, adjust, ride, more cussing, adjust, ride, get mad and go into the house cussing, come back an adjust, ride.........til it works.

Hog, you'll have to settle for being "Well Known".
I think I'm being followed.

 

Yeap this is the same problem I encountered on the long awaited maiden voyage today :/