Post by everydaybiker on Nov 16, 2008 17:16:47 GMT -5
Just a couple of observations as a result of a breakdown of my spare bike on the M4 early in the morning last week 
Battery started to get a bit low a couple of days previous, getting a charge voltage within spec but didn't seem to be quite enough for 3 hours of lights-on riding, then the other morning it ran flat and we eventually chugged to halt.
On later investigation I found two corroded / broken wires at the reg / rec end of the yellow alternator wires. A previous owner somewhere down the line had put spade connectors in and not sealed them up sufficiently. Plus the connections were so close to the r/r that there was no possibiity of a repair. Fortunately I had a spare r/r with good wiring.
More importantly, these wires go into a block connector which sits on the swinging arm underneath the rear shock, where it picks up all the crud you can imagine. On disconnecting the block it was also full of corrosion and had melted quite badly, to the extent that it could have caused a fire. Not a nice prospect unless you particularly want a 'flaming crotch'!!
The connector and wiring was a write-off so I had to re-wire from the alternator to the r/r to fix the problem. I have now routed the new (longer) wiring above the back of the engine under the fuel tank which is a much cleaner, drier place for it to live.
With hindsight I'm surprised the alternator managed to get any current at all through to the r/r, so it's well worth a visual check on your bike before anything potentially goes wrong.
Battery started to get a bit low a couple of days previous, getting a charge voltage within spec but didn't seem to be quite enough for 3 hours of lights-on riding, then the other morning it ran flat and we eventually chugged to halt.
On later investigation I found two corroded / broken wires at the reg / rec end of the yellow alternator wires. A previous owner somewhere down the line had put spade connectors in and not sealed them up sufficiently. Plus the connections were so close to the r/r that there was no possibiity of a repair. Fortunately I had a spare r/r with good wiring.
More importantly, these wires go into a block connector which sits on the swinging arm underneath the rear shock, where it picks up all the crud you can imagine. On disconnecting the block it was also full of corrosion and had melted quite badly, to the extent that it could have caused a fire. Not a nice prospect unless you particularly want a 'flaming crotch'!!
The connector and wiring was a write-off so I had to re-wire from the alternator to the r/r to fix the problem. I have now routed the new (longer) wiring above the back of the engine under the fuel tank which is a much cleaner, drier place for it to live.
With hindsight I'm surprised the alternator managed to get any current at all through to the r/r, so it's well worth a visual check on your bike before anything potentially goes wrong.
