Triumphrat

Blissed · 04-26-2007, 03:48 PM

I have 2004 Sprint RS (SSA).

1. When checking the bike's charging system, what should be the voltage supplied by the alternator? I heard numbers between 14.0- 14.5V. Mine shows about 13.8V. Is that a concern?

2. Is there a visible jump of charging voltage at certain RPM? I.e., when idling at 1,500 RPM, is the voltage significantly lower than, say, at 3,000 RPM?

3. I bought a new battery (Yuasa YTX14-BS), that needs to be activated by pouring in the electrolyte, and then charged for a few hours with current ~10% of the battery's capacity (e.g., 1.4 Amp in my case). How important is it to charge it initially with such current? My Optimate supplies only max 0.6 Amp. Should I charge it with other charger, and if, so what is the max. current I can safely use to make the battery perform optimally?

Thanks for help!

[ This message was edited by: Blissed on 2007-04-26 13:53 ]

04-27-2007, 12:10 AM

Most of what I know about this stuff comes from an old Kawasaki board, so it may not be accurate. That being said, I don't think motorcycle charging systems have changed that much in the last 30 years...

1. I can't specifically answer that for your Sprint RS. As a general rule, it sounds a little low at speed & about right for idle.

2. Yes. Full output does not happen at idle. Voltage increases with RPM until the regulator kicks in.

3. AFAIK, the battery won't care that much how it gets charged as long as it gets a full charge. Assuming an Optimate is like a Battery Tender & indicates when charging is complete, I would throw it on the Optimate.

If anyone thinks I'm giving bad advice here, please do chime in.

HTH,
-Kit :-D

mjtool · 04-27-2007, 12:26 AM

when it comes to your alternator,13.8 could be low but just like what was said, what engine speed. plus, if your battery was low, your alternator is putting out more amps leaving the voltage lower. as the battery voltage comes up, the amp output goes down and the voltage will read the 14 to 14.5 volt range. as far as engine speed I would attach a voltmeter and watch it at idle and then compare at different rpms. it shouldn't take much more than 1500 to get full output.

mike

Silverado57 · 04-27-2007, 09:19 AM

Last year I had a bad battery and/or voltage regulator replaced under warranty. Since then. I've been gun-shy about running the battery down, so I installed a small Autometer voltage gauge on the handle bars to keep an eye on the voltage output.

Generally, at RPMs in the operating range of 3-6K, it puts out around 14+/- volts. It's funny, it seems to increase a bit at higher speeds over 70 MPH. Of course, at low idle it drops down to around 13 volts depending on RPM. If I turn my running lights on it might drop by a half volt or so.

I've also taken to keeping it on a Battery Tender whenever it's not riding. I use a quick-disconnect for easy use.

oldndumb · 04-27-2007, 10:42 AM

Blissed,
When charging the new battery, the 10% amp inital charge rate is the maximum. If the battery is new (no sulfation) it is ok to charge with 0.6 amp. The only effect is that it will take longer.

Major Pain · 12-23-2008, 11:56 AM

I have some issues also. i purchased a 2006 Sprint with only 700 miles on it last August. Even then I was experiencing battery issues when in bumper to bumper traffic and my Sprint having to run the fan for over an hour to stay cool when I stoped to get a drink or some fuel the bike had to sit a few minutes so it could start or if it did it was sluggish.

The dealer load tested it and checked the starter and charging system and all workd fine when I took it in to them when the bike was running under cooler conditions. It never missed a beat. As I road it things seemed to improve since it had recieved little exercise form the previous owner.

Now its winter time. I rode my bike in when it was 23 degrees out. When I came back to get on my bike it was 31 degrees and this time it wouldnt crank the moter fast enough to start.

Seems to me this battery is ok for normal conditions but during extreem conditions it cant cut it. This to me is the sign I have a weak cell. It also means that if you have to put it through this hard a load test, no test meter or load bank system can find this problem. The one thing most dealerships cant do is test the specific gravity of each cell. This is the only definitive test and when a battery is marginal it will look good at the dealership especialy when its under warranty and then when put back in service and severe conditions come up your left out to dry!

Looks like Im going to get me a new battery no matter what the say. I dont care to have a limp power cell decididng on whether or not I ride home or walk. this aint a harley!

I wonder what excuse the dealer is gona give me this morning. lol

Major Pain · 12-23-2008, 01:52 PM

Looks like the dealer isnt my Friend after all. go figure. lol I couldnt get him to change it when I first got my bike and now he said it wasnt under warranty. The dealer wants 100 dollars for a battery and you can get it from one of the sponsors here for $42 if you want to wait or at a Battery Pluss locally for $59. Ahh the joys of owning a bike. lol Hey its ok, I saved some money on my front tire. I was goind down my alley way and saw a tire in someones gargabe can... yep exact match... pays to dumpster dive! It had great tred so guess I got one break and lost one. lol Guess Im still ahead by 50 bucks. lol

Baltobonneville · 12-25-2008, 04:55 PM

If your battery is charging marginally: There's a thread around here somewhere that explains how to rewire the charging circuit with heavier and more direct wiring to improve the charging.

According to some people, some compromises are made to cost and convenience in the factory wiring, with the charging circuit using more length of wire in a smaller gauge than is ideal for charging, especially if the charging current is marginal to start.