Triumphrat

ikonoklass · 08-20-2003

I bought a 2000 Sprint ST--used--back in May, and I love the bike, except for a persistent electrical problem. The first couple times I rode the bike, I noticed it would stall if I braked hard with the clutch in. The previous owner warned me that it had a bad fuel sending unit, so not knowing any better, I assumed that was the source of the problem and had it replaced. Thereafter, I didn't really notice the problem and thought it was solved. About a month ago, I thumbed the starter to take off to Steamboat for the weekend, and the battery was dead as a doornail. Not even enough juice to power the clock. I replaced it, and all was fine until yesterday. About 40 miles from home, I noticed it was idling lower than usual, and then it would stall while waiting at a traffic light. If I gave it more gas, it was ok. On the way home, I was waiting to merge into traffic, and the bike stalled again, but this time, there wasn't enough juice to power the lights or anything. As luck would have it, I stalled only about half a mile from where I bought the battery, so I locked up the bike, pulled the battery, and brought it over. The salesman thought the problem was a master fuse, but that wouldn't explain why the idling slowed prior to stalling. Anyway, charging the battery enabled me to get home, but I know the battery is not ultimately the problem, because 1) this battery is brand new, and 2) it was still partially charged when I brought it in. It seems as though the bike will only utilize the battery when it's fully charged, and behaves as though the battery is totally spent when it is only slightly depleted. My short list of culprits includes the alternator, voltage regulator, ECM, or possibly a fuse. I would love your opinions before a mechanic starts pondering the imponderables at $60 an hour. Thanks much!

ikonoklass · 08-20-2003

I bought a 2000 Sprint ST--used--back in May, and I love the bike, except for a persistent electrical problem. The first couple times I rode the bike, I noticed it would stall if I braked hard with the clutch in. The previous owner warned me that it had a bad fuel sending unit, so not knowing any better, I assumed that was the source of the problem and had it replaced. Thereafter, I didn't really notice the problem and thought it was solved. About a month ago, I thumbed the starter to take off to Steamboat for the weekend, and the battery was dead as a doornail. Not even enough juice to power the clock. I replaced it, and all was fine until yesterday. About 40 miles from home, I noticed it was idling lower than usual, and then it would stall while waiting at a traffic light. If I gave it more gas, it was ok. On the way home, I was waiting to merge into traffic, and the bike stalled again, but this time, there wasn't enough juice to power the lights or anything. As luck would have it, I stalled only about half a mile from where I bought the battery, so I locked up the bike, pulled the battery, and brought it over. The salesman thought the problem was a master fuse, but that wouldn't explain why the idling slowed prior to stalling. Anyway, charging the battery enabled me to get home, but I know the battery is not ultimately the problem, because 1) this battery is brand new, and 2) it was still partially charged when I brought it in. It seems as though the bike will only utilize the battery when it's fully charged, and behaves as though the battery is totally spent when it is only slightly depleted. My short list of culprits includes the alternator, voltage regulator, ECM, or possibly a fuse. I would love your opinions before a mechanic starts pondering the imponderables at $60 an hour. Thanks much!

ikonoklass · 08-20-2003

I bought a 2000 Sprint ST--used--back in May, and I love the bike, except for a persistent electrical problem. The first couple times I rode the bike, I noticed it would stall if I braked hard with the clutch in. The previous owner warned me that it had a bad fuel sending unit, so not knowing any better, I assumed that was the source of the problem and had it replaced. Thereafter, I didn't really notice the problem and thought it was solved. About a month ago, I thumbed the starter to take off to Steamboat for the weekend, and the battery was dead as a doornail. Not even enough juice to power the clock. I replaced it, and all was fine until yesterday. About 40 miles from home, I noticed it was idling lower than usual, and then it would stall while waiting at a traffic light. If I gave it more gas, it was ok. On the way home, I was waiting to merge into traffic, and the bike stalled again, but this time, there wasn't enough juice to power the lights or anything. As luck would have it, I stalled only about half a mile from where I bought the battery, so I locked up the bike, pulled the battery, and brought it over. The salesman thought the problem was a master fuse, but that wouldn't explain why the idling slowed prior to stalling. Anyway, charging the battery enabled me to get home, but I know the battery is not ultimately the problem, because 1) this battery is brand new, and 2) it was still partially charged when I brought it in. It seems as though the bike will only utilize the battery when it's fully charged, and behaves as though the battery is totally spent when it is only slightly depleted. My short list of culprits includes the alternator, voltage regulator, ECM, or possibly a fuse. I would love your opinions before a mechanic starts pondering the imponderables at $60 an hour. Thanks much!

dolson · 08-20-2003

I'd say whip out the old volt meter. Take a reading on the bat. should be appox. 12.5 to 13 I believe. IF you can disable the ignition check the cranking power. Then the volts at about 3krpm. That should be in the 14.5 range. If it isn't then the charging system isn't doing it's job.
There is a pretty good tech around here and he may have some ideas.
Don

dolson · 08-20-2003

I'd say whip out the old volt meter. Take a reading on the bat. should be appox. 12.5 to 13 I believe. IF you can disable the ignition check the cranking power. Then the volts at about 3krpm. That should be in the 14.5 range. If it isn't then the charging system isn't doing it's job.
There is a pretty good tech around here and he may have some ideas.
Don

dolson · 08-20-2003

I'd say whip out the old volt meter. Take a reading on the bat. should be appox. 12.5 to 13 I believe. IF you can disable the ignition check the cranking power. Then the volts at about 3krpm. That should be in the 14.5 range. If it isn't then the charging system isn't doing it's job.
There is a pretty good tech around here and he may have some ideas.
Don

Will · 08-20-2003

With a multimeter, you could check the current and volts at the alternator and the volts at the battery. That might be a way to determine whether the problem is the alternator or the regulator. I would not expect the problem to be a fuse, since a blown fuse would have stopped you dead and kept you dead. I would expect the ECM to do all kinds of other wierd things if it goes bad, but I wouldn't expect it to just discharge your battery over time. You may also have a bad connection somewhere. If you have time check the electrical connections around the bike, you may find one that is not fully plugged in. That would cause a maddening intermittant problem that is nearly impossible to find, but very easy to fix once you find it.

Good luck with it- it is too good a bike to get laid low by an electrical problem.

Will · 08-20-2003

With a multimeter, you could check the current and volts at the alternator and the volts at the battery. That might be a way to determine whether the problem is the alternator or the regulator. I would not expect the problem to be a fuse, since a blown fuse would have stopped you dead and kept you dead. I would expect the ECM to do all kinds of other wierd things if it goes bad, but I wouldn't expect it to just discharge your battery over time. You may also have a bad connection somewhere. If you have time check the electrical connections around the bike, you may find one that is not fully plugged in. That would cause a maddening intermittant problem that is nearly impossible to find, but very easy to fix once you find it.

Good luck with it- it is too good a bike to get laid low by an electrical problem.

Will · 08-20-2003

With a multimeter, you could check the current and volts at the alternator and the volts at the battery. That might be a way to determine whether the problem is the alternator or the regulator. I would not expect the problem to be a fuse, since a blown fuse would have stopped you dead and kept you dead. I would expect the ECM to do all kinds of other wierd things if it goes bad, but I wouldn't expect it to just discharge your battery over time. You may also have a bad connection somewhere. If you have time check the electrical connections around the bike, you may find one that is not fully plugged in. That would cause a maddening intermittant problem that is nearly impossible to find, but very easy to fix once you find it.

Good luck with it- it is too good a bike to get laid low by an electrical problem.

zimtok · 08-21-2003

Along the lines of bad connection,,, Don't forget the ground wires. These often get overlooked and can be the cause of many problems.