[triple3john]

The story so far,I bought my 2003 Speedy 2 years ago. Mileage then 18000 miles , mileage now 28000 miles. Last summer the bike packed in and I discovered a faulty alternator. So had alternator rewound and the specialist recommended a replacement rectifier as this was likely cause of alternator failure,so he supplied a pattern part. Parts fitted and all is well. I also fitted a new battery. Chinese Aero make as I couldn't get a quality battery locally. Over winter the bike has not been used and has been on an Optimate all the time. This has often shown a weak charge although the bike fired up ok. So Saturday it's time for a proper run. The bike fired up first time but the engine management light stayed on. In case this was due to a weak battery I put the bike thru 3 hot/cold cycles but the light remained on. Rode for 100 miles,bike was fine,then it stalled and no start. Noticed dripping from under battery box so removed seat to see that the battery was smoking and was so hot that it couldn't be touched. Acid gel had leaked from the top seal. After half an hour managed to handle the battery (still red hot) and noticed it was bulging slightly so may have been near to exploding ? Bike recovered to dealer and new battery fitted. No start and 13 faults recorded,reduced to 6 with Triumph diagnostic tool. So what has happened ? Possibly high voltage has cooked the battery (and some expensive electrics) and maybe Power Commander,which seems defunct. Dealer did not have time for further investgations so I'm hoping for some suggestions. Fault messages include efi and coils. Maybe this is due to Power Commander if it is fried ? Maybe the replacement rectifier is faulty. The real concern is that if the damage is expensive to fix (ecu etc) then the bike will be uneconomic to repair. As you might imagine I'm depressd. Apologies for long post but I had to provide all details so that the problem could be explained.

 

[kmannth]

Sound like your regulator or stator went wacky and showed really high constant voltage. Might call the "specialist" who advised you... 100 miles was enough to overcharge the battery.

I would think the fuse box would protect the bulk of the system.

2nd hand ecus are not that cost prohibitive.

 

[Tel]

Okay so was it the battery or the regulator? I would have thought if the battery was properly charged the Optimate would have reported all was well.

 

[triple3john]

My guess is the chinese battery was rubbish but this has not caused the problem. My dealer has now looked at Speedy. Power Commander is fried so £300 gone and the bike is charging at 17 volts so the new non-Triumph rectifier is the cause. Looks like the minimum I'm into is a new (quality) battery and Triumph rectifier (expensive) plus dealers labour charges. So it was a false economy to buy a pattern rectifier. This is a painful lesson,as combined with the cost of the alternator and rectifier last year I'm spending serious money on a 6 year old bike. So lesson learnt. Plus I love the bike and now I'll be keeping it to enjoy my further investment. I'm hoping the bike will be ready this weekend.
By the way my dealer lent me an 06 Bonnie to ride home. Not at all impressed -very low powered,terrible handling (especially over white lines) and not very comfortable. I much prefer the triples.

 

[kmannth]

Just as an FYI: http://www.triumphrat.net/maintenan...print/104504-rectifier-regulator-upgrade.html

Glad to hear the damage didn't extend too far.