Stoplight indicator bulb flashing

I got back from vacation a few weeks ago and while I was going down the road I noticed that the brake light indicator bulb(between the tach and speedo) would blink once and awhile and sometimes stay on and then just stayed on in the end
Going down the highway the bike hiccupped I took the next exit and it died checked the battery and it was down to 10.6v
Good Samaritan jumped it for me -got it to a mechanic who helped me install a new battery (it had a 2 yr old wet cell) at that point it was at 12.6v charging at 14A at 3000rpm seemed good to go in my small mind
A day later it died again battery at approx. 10.6v but if I left the headlight off I could continue on after getting it started again
Went home close to 1000 miles with no headlight (charged the battery every night just in case)
Now that I have completely bored you
when I turn the key on to start it the indicator bulb now flashes about as fast as a turn signal It doesn't appear to have any brakes light now either (bike will still run)
I have the battery charged back up to 12v plus (via a battery tender) but when I take the rpm s up to 3000 or more it doesn't bring the voltage up at the battery to charge it
A 1975 pamco set up and PMA rest is stock

On my RD250B a flashing brake indicator light between the speedo and tacho meant the brake light in the tail had burn't out.

Let me check Thanks Paul

bulb is good

I'm wondering if there is an intermittent short somewhere in the wiring or maybe the brake light switch, bulb holder or associated wiring causing the battery to go flat ? either that, or the charging system isn't working .
I would use a multimeter to check the charging voltage ,if thats good then you'll need to find the short

peanut said:

I'm wondering if there is an intermittent short somewhere in the wiring or maybe the brake light switch, bulb holder or associated wiring causing the battery to go flat ? either that, or the charging system isn't working .
I would use a multimeter to check the charging voltage ,if thats good then you'll need to find the short

Click to expand...

When I check the battery after charging its at 12.6v but if I get it running up 3000rpm no change in voltage
that would suck if the charging system is bad I just put in a PMA last year
Time to take the seat / tank off and open up the headlight bucket and find the short
Thanks

my best guess is a short or the PMA isn't charging the battery .


Hugh one of our esteemed members has written a fabulous troubleshooting guide for PMA testing its awesome
https://www.hughshandbuilt.com/2016/03/07/how-to-inspect-and-test-your-pma-system/ .

Thanks for that
I cleaned up the stoplight socket and bulb and now the stop light indicator no longer flashes WTF
I know it's not cured but it's something Time to start digging into the wiring and if I can't find anything there test the PMA
All you guys make it a hell of a lot easier to be a rookie half ass mechanic
I'll report back Thanks again

I just started the bike again and using the multimeter and at 3000rpm its not bumping up the voltage at the battery (or barely)
and when I turn on the headlight on and the signal light on it goes to below 12v
That's why I could ride back home without the headlight on and it wouldn't die on me(I used a battery tender each night also)
Still going to run all the wires and then on to the PMA

Unfortunately most of those PMA kits are loaded with cheap Chinese components. It's very common it seems for the reg/rec unit to fail. There are better replacements available but they're not cheap ($50 used, $100+ new). This is one of the main reasons I don't see the point of this whole PMA thing. They're expensive to buy and expensive to fix, and far too many seem to need fixing, lol. The sellers tell you it's a whole new, improved, and better charging system than the original. Well, that's bullshit, it's not, at least not the way they're sold with all the cheap components.

I bought a HHB system I didn't install it my self but the unit didn't come cheap I gotta just check it all out
from what I read HHB has good customer service

You are better off buying a used Banshee rotor and timing plate, used three phase stator, and used Shindengen reg/rec. The only new thing you need is a 5in aluminum mounting plate.
tim