Oops, did not know that researching the net was a xs650 faux pas. I tend to look around for as many information sources as I can...
Speaking of PMA, I might go that route after all I've read. My advance is shot, now if my rotor is shot too, pretty much beats the purpose of trying to fix things. I haven't had time to find my meter (long story), but I did run some testing as per the indications of
@TwoManyXS1Bs. And here is what I have to report:
1. At home I let it rest since Sunday and today I finally got a break from work where I could play with this stuff. I did not even put the battery on tender since Sunday. I put a 10 amp fuse in (my rig only has one fuse..yeah...nice). Keep in mind, the bike was as it was out of the tow. So I turn all systems on and nothing blows. The battery reads 12.1. Not going down too fast (my headlight is always on), so it seems all fine. Ok....that's strange.
2. So being all's good, I kick it and the bike starts with a 10 amp fuse just fine. Revv it up and runs for a while and it's fine. I did not take if for a ride. But I shut it off, and it's fine fine. Great.
3. A while later I go back and I try the same, systems on, kick it, runs, rev rev rev, put some choke on to warm it up, get too confident and the engine dies on me. And as that happens, I hear the pop in the exhaust and BAM, the fuse goes out. In short the fuse blew just as the bike died out.
4. Fuse is burned, so I am like...ok, WTF. I turn everything off and I put another 10 amp fuse in. Turn the key and lights are on, battery seems fine so I turn the handlebar ignition lever to On...BAM fuse out.
5. Ok, so now I am curious, somewhere there is a lot of power buildup. After it ran for a while I saw about 12.5W in my battery so that one has plenty of juice (it seems). As per
@TwoManyXS1Bs recommended I unplug the regulator, pop another 10amp in and BAM it dies as soon as I turn the key on... strange...
6. Just for kicks I unplug the rectifier too, put another 10 amp in, turn the key and BAM, another fuse out...
I haven't had the chance to look for my meter, so I haven't really had a reading. But what do you folks think this is? I even unhooked all the connections, went around and checked all cables. It looks messy but I don't see anything that jumps at me... the brushes seem fine, etc.
So here's where I am at. I HATE the wiring on that thing and all the components are old - as in original ones. Seems like my advance unit is shot, maybe my rotor is shot... seems like I'll have to redo (or thoroughly re-check) my wiring. So I am wondering, should I not just bite the bullet, save up 600 or so bucks, get a PMA (I know, heresy
) get an e-advance unit, and in the process get myself a decent fuse box, a decent schematic, and redo the whole thing? I know it's going to be a pain but I always thought at some point I have to redo the wiring on this sucker (it's spaghetti and it's supper mikey moused, as in... wire colors are all over the place, spliced all over, etc).... thoughts? Advice?
xs650LA, I'm gonna put you on the spot here, not so that information shouldn't be x referenced, as it should be because we need to be confident information we are getting is right.............But..........Why look for the information elsewhere before looking on here........in that link it states the rotor has to be 5.5 ohms or it is shot........Do some research on that information or you could be throwing away a good rotor............those guys are more inclined to be PMA advocates.
Using the search on here, with the question "testing rotor"........
http://www.xs650.com/search/7426992/?q=testing+rotor&o=relevance
Tech menu under "Electrical".......
How-To: Diagnose charging system problems (charging system guide) Explanation of the electrical systems on the XS650
It has also been found that a rewound rotor can Ohm out a 4 Oms and be working perfectly. This is due to the size of the winding's. Stock rotors do not Ohm that low...........i am not going to tell you what it should be, the information is in your manual and in the links i have posted............