Wharfcreek
Near 50 Yrs of Experience
So this '82 resurrection project is coming along reasonably well. Today I rode the bike around my neighborhood, but it was a bit 'improper'! Aside from a running, shifting, rolling, and stopping machine, nothing else is functional! No brake light, no headlight, no turn signals, no horn, no mirrors, and not charging! Thanks to help from the good members here, I've conqured the 'engine running' woes. Actually, I was pretty impressed with the engine's performance! Good & strong!! So, now it's on to the remainder of the electrical system.
To be honest, this bike has so many surpurfluous 'modules' and 'relays' on it, I don't think there's a more complex motorcycle electrical system out there! Even my 2019 HD Street Glide Special, with all it's on-board diagnosis, sending units, EFI modules, nav systems, 1000 Watt Stereo, etc.....even that seems to be a more intuitive wiring system than what's on this antique! But, that said, I do intend to simplify it as much as possible.
As I said, it's not charging. I've done some cursory tests, which included swapping in 3 different rectifier/regulator modules, none of which changed anything. I checked to see if I had 12V feeding the harness side of the 7-pin rec/reg plug, and I did. So, there should be voltage to energize the rotor/stator. I'm thinking the next logical check would be to pull the side cover and go over the brushes and make sure they're free and contacting the rotor. While doing that, I thought there might be an 'ohm' test I could do across the two rotor contact rings? I seem to recall that there is such a continuity test with a 'good' value in terms of a resistance reading.....but I don't recall the specific value, or if it's anything more than just measuring across the rotor when the brushes are NOT in contact with the rings. If anyone can walk me though this, I'd appreciate it. Also, if there are any specific ohm reading for the stator wires; white wires, that would be helpful to know as well.
Beyond that, I have only one other question, and that is: With the ignition circuit working and the engine running, if the regulator/rectifier module is plugged in and all else is working, I should see some level of voltage increase (charge level) as I rev the engine above idle, or so I believe. The question is: With ALL the other relays and modules DISCONNECTED, am I missing something that will cause the charging system NOT to work until it's plugged in or otherwise hooked up or bypassed? As I look at the full wiring diagram, it doesn't appear to me that this should happen, but I could easily be missing something. Like I said, I the TCI hooked up, the pickup sensor wire, and the coil connections, and I have a 12 volt feed from the battery to the fuse array......and the bike starts and runs, and the neutral light works. I also noted that when 'on', I have an active 12V (battery voltage) to all the fuses under the seat. So, the whole electrical systme would seem to be 'live'. But, with the regulator/rectifier plugged in, no charge level noted. So, what next?
Thanks!! Tom D.
To be honest, this bike has so many surpurfluous 'modules' and 'relays' on it, I don't think there's a more complex motorcycle electrical system out there! Even my 2019 HD Street Glide Special, with all it's on-board diagnosis, sending units, EFI modules, nav systems, 1000 Watt Stereo, etc.....even that seems to be a more intuitive wiring system than what's on this antique! But, that said, I do intend to simplify it as much as possible.
As I said, it's not charging. I've done some cursory tests, which included swapping in 3 different rectifier/regulator modules, none of which changed anything. I checked to see if I had 12V feeding the harness side of the 7-pin rec/reg plug, and I did. So, there should be voltage to energize the rotor/stator. I'm thinking the next logical check would be to pull the side cover and go over the brushes and make sure they're free and contacting the rotor. While doing that, I thought there might be an 'ohm' test I could do across the two rotor contact rings? I seem to recall that there is such a continuity test with a 'good' value in terms of a resistance reading.....but I don't recall the specific value, or if it's anything more than just measuring across the rotor when the brushes are NOT in contact with the rings. If anyone can walk me though this, I'd appreciate it. Also, if there are any specific ohm reading for the stator wires; white wires, that would be helpful to know as well.
Beyond that, I have only one other question, and that is: With the ignition circuit working and the engine running, if the regulator/rectifier module is plugged in and all else is working, I should see some level of voltage increase (charge level) as I rev the engine above idle, or so I believe. The question is: With ALL the other relays and modules DISCONNECTED, am I missing something that will cause the charging system NOT to work until it's plugged in or otherwise hooked up or bypassed? As I look at the full wiring diagram, it doesn't appear to me that this should happen, but I could easily be missing something. Like I said, I the TCI hooked up, the pickup sensor wire, and the coil connections, and I have a 12 volt feed from the battery to the fuse array......and the bike starts and runs, and the neutral light works. I also noted that when 'on', I have an active 12V (battery voltage) to all the fuses under the seat. So, the whole electrical systme would seem to be 'live'. But, with the regulator/rectifier plugged in, no charge level noted. So, what next?
Thanks!! Tom D.
