Electric issues.....again

[Astroraf]

Hello fellow riders,

I previously posted about electrical issues, and they are happening again.

To start, I have an XS650 1982 Special that I bought from northern France and brought back to Lisbon, where I live. I got it serviced right when I arrived. They replaced the regulator rectifier and apparently rewired the whole bike, and it cost around 670€; then my rear drum brake seized up, and I had to change the brake fluid on my front brake. I replaced the shoes on my rear drum brake, bled the brake fluid, then took it for a ride to the beach. She was riding well, no issues at all. Once I got back, I was riding around town, and that's when the issues started again. When I turn the key on the on position, the neutral light does not come on, and it still does not come on. When I turn the headlights on, they do not come on either, but my turn signals work. I kick her over, and she runs fine, but when I give her gas while riding, she is misfiring, and barely any power is going to the engine.

Do we think this is just a short in the circuit? Should I take it back to the shop that did the electrical fixes? Wondering what the consensus here is.

 

[Its been a long time]

After 45 years, the ignition switch and the handlebar switches need inspection, clean and repair as required. It's not difficult to do, there's guides here in the forum. If that doesn't fix the problem, then it's down to good old fashioned troubleshooting with a multimeter.

I'd start with the switches personally.

A short circuit will probably blow a fuse. Did you look there? The fuse box might be in bad condition anyway and might need replacing.

Hope that helps.

 

[Wingedwheel]

Curious what Reg/rec they replaced it with?

 

[Its been a long time]

Curious what Reg/rec they replaced it with?

And that's a good question.

 

[Astroraf]

Curious what Reg/rec they replaced it with?

In the receipt, it just says DZE, but I will take pictures to confirm what it is

 

[Jan_P]

I don't know how it works where you live
But I feel it is not wrong to talk to the Shop before doing anything.

I got it serviced right when I arrived. They replaced the regulator rectifier and apparently rewired the whole bike, and it cost around 670€;

It happens something goes wrong when doing a job. It can be difficult ,sort it out ,but at times it happens
If they have done the job one can assume some expertise and .They may be interested in having a good reputation at the customers.
And if you try yourself first it is later more difficult.

My first thought a connector in the headlight bucket not pressed together good enough

 

[650Skull]

Is the bike a points model or factory electronic ignition.??

 

[Fingerscrossed]

I would check in with the shop and ask what 'rewiring the whole bike' actually means and why they decided to do it. Did they replace every single wire? Did they replace the fuse box? Did they make sure it's charging properly? I would check the fuses first (if the Specials have one, I'm not sure) and see if any have been blown. If any have (like headlight), they probably have been blown for a reason.

I'm not sure what electrical issues you had before but you sort of need to be quite methodical with these bikes, so I would start by clarifying exactly what the shop did. Then you might want to check the battery voltage, if it's charging properly, both sides are getting spark, etc.

 

[MikeyDeepXS]

Lots of questions about the re-wire job…

As someone with quite a bit of electrical experience and knowledge, I’ll admit that even I had a few wrinkles to iron out when I re-wired my xs650.

1st question I have is: did they re-wire it to factory spec following the original diagram, or did they remove any of the functions like the reserve light unit, flasher cancel unit, safety relay, headlight relay, etc….

Also, did they provide you with a schematic if changes were made

Secondly, did they test the charging system, because I had issues with mine after the re-wire personally. It’s pretty nuanced on the post 1980 specials, and I did attempt to throw a new regulator rectifier at the problem I was having, but that new product was junk and I ended up going back with the original after figuring out what I had done wrong with wiring it.

Btw I did a complete rewire and DID NOT follow the factory wiring diagrams in the book except to get ideas on how I wanted to do it myself.


The neutral wire is in the bundle that goes along with the stator/coil and ignition pickup as I recall, splits off just above the chain sprocket thereabouts and connects to a terminal on the top of the case(left side towards the rear)

Have you checked that that wire is still connected to the terminal?

Have you checked battery voltage, put the battery on a charger or tender and then tried a ride?

 

[Kevin Werner]

45 year old bikes seem to have many gremlins. Do not, please, get frustrated. As explained to me a few years ago on this forum, the ignition switch catches years of dust and dirt that easily migrates down to the contacts. By1982 you should have SS regulator and rectifier so it either works or it doesn't. The charging system on the XS650 is a week point but not a problem if you accept the weekness. Charging voltage should be 14.1-14.5v (aprroximately) and will vary depending on where you measure. The battery terminal will be higher than the "Brown" in the headlight bucket due to voltage drop. I put a little digital voltmeter taped to my handlebar to monitor charge as I ride. I wire it into the headlight bucket, accept that it is a few 1/10ths lower than the battery terminal and just a reference. Idle it is 12.1 or so and 13.1v while riding. Hope this helps. These are small, come in various colors and from various suppliers and can be held with velcro or two sided tape... "Barely any power" might be missing on one cylinder... Who here has not had that feeling???

 

[650Skull]

My question wasn't answered but inyoir previous thread you had the points changed.

A points model in Europe......I'm gonna say/guess you have a 3L1 Euro custom.

The bike has been rewired.

1, get a diagram on the loom/harness from the mob that did the rewire.

2, in conjunction with 1, was it a complete rewire or part of and what part.

3, you need to get any and all information from the bike shop to post here to help diagnose and solve issues.

4, make a choice, get the shop to fix the problem, (their mistake), it may cost if they say it's another problem arisen and not from their work, or do it yourself with the help on here. .
Hard for help from here if you are also getting the shop to work on it. They may take offence if you are going back to them, giving advice from here.

The Euro customs have a different loom to the US 82 Specials.

Here is a copy i have coloured in the Euro custom 3L1 wiring diagram