Charging system

SuperCyclone.81 · Post by **SuperCyclone.81** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:45 am

It seems like my scooter isn't properly recharging the battery like it should. How you could confirm this and what parts would need to be replaced to fix the problem?

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:56 pm

If your battery is over 3 years old it's suspect.
Don't continue to try and run with a bad battery as it will fry your charging system.

Put a volt meter across the battery with the motor off.
A fully charged battery will read 12.7V
A dead battery will read under 10V. (time for a new one)
If your battery is charged (12.7) try cranking it over while watching the DC. It should not drop below 9V while cranking. If it does, time for a new one.

If all that checks out keep your volt meter on the battery and give it some gas. Off idle you need 13.5-14V to charge the battery. If not, then this points to the charging system.

The service manual tells you how to check individual components, but my guess is that your battery is just old. Short rides also don't allow for full recharge after the hit from the starter. A battery tender is a good idea if you take lots of short rides.

SuperCyclone.81 · Post by **SuperCyclone.81** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:14 pm

Thanks. I dont happen to to have a volt meter. But I did just replace the battery because it had gone bad and I kept it in there. So it sounds like I might have messed it up...

robby · Post by **robby** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 1:09 am

SuperCyclone.81 wrote:Thanks. I dont happen to to have a volt meter. But I did just replace the battery because it had gone bad and I kept it in there. So it sounds like I might have messed it up...

I don't think that would cause damage unless the battery is defective to a point where electrons could not flow through it. That's extremely unlikely unless your battery has immense physical damage, like leaking or a puncture that caused internal corrosion. You'll be fine.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:35 am

robby wrote:
SuperCyclone.81 wrote:Thanks. I dont happen to to have a volt meter. But I did just replace the battery because it had gone bad and I kept it in there. So it sounds like I might have messed it up...
I don't think that would cause damage unless the battery is defective to a point where electrons could not flow through it. That's extremely unlikely unless your battery has immense physical damage, like leaking or a puncture that caused internal corrosion. You'll be fine.

If your battery is internally shorted it will draw max amps from the charging system and "may" fry it. Granted you would need to kickstart or jump your scooter for awhile to get to this point, but it happens. 20% of batteries die with an internal short. It's a big mistake to try and limp along with it once it expires.

Harbor Freight sells voltmeters for 5 bucks. They even give them away from time to time if you have a coupon. There's one in Springdale. ( http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function ... 98025.html )

Does your headlight get brighter when you give it some gas?

robby · Post by **robby** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:53 am

Interesting. I don't think I've ever had a battery that completely shorted. What would cause that to happen if not physical damage or a broken seal? If a battery is going bad over time, I thought it would just become a big resistor as it loses its capacity.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:20 am

robby wrote:Interesting. I don't think I've ever had a battery that completely shorted. What would cause that to happen if not physical damage or a broken seal? If a battery is going bad over time, I thought it would just become a big resistor as it loses its capacity.

Battery sulfation is your culprit here. When older batteries are no longer able to return the sulphates to solution they build up to the point in which they can 'bridge' the internal plates causing a short condition.

JonP · Post by **JonP** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:26 am

I had an '09 Roughhouse that would never charge properly and after much research found it was a bad stator...Seems there were others with same issues, but I could never confirm as it got stolen before I could get it fixed. My new Roughhouse has been fine so far.

SuperCyclone.81 · Post by **SuperCyclone.81** » Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:57 pm

Sorry for not replying for awhile and thanks for all of the replies. But yes, the headlight does get a bit brighter when Im giving it gas. Ive never had a scooter that didn't do that though? But anyhow, the battery got to where it would barely hold a charge and if I didn't ride it for a whole day then it wouldn't electric start. So I replaced the battery and all has been well starting wise but now Ive noticed if Im sitting at a stop light with the blinker on, my speedo kind of dims down whenever the blinker is lit up and then brightens back up when it goes out. So I hooked the new battery up to the charger and the blinker thing didnt happen for a couple of days and now its back. Which is making me think I might have actually messed something up when my last battery got so bad and I just kick started it instead of buying a new battery. So hopefully the stator is the only thing that I messed up?

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Sat Dec 08, 2012 6:01 pm

No way to troubleshoot without a voltmeter. You just need to confirm that you are getting a high enough charge voltage when you're on the throttle. You should be getting at least 13.5V. If not then you're going to slowly drain and kill your new battery. Since you have a charger, I'd throw it on there every now and then to keep it charged up until you can confirm your charging system is working. The blinker thing is a symptom of a low battery. If you give it some throttle it should go away and your headlight will get brighter. Everything may be ok and you just need to ride longer for the battery to get charged after using the starter. Using the kick will eliminate the initial battery drain from the starter. A voltmeter is a great investment for any home mechanic. You'd know what's wrong or not wrong in 2 seconds. The HF one in the link above is on sale for $3.99. Well worth it to save your battery.

SuperCyclone.81 · Post by **SuperCyclone.81** » Sat Dec 08, 2012 6:16 pm

Ok well that's all good news it sounds like. But it's finals week starting tomorrow so I'm not gonna have time to run up there and grab one but I'm planning on taking the scooter to the dealership over the Christmas break and having a new cylinder put in so maybe they'll be able to replace whatever needs replacing then. Thanks for all the advise!

DenverScooterLab · Post by **DenverScooterLab** » Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:03 pm

I find filth and dirt caked to to the magnito to be the root of many of the charging problems on any scooter that has a magneto mounted cooling fan. Here in Denver we have a unique problem caused by a history of heavy mining, that is... iron dust. I can go out to my yard with a magnet roll it around and pick it up and its covered in fine magnetic particles. So do your self a favour and take that bad boy off, give it a wipe down and address any rust or what have you on the stator whilst your there. this is a low tech solution to something that even if you had a voltage meter you might never catch.

Cheers,
Elliot "the Scooter Whisperer Fields
Denver Scooter Lab

R&D - Racing - CAD & Rapid Prototyping - Diagnostic Service & Repair - Performance Tuning - Vintage Scooter & Motorcycle Restorations - "One Off"Custom Builds - Open Teaching Lab (from weekend warrior to pro's)

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Charging system

Charging system

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