Intermittant Charging Problem

[The_Veg]

1995 R100R, 39K miles

As a few of you know, I've had this intermittant charging problem. Usually it only happens about once a month but sometimes it happens twice or thrice in a single day. What happens is I try to start and get clickclickclik or less. But I never see a charge system warning light and I have in the last six weeks replaced the battery (with an Odyssey unit), the diode board and the regulator, all to no avail. The rotor tests good and so do the major connections in the system, and there are more ground wires than you can shake a stick at inside the front cover. I have yet to find any flaky connections and this problem has already dumbfounded several knowledgeable folk on other fora.
Any thoughts?

[DarrylRi]

This doesn't sound like a charging system problem - the lights, horn and turn signal still work when this happens, right? - but rather a loose or corroded connection to the starter motor.

But since you say that several knowledgable people have already taken a stab at it and couldn't figure it out, it would seem to me that this is too simple a solution.

Maybe the starter button is flakey, the starter relay is going out, or you have a broken wire in the starter circuit...

As Brian Curry would say, more data please!

[The_Veg]

No, the entire electrical system shows lack of charge when it happens. One time the bike totally died on the road and showed absolutely no sign of electrons flowing until after a jumpstart, then only showed weak signs for the first few miles, slowly improving as I rode home. I do know that the charge warning light is not burned out because when the bike acts healthy (which is most of the time) the light comes on at the appropriate moments (after ignition is switched on but before engine is started, and after kill switch is pressed but before ignition is switched off).
I'll post more data when I get a chance to tear into things again and collect some.

[DarrylRi]

Veg, can you be more specific about what you mean when you say
then only showed weak signs for the first few miles, slowly improving as I rode home
I have a problem with my R90S where sometimes the entire electrical system seems dead. No lights of any sort when the key is turned on. It can die while the motor is running, or before I actually start the bike.

I believe I have traced it to the wire that runs from the starter relay to the diode board, which provides power to the ignition switch. When the problem happens, I can wiggle the main harness that runs from under the tank to under the front cover, and the lights will come back on. Other things can affect it, like adding or removing load from the system.

I think that the wire must have a break in it under the insulation, and inside the main harness. I have a new wire to use as a jumper the next time it happens, to see if I've figgured this out correctly.

Other than the quote above, it sounds like you might have the same or a similar problem.

[srb]

have you been to see Bruce Davidson in Pantego? His shop is called boxers by Bruce, pantego is a small city totally surrounded by arlington.

good luck

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Have you checked your ignition switch??. If you hook up an ampmeter to the battery while all power is shut off do you still get a reading?? What I am getting at is that you may have a stray current going through the system, shorting out or draining the battery/charging system.:dunno
Being a intermittend problem can drive you nuts but it is either temperature related, broken/loose wire somewhere or a small current drain in the system i.e bad switch etc.
My 0.02 cts
Good luck!!

[phoenixtexas]

Veg: if you're still looking for answers, I'm a former airhead wrench with a lot of electrical experience. What you're talking about is mostly likely the ground wire from the diode board to the engine case. It will be located on the upper left nut of the board as you look at the bike from the front. Remove it and replace it with a new wire, a heavier 12 gauge, making sure the engine case where it connects is totally bare metal. Strip the old wire and you'll probably find corrosion. This will ALWAYS cause charging problems. ACS in Sherman, TX

[1505]

I would go with ACS in Sherman TX and start there. If by chance it is not there it is probobly corrosion in one of the battery leads and you can not see it. The corrosion will be inside the connector. Most likely the positive battery lead.
Just jumper the one battery cable to check it.

Good Luck