New Here...Electrical Problems?

I'm new here, been reading through posts for months but this is my first. I think I have an electrical problem thats stumping me. The bike has a new battery and while running it seems to be charging at the 14v or so where the service manual states it should. My issue is that even though the bike "seems" to be charging it will die after riding. Ive charged the battery back up and double checked my charging voltage but again after a few short rides the bike dies and has to be jumped and recharged. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. BTW its an 86 Maxim X 700. I attatched a pic of the beast I'm dealing with, just got finished with the wheels

 

I guess I'd check that the battery terminals are clean, tight, and not corroded, and the same for ground connections that run from the battery, and possibly from the alternator and regulator, back to the engine.

Did you maybe paint over the ground connections when you painted your engine?

 

This sentence leads me to believe that you haven't actually tested the charging system with a multimeter.

The system needs to be tested: multimeter, idle around 2,000RPM, test voltage at battery.

The battery is new. If you keep discharging and recharging it, it won't last very long.

How was the battery charged when new? If it wasn't charged with a trickle/float charger long enough, and your rides have been short, the system hasn't charged the battery well enough, even though it may be working.

I'll also throw this out there, because a lot of people have done it. Are you switching the ignition to "Park" before you take out the key? Check to see if the tail light is on when you pull the key out.

And last option, some of the PO's wiring skills weren't the greatest. Take the ignition and headlight being tied together, at the fusebox, but not to a fuse, as an example. First thing I fixed on mine. Examples like these mean that you could have something draining the battery when the bike is parked.

Do the first things on the list, then if you have to try to find something draining the battery it should be between the battery and the switch.

 

I don't know about the grounds. The engine was already painted like that when I purchased it.

I have tested the battery with multimeter while running and it shows 12v at idle and jumps to 14v above 2k rpm. It isn't digital so Ita not super accurate but this is why I said "seems" to be charging.

When I purchased the battery the shop that sold it to me said they charged it and checked fluids but who knows. I have only charged it around 8 hours or so to get it running again but it still dies. Should I charge battery for a longer amount of time to see if it wasn't charged properly at the shop? If so how long and how many amps?

 

If the bike is running and being ridden, the bike should not die mid-ride. The alternator should be producing enough power at riding speeds to both power all the bike's loads and charge the battery at least a bit.

After the bike dies, what kind of voltage are you seeing at the battery?

 

I haven't checked it when it died. I just bought a multimeter and at 4k rpm it's going up to 14v and runs a little over 12 at idle

 

LOL I learned about that park thing the hard way. rode my bike to work and went out hours later to find the light on and battery low. Thank god my buddy ran home and brought back a charger

 

Well I charged the battery for a good 10 hours on trickle charge last night and tested it this morning. 12.77v After I went on a short 2-3 mile ride and after the battery tested at 12.93v.

I assume the battery is charging and my issue may be a loose ground because the bike sputters sometime. When the engine sputters the turn signals slow down so it seems like it may be related to the electrical problems I've been having. Gonna clean the grounds today and see what it does.

 

Looked through the service manual and couldn't find much on grounds. I found the one from the battery where it connects on the motor behind the clutch and cleaned it. Are there any other ground points on the motor or frame that I can clean?

 

Check the fuse box. The clips that retain the fuses have a tendency to crack or loose their tension and can cause this type of problem.

 

Also could be a loose or frayed kill switch wire making the bike sputter intermittently. Or a loose connection in the headlight bundle.

But that wouldn't make a battery run dead while riding or sitting. Sounds like you may have a couple gremlins in there causing problems.

 

The ground you found is the main one I'd be concerned with. Good advice from JF on the fuse box.

One other thing to look at is the plug that connects the alternator to the regulator/rectifier (mostly white wires - under the left side panel). Often the connections in it will get too hot, causing them to oxidize and melt the plastic of the plug/socket. This then becomes a vicious cycle, where the bad connection causes more heat at the connection under load, which causes a worse connection. If you find corroded and/or melted contacts in this plug/socket, it may be sufficient to clean them with a wire brush and apply some electrical contact grease, or it may be necessary to replace the contacts or even the whole plug.