Question for all you Biker Dudes...

[Micro469]

My so just bought a 1983 Honda Nighthawk, 29,000 K but the battery seems to be dead. When he went to look at it , it started fine. Question is.... does this bike have an alternator that recharges the battery as you drive, or do we buy a charger, or a new battery? The bike had been sitting since last September.

[Sonetpro]

Not sure, But I believe the magneto charges it.

[Q]

Hi John,

The bike has a 3 phase alternator which is connected to a regulator/rectifier which is connected to the battery. Easiest way to check to see if the charging system is working is to put a volt meter across the battery terminals, start the bike, and look to see that the voltage increases to around 14 volts.

Q

[Micro469]

Hi John,

The bike has a 3 phase alternator which is connected to a regulator/rectifier which is connected to the battery. Easiest way to check to see if the charging system is working is to put a volt meter across the battery terminals, start the bike, and look to see that the voltage increases to around 14 volts.

Q

Thanks, I'll help him with it tomorrow. It's his first bike (he's 21) and it'l be good for him to get his hands dirty...

[sedanman67]

I had a 650 Highthawk. Had a bit of trouble with the battery going dead too. It was explained to me that I was driving the bike wrong. I was shifting too early when riding around town, the alternator is rpm dependant. Make a habit of running that engine at 5,000 rpm or more and shift to keep it there. Don't be so worried about driving through town in 3rd gear if that's where you need to be to keep the engine revving. Sounds simple but my batter problems went away.

[angib]

I would add that some owners charge bike batteries on a car/auto-sized charger which seems to 'overcharge' the battery and cause it to lose a lot of capacity - I'm aware that there isn't a very good logic for why this would happen, but it is enough of a problem that over here we can buy dedicated motorcycle battery chargers (these are normal chargers, not trickle chargers/'maintainers', but they only put out about 1 amp charge) - can you Merkans get them too?

A battery that has been fritzed in this way seems to not only lose maybe 3/4 of its capacity, but is very willing to go flat if left alone for a week or two. The only cure is replacement, which is often expensive for such a little battery - it's worth searching out a good battery supplier who will sell retail as if you avoid the motorcycle shop mark-up, it's a lot cheaper. But maybe expensive motorcycle shops aren't a problem in Merka.....

Andrew

[Jimbo]

I had a 650 Highthawk. Had a bit of trouble with the battery going dead too. It was explained to me that I was driving the bike wrong. I was shifting too early when riding around town, the alternator is rpm dependant. Make a habit of running that engine at 5,000 rpm or more and shift to keep it there. Don't be so worried about driving through town in 3rd gear if that's where you need to be to keep the engine revving. Sounds simple but my batter problems went away.

My 74 CB550 is the same way. Here's a guy that sells a replacement VR/REC that will have it charge through more of the rpm range. There is also a way to use the electronic VR off of a Porsche which is about 10 dollars from JC Whitney along with a home made rectifier. The electronic VR is a much better replacement that the stock mechanical one plus, Honda will probably want over 100 for their stock replacement. Let me know if you want the link for the Porsche and I'll try to dig it up. It was on one of the vintage MC boards I frequent.

http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/index.html

[Jimbo]

I would add that some owners charge bike batteries on a car/auto-sized charger which seems to 'overcharge' the battery and cause it to lose a lot of capacity - I'm aware that there isn't a very good logic for why this would happen, but it is enough of a problem that over here we can buy dedicated motorcycle battery chargers (these are normal chargers, not trickle chargers/'maintainers', but they only put out about 1 amp charge) - can you Merkans get them too?

A battery that has been fritzed in this way seems to not only lose maybe 3/4 of its capacity, but is very willing to go flat if left alone for a week or two. The only cure is replacement, which is often expensive for such a little battery - it's worth searching out a good battery supplier who will sell retail as if you avoid the motorcycle shop mark-up, it's a lot cheaper. But maybe expensive motorcycle shops aren't a problem in Merka.....

Andrew

I use a 1 amp on my MC battery when it needs it. Usually, I ride enough to keep mine charged though. Here's the link to mine http://www.batterychargers.com/details.cfm?prodid=MC%2D1&catid=18

I also use it to slowly top off my Deep Cycle battery.