Weather protection

[snoopsmydogg]

Hi, took the bike out for a ride last night in the wet weather and experienced a few intermittent problems.

As I was riding at around a constant 70mph the battery light started to glow very dimly which I thought would mean I was getting a poor connection so I pulled over at the services to find my indicators either stayed on or flashed erratically. I checked the connections including the battery but everything seemed to be dry.

My other problem was again around 70ish I dropped down a gear to overtake and found the bike struggled to climb past 6k revs.

Both problems only happened once or twice on a 2 hour+ run. Does anyone else experience these problems? Is there a way of preventing it?

Cheers, Iain

[Cornish Duke]

Do you have any problem with starting her?
Is the battery fully charged?
I've had similar problems over the last year and finally put it down to the rectifier.
Another thing to check is your fuel filter.
At one point I was unable to go over 5000rpm otherwise the revs would drop and I'd come to an almost but not quite stop.
Let me know how you get on!

[snoopsmydogg]

Hi, there are no problems at all starting her, even when cold a touch of the button and she fires up instantly.

I have not experienced these problems before and wondered if it could be related to the very wet conditions on Sunday. I think I will have to take it for a dry run and see if the problems come back. I have seen earlier threads about replacing the rectifier, is there a quick way to check which one I have fitted and if it is working properly?

I am currently looking to fit a filter and stage II dynojet kit to the bike but am concerned that if the water is the cause of the stutter, i'm not sure if I should be cutting up my airbox.

Cheers

[Cornish Duke]

If you have no problems starting then Battery & Rect sound OK.
Start your engine and stick a multimeter thingy over the battery terminals and they should read the usual 12v. Give the engine a good rev up and see what happens to the voltage, if it drops at high revs then your rectifier is dodgy. This is what happened to me anyway. It may be worth getting a second opinion though coz new ones arn't cheap. I did stear clear of Ducati though coz they are twice as expensive as the others on the market. I went to my local dealer and they got me 1 for around £70.

[NedLudd]

Originally Posted by Cornish Duke

if it drops at high revs then your rectifier is dodgy. This is what happened to me anyway. It may be worth getting a second opinion though coz new ones arn't cheap. I did stear clear of Ducati though coz they are twice as expensive as the others on the market. I went to my local dealer and they got me 1 for around £70.

The standard aftermarket reg/rec is the Electrex RR51, £59:

Electrical parts for motorcycles - Electrex World Ltd

[snoopsmydogg]

Thanks for the advice and the link I will test the voltage this weekend. I may just replace the fuel filter in case that is the cause of the juddering, I think they are pretty inexpensive anyway.

Iain