Katana Owners Club U.K.

Since i had my pop up on the road i have been using an incorrect battery with no dramas. Last saturday i went for a ride in the rain and after about 2 hrs when i got to my destination she died when i rolled into the driveway. Lights were on but a strange buzzing sound from starter relay or alternator. Tacho needle would go all wobbly on start up attempts too.
Recovery guy came and tested the charge and said its quite low once its running with the lights on. So the next day i bought a new correct battery from Halfords which worked for a short time. After about 1-2 hrs riding the same thing happened so i know its not the battery. Reg/rec perhaps or the alternator?
Another thing i noticed is that she gets super super hot, whether im on an open road or around the city. Could it be an overheating issue with a thermal cut when its too hot? Im looking into squeezing a slightly bigger oil cooer in there just to help her out a bit.

M@

If the charge rate on the battery is good then it seems the reg/rec is ok, although there are other tests you can do on the unit so might be worth checking. sounds like the first case was due to water ingress, when it happened again you don't say if it was raining ?
When you say hot are you talking the engine ?, they don't need a bigger oil cooler, they should run just fine as is, i ran the std oil cooler on my big engine 1230 popup and it only ever got too hot in heavy traffic when the weather was hot. what exhaust are you running ?, is your jetting too lean ? this would cause hot running...
There's not any thermal cut out i know of, there is a cut out switch/fuse under the r/h side panel, this will trip out and cut all electrics if overloaded, if this happens don't reset it check your alternator, if thats ok then reset it. But thats not your problem in this case..

That buzzing sound you've mentioned disturbs me. Could be a short circuit not going through the fuses emtying the battery. So in addition to what arnica2612 said, I'd check starter, starter relais and reg/rec for any shortcuts.

reg rec. standard suzuki weakness. new battery will be ok whilst its charged, but you need to put a multimeter across the terminals with the bike standing, engine off. you should get about 12.5 to 13.5 volts. then fire it up and test it again, you should be getting more than with the bike switched off, 13.5 to 14.5 volts. finally, you need to put the alternator under load, put the lights on, and test again, you should still be getting the same as with the lights off. if you arent getting 13 volts or so, then your reg rec or your alternator is fried. if you are getting 15v or over, then your reg rec is definately fried. finally turn it all off and unplug the alternator, put your multimeter into its continuity position (buzzer setting) and test each of the 3 alternator leads for continuity. what you are looking for is continuity between any of the three and any other of the three. then test each one in turn to earth, what you want is no continuity to earth. any lack of continuity between phases is a fail, any continuity between any phase and earth is a fail. both mean its time for a new alternator. i reccomend electrex cos ive had them before, they work, theyre guaranteed and theyre cheap, but you pays yer money and you takes yer chances.

i suspect the buzzing from the solenoid was it clicking and failing to spin the engine due to a flat battery.

as for it running hot. well firstly as its air cooled, it will run hotter than you might think. but its also worth noting that the engine oil cools the windings on the genny, so low oil will make it more likely that a tired set of windings might overheat and fail. its also worth mentiouing that low oil may also make the bike run hotter than normal. it might be worthwhile, purely for peace of mind, dropping the sump off and checking that the oil pickup strainer is clear. not obviously electrically connected, but a blocked strainer might make the bike run hot and a hot engine might cook its alternator.
even if its ok, at least you can mentally tick it off your list of stuff that needs checking.

Thanks for the feedback guys. When it happened again yesterday it was completely dry so i dont think water is an issue. The breakdown guy did the voltage test and it dropped below 13 when running under load with lights on.
Strange thing is that when i let it cool down for a bit yesterday it started up again and i just went in now and it started up again too. Seems when it gets hot this problem arises.
Will buy a multimeter tomorrow and do some poking around will also take the sump off and take a look.

but a battery will recover a little when the bike has been standing not running, as soon as you fire it up, it will start to drain the battery. any probs, drop me a pm and i will send you my phone number. if you get stuck, i'll go through the testing sequence over the phone with you. it does sound like your reg rec or genny has had it though.

Cheers John sent you a PM

Many thanks to John for guiding me through the testing. Im looking for a new Reg/Rec. Will check Electrex but i hear about the super dream ones too. Suggestions?

superdream ones are ok. but you need to be aware that even the very newestr superdream reg rec will be 30 years old by now, and breakers are still asking for 25-35 quid for one. an electrex one is admitedly 60ish quid, but its new and has a guarantee on it. you pays yer money and you takes yer chances though!!

Ahhh i see. Im checking Electrex now but i cant seem to find one which looks the same with the right plug. I cant see a specific listing for a pop up on there.