I'm in big trouble

[91cb-1]

Serious problems with the -1 has been actin up over the last week i had to bump start her a couple of times but that was only when she was cold. then it started surging when i'd rev it, like it was running out of petrol but the tank was full, anyway all this came to a head yesterday as i ws driving the missus home i found it helped if i kept it in low gear and high revs. this morning i was coming home, again had to bump start it. and she just cut out on the motorway after about 5 minutes of not revving, reving but not moving and then eventually nothing. now when i push the start button i don't get any turn over just a really fast ticking. i thought it might have been the ignition coils so i changed them and still nothing i changed the reg rec and cdi unit and and still nothing i don't know what the hell is wrong with it.

[Daveontheedge]

Have you checked your battery voltage? I have noticed mine will turn over but not fire if the battery is low.

[a_morti]

Have you checked your battery voltage? I have noticed mine will turn over but not fire if the battery is low.

It's an electrical fault. Charge the battery, and then get your multimeter out and go through this:
http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf

My bet is regulator, but don't be quick to assume, do the tests. Might be the alternator, battery, loose or bad wires, or any combination.

[xstreamcanadian]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

[clarkdw]

The rotor and stator are a AC generator (alternator). The regulator/rectifier rectifies the AC current to DC and regulates the voltage to prevent overcharging the battery. I agree with a_morti that it is most likely the reg/rect but that could easily have destroyed the battery as you have run it for quite awhile with some symptoms of the problem.
Follow the troubleshooting link he sent and if you don't have a multimeter, buy a cheap one as it will be useful forever.

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

[a_morti]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

Then you should probably stay out of diagnosis threads which are sounding likely to be caused by electrical problems. No offence meant, but chipping in when you know nothing is how the internet becomes a source for misinformation.

My money is on something like this being under your RHS engine cover. What happens is, one coil melts so the bike produces reduced voltage with the wrong-shaped AC curve than the regulator is expecting. Then the increased load on the system will bust the regulator, so it will either make 0v or @19v. The battery is then either drained empty or boiled alive. Either way is non-recoverable. I had this, diagnosed the regulator, but didn't check the alternator, so it happened again soon after. This is why I say use that chart. First get a good battery (you can't do it with a duff one, readings will be false), then go through those tests. If you get >15v at the battery, turn the engine off right away, unplug the regulator, then start the other tests.

[91cb-1]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

Then you should probably stay out of diagnosis threads which are sounding likely to be caused by electrical problems. No offence meant, but chipping in when you know nothing is how the internet becomes a source for misinformation.

My money is on something like this being under your RHS engine cover. What happens is, one coil melts so the bike produces reduced voltage with the wrong-shaped AC curve than the regulator is expecting. Then the increased load on the system will bust the regulator, so it will either make 0v or @19v. The battery is then either drained empty or boiled alive. Either way is non-recoverable. I had this, diagnosed the regulator, but didn't check the alternator, so it happened again soon after. This is why I say use that chart. First get a good battery (you can't do it with a duff one, readings will be false), then go through those tests. If you get >15v at the battery, turn the engine off right away, unplug the regulator, then start the other tests.

In other words i've got to buy a new battery reg rec and replace the alternator which means replacing the oil in the engine too. Oh fun. i'm sorry to say this but once i have this fixed i'll be selling her. this is far too much heart ache for my likingit's pissin rain here now and because i've no bike i gotta cycle to work

[a_morti]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

Then you should probably stay out of diagnosis threads which are sounding likely to be caused by electrical problems. No offence meant, but chipping in when you know nothing is how the internet becomes a source for misinformation.

My money is on something like this being under your RHS engine cover. What happens is, one coil melts so the bike produces reduced voltage with the wrong-shaped AC curve than the regulator is expecting. Then the increased load on the system will bust the regulator, so it will either make 0v or @19v. The battery is then either drained empty or boiled alive. Either way is non-recoverable. I had this, diagnosed the regulator, but didn't check the alternator, so it happened again soon after. This is why I say use that chart. First get a good battery (you can't do it with a duff one, readings will be false), then go through those tests. If you get >15v at the battery, turn the engine off right away, unplug the regulator, then start the other tests.

In other words i've got to buy a new battery reg rec and replace the alternator which means replacing the oil in the engine too. Oh fun. i'm sorry to say this but once i have this fixed i'll be selling her. this is far too much heart ache for my likingit's pissin rain here now and because i've no bike i gotta cycle to work

Is that what I said? Charge your battery. If it holds a charge, good news. If it doesn't, buy a new one. then do some digging as to why it broke. It can even be something as simple as a broken wire, though I wouldn't hold too much hope of that. If the oil is OK in there, then you don't have to change it. Put the bike on a plank of wood, then on the sidestand. This tips it enough so that the oil can stay in the pan. However, if the oil is old anyway, it's a good time to change it. These bikes live longest with fresh semi-synth oil every 5k miles or more frequent.

There are fixes you can do once you get to sorting it out. Thick gauge wire from the regulator direct to the battery is one, heat paste behind the regulator is another, and cleaning and lubing all alternator and regulator connections is another.

I hate to point out - you bought a 20 year old motorcycle for every-day transport. Did you not think this sort of thing just might happen?

[xstreamcanadian]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

Then you should probably stay out of diagnosis threads which are sounding likely to be caused by electrical problems. No offence meant, but chipping in when you know nothing is how the internet becomes a source for misinformation.

No offense taken, however, I am an electrician, so I do have a higher understanding of electrical issues, just a lower understanding of whats on the bike and how bikes work, which is why I do comment, to make sure the facts are good ones. I can make a rectifier from scratch(hooray for me, its easy ),  which I think qualifies me to comment. I was under the mistaken assumption that the system was a generator style, but should have known with the stationary coils etc, I just havent gotten that far into the inner workings yet.  Sorry to have butt in, and to have added bunk info, thanks for the lesson and the continued good info and support. Doesn't hurt to have check and balances, despite the seemingly useless nature, sometimes annoying guys like me, catch the little details to ensure that the internet IS a good source of info.

cheers

[Drewski]

OP, is your fuel pump OK? Does it "tick" when you turn the ignition on? Not sure if an electrical problem would cause "hunting" or the revs to rise without opening the throttle.

[91cb-1]

No drew revs never rose without oppening the throttle, the only way i could get her to move at all was in low gear and high revs and even then she was jumping like a kangaroo all the way down the road. got the lend of a spare battery so going to swap that in. also the reg rec was melted inside the connecting block which would imply to me that it is screwed. i can try starting the bike without the reg rec and a fresh battery yay?

[a_morti]

is there an alternator on these bikes? I dont think so, but could be wrong. Sounds like a wanked battery to me, i had the same thing on mine.starting wise that is

Then you should probably stay out of diagnosis threads which are sounding likely to be caused by electrical problems. No offence meant, but chipping in when you know nothing is how the internet becomes a source for misinformation.

No offense taken, however, I am an electrician, so I do have a higher understanding of electrical issues, just a lower understanding of whats on the bike and how bikes work, which is why I do comment, to make sure the facts are good ones. I can make a rectifier from scratch(hooray for me, its easy ),  which I think qualifies me to comment. I was under the mistaken assumption that the system was a generator style, but should have known with the stationary coils etc, I just havent gotten that far into the inner workings yet.  Sorry to have butt in, and to have added bunk info, thanks for the lesson and the continued good info and support. Doesn't hurt to have check and balances, despite the seemingly useless nature, sometimes annoying guys like me, catch the little details to ensure that the internet IS a good source of info.

cheers

Fair enough, and that bit is cool.

[91cb-1]

Just bought a new reg rec not honda and battery to fix this problem took off the clutch cover and had a look at the stator but it looks as good if not better than the spare one that i had. i am also running a spare earth from the reg rec directly to the battery! thanks for all the help folks