Electrics

[Burg0yn3]

Hey peeps,

I had a flat battery the other day.  I took the thing out, and charged it over night on my Optimate III.  Today, it read that everything was fully charged and raring to go.  Connected everything back together and it worked!  However, I had barely been on the road for, literally, three minutes then everything died; engine, lights, everything.  I tried to bump start it, nothing. Turned the bike on again, and the lights were fading.  Nothing on the starter motor either.  There was a glimpse of hope when it make a 'ticking' sound, although it's probably the last of the electric trying to start the motor.

On the long slog home, a bike mechanic (or so he tells me) stopped to help.  Nothing could be done on the roadside, but he mentioned that it could be a mix of either the CDI unit, 'solenoid/solenator' (forgive my spelling if it is incorrectly spelt) or another item which I have forgotten the name of.

What do you guy think?

Most importantly, how do I fix the problem and how much will it cost? 

tl;dr: not a battery fault (possibly), what else could it be?

Matt

[oldsmoker]

Matt,
  check the battery connections on both ends for corrosion and tightness. Look under the rubber boots on the solenoid.
 Also, rock the Start/Stop switch on the throttle switch housing a few times. It may have gotten corroded too and this will knock off some of the junk.

[91cb-1]

Hi if it is either of those problems or both i have a spare CDI unit and battery, it's a gel battery and i've been swapping it with my own every month to keep a charge in it, i'll be looking 35 for each or 65 for both! just if you're interested!

[X.A.]

tl;dr: not a battery fault (possibly), what else could it be?

Matt

I experienced the same (CB1-89). Was not charging.
That you can check with a loaded battery installed, hot & running engine, try to disconnect battery -, engine should keep-on running WITH NO BATTERY thanks to correct generator/rectifier.

If not charging, engine will stop abruptly when disconnect the battery; then change rectifier (regulator): leftside under seat.
Mine had a corroded  connector (under gas-tank) that caused the generator burnt.

X.A.

[TrailCub]

I had a very similar issue this Spring. The battery was not being charged while riding. During this period, my kid nicknamed my bike the "CB-1-way" 

Using a Digital Voltmeter, and a Troubleshooting Guide I was able to test the Rectifier (OK) and Stator (fail). I ordered a replacement stator from rmstator.com (#RMESG170 U$129 with free shipping) and replaced it myself.

The Honda Service Manual troubleshooting guide was not very helpful; but this was: <http://www.rmstator.com/PDF/fault_finding.pdf>.

There was also a modern guide for the rectifier test which I don't have handy. I can dig it up if anyone is interested.

Good luck!

[Daveontheedge]

I also had the same problem on my last bike a '77 Honda CB550k. It turned out to be a bad alternator as well. I would recommend having a look at the bikes charging system. With the battery connected, start the bike. You should get about 12 volts at idle using a multimeter across the terminals, as you increase the RPM it should climb up to a little over 14 volts.

[Burg0yn3]

Thanks everyone for your quick replies

That you can check with a loaded battery installed, hot & running engine, try to disconnect battery -, engine should keep-on running WITH NO BATTERY thanks to correct generator/rectifier.

If not charging, engine will stop abruptly when disconnect the battery; then change rectifier (regulator): leftside under seat.
Mine had a corroded  connector (under gas-tank) that caused the generator burnt.

X.A.

I started the engine up, removed the neg wire then everything died again.  I checked the rectifier, it seems ok (ish?).  I put my hand behind it then this thick viscous black liquid came out.  Anyone want to hazard a guess to what it is? Is this this the cause for all my woes?

Also, how do i check for the other stuff as well?

Thanks again,

Matt

[TrailCub]

I started the engine up, removed the neg wire then everything died again. 

So as X.A. mentioned, you aren't charging. Either your stator is not generating AC power from the engine; or your rectifier isn't converting that AC power into 12V DC power for the battery.

If you're going to diagnose it yourself, 3 things will help:
 [1] the relevant part of the CB1 Service Manual is Chapter 14 "Charging System / Alternator".
 [2] to do any meaningful testing you'll need a multimeter. (A basic one won't cost much money.)
 [3] some time to carefully read this thread and the documents mentioned in it 

The first test you can do with it is the charging voltage test that Daveontheedge mentioned: does the battery voltage increase from ~12.8V to 14-16V when you rev up the engine?

Test the rectifier with the "Diode Test" function on the multimeter. Don't use the CB1 Service Manual p.14-6 for this. Instead, use: <http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/diode-testing-guide.pdf>

The tests for the stator are described in RM Stator's Troubleshooting document (see my first post).

BTW, have you checked all the connectors? It could be that simple.

I checked the rectifier, it seems ok (ish?).  I put my hand behind it then this thick viscous black liquid came out.  Anyone want to hazard a guess to what it is? Is this this the cause for all my woes?

It might be molten potting compound from a cooked rectifier, but my guess is chain lube flyoff... 

[CB1rocket]

See this link, it goes into a step by step trouble shooting chart, very useful

http://www.electrosport.com/Images/fault_finding.pdf

[Drewski]

If you have the original "finless" reg/rec fitted, there's a very good chance it's shot.

[X.A.]

Burg0yn3 I hope your bike is fixed now!
Here in Montréal, we soon be retiring for winter...

X.A.