What do I look for when I have a fault in the electrical installation of the motorcycle?

The electrical installation of the motorcycle causes us some problems that would test even the handyman that nothing resists. When the lights of the motorcycle do not come on, there may be many causes behind it, but if the electrical fault is general, a malfunction of our cdi, battery, stator or even the great unknown, the regulator, may be giving us a headache.

How do I check the electric fault on my motorcycle?

In addition, life is complicated with new models, which have a more complicated electrical installation.

The components of your bike

So that you do not have a problem and you are lying on the road, we will help you to understand what the function of each of these components of the electric installation of the motorcycle.

1.- Battery.

A good place to start when we see that something in the electrical installation of the motorcycle is not going well, it is by the battery. We have to make sure that it is in good condition (it is good to consult the data sheet beforehand).

The motorcycle battery, source of malfunction and malfunction.

The battery is usually the first thing we usually check.

First, we check that the battery has a full charge. The battery should be about twelve volts, but you can have more. If the battery only measures up to 10.5 volts after being charged, it is likely that one of the cells has been short-circuited.

2.- Stator.

His job is to provide us with the extra power needed to charge the battery while the bike is being started, that is, while the cdi is working, which is also a key piece.

The stator of ignition in motorcycles.

The stator is one of the main causes of electrical breakdowns.

If the stator does not provide enough power, the battery will begin to empty, and we will have more serious problems than the low power in the lights. To solve problems with the electrical installation of the motorcycle, the stator connector to the motor must be unplugged. With the connector disconnected, we must test the stator for both resistance and voltage.

3.- Regulator.

The regulator of our motorcycle performs two functions. The first is that the regulator converts the alternating current of the alternator into DC power, so that it can charge the battery.

The current regulator of your bike.

The regulator plays a fundamental role throughout the electrical system.

In addition, the regulator ensures that the voltage is delivered within the limits of the electrical installation, so as not to damage the battery.

The excess power, is converted into heat by the regulator, to get rid of it. The regulator and rectifier are often together in one unit, but on some older bikes we can find them separate.

What is the regulator of the motorcycle?

To test our regulator, we will need to disconnect all the cables and put our multimeter to the function of the diode. First, check the positive diode. To do this, place the positive cable in the positive diode.

Then connect the negative cable to each of the stator inputs. The meter should not read anything at any of these points. If this happens, connect the negative cable to the positive diode and connect the positive cable to each of the stator inputs. The meter should be reading something. The numbers we see are not important.

Repeat the process for the negative diode. This time you should read with the positive cable connected to the negative diode, while connecting the negative cable to the stator inputs.

With the negative cable connected to the negative diode, the meter should not read anything while connecting the positive cable to the stator inputs.

Detect electrical breakdowns on your motorcycle.

For the controller, connect the meter cables to the battery while it is running. Must not read more than 14.5 volts or less than 13.5 volts. If it is higher, the battery will charge more, and if it is lower, the battery will continue to lose charge while our motorcycle runs.

If these tests do not give you the results that we indicated, you need a new regulator.

These are some little tips that we hope will help you when you try to find what is wrong with your bike.