[ilya]

I had to add distilled water into almost all battery cells to bring them to normal level. I then connected my car's battery to my motorcycle battery (without starting the car) and started the bike. It idled as usual, but when I removed the jumper cables and tried to rev the engine, it died.

1) Does this still indicate that only the battery needs to be recharged, or could there be other problems with the charging system? I've used the bike for a year and a half almost on a daily basis (it never sat) and it always started well. I haven't checked the electrolyte level in that time period.

2) Where should I connect the multimeter to check if the regulator/rectifier and alternator are working properly?

Thanks,

Ilya.

 

[Frog]

Get a new battery and check the ground strap (connection between the battery neg pole and the frame) to see if it's loose.

Those 2 things will most probably fix your problem

 

[ilya]

A new battery seems to have fixed the problem. Voltage stays within 14-14.5V with engine running and headlight shut off. According to the manual that indicates that the charging system is operating normally. I have a follow-up question: is it normal for the junction box to make sounds that correspond to spark plugs firing?

 

[Frog]

Heh, headlight off is giving you a ticket here, even on a car.. Guess it's not the same over and under the border.

And my junction box doesn't make any sound I could hear..

 

[ilya]

Clarification: the Clymer manual prescribes to turn off the headlight only for the duration of the voltage measurement. I do not ride with the headlight off.

 

[Frog]

Ah, to shut it off, did you unplugged it ? That would be the only way for me.

 

[jlmay]

took out fuse probably.