Charging system Problem help guys

[Maldog]

Took my Valout for a spin and about 14 miles it started to die out ,i was able to asertain i have a charging system prob ,o crap well and im not sure where to look first i do know im not charging so i put a new battery in just to get the bike to a friends house for safe keeping so if any of u guys have charging system wisdomto share i sure would be greatful my valk is a 2001 interstate with 8800 miles ,and again thanks in advance for any responces and help Mal

[Craig N. AZ]

Check the 55A fuse under the right side cover. It's the big metal one. Make sure all connections are clean and tight. Put a volt meter on the battery and see if it jumps from 12v to 14v when you rev it. If the voltage doesn't change, it could be the brushes or a broken wire in the alternator.

[R J]

If it is an alternator, there is a one for the Gold Wingthat is a whole lot cheaper.

Ya have to make 2 modifications to it.

Check it out in Shop Talk.
Find the part # in this link:

http://www.jkozloski.com/generic_parts.htm

It is down on the right side quite a long ways.
It is a 97 Wing alternator.

[Maldog]

Thanks rj and craig for the tips can  any one tell me if theres any truth to a rumor i heard the alternators on valks are a weak link i thought i heard that some where? does any one know anything about the alternaters sold on ebay for the valk ,they are priced about half of dealer price and i noticed there was a high out put one sold for 274 dollars  i did check the volts after i jump started the valk and iit was putting out  low volts and i did check that 55 amp fuse but i will take a closer look at it  and those connections my friend dr john  who was a motorcycle mechanic for years said  he would think a voltage regulator rectifier would go before the alternator ,my valk is in his garage cause i was close to his place when the bike stopped riunnin and he said hed give me a hand getting her up and runnin  well im gonna buy the shop manual today lol please keep the tios commin and God Bless U Guys Mal

[fstsix]

I have a 2001, at 5000 miles Alt failed on me just died, was still under warranty back then. can you start the bike and as it is running remove a battery cable and if it dies, that would mean the Alt is bad, might get Flamed here but use to do that on my cars back in the day.

[Ricky-D]

That's not a good idea!

Best bet is to put a volt meter across the battery terminals.

With the motor running it should show 14+ volts.

No increase indicates an alternator problem.

***

[R J]

Any part can fail and if 2 or more fail and it is on a forum like this, it gets blown out of shape.

I have 242,000+ miles on MGM and it is on it's 2nd alternator.   That is original that came on the bike and 1 replacement.     I went with the Gold Wing alternative.    Unless you have a sheet load of lights on your bike you do not need to get the hi output one..

Save your $$$$ for chrome....    LOL

[lee]

My first suggestion would be: Make sure your battery is good.   

[Daniel Meyer]

I have a 2001, at 5000 miles Alt failed on me just died, was still under warranty back then. can you start the bike and as it is running remove a battery cable and if it dies, that would mean the Alt is bad, might get Flamed here but use to do that on my cars back in the day.

This is a self-fullfilling prophecy. That worked okay with mechanical regulators...and further back, with generators...but with any alternator with a modern regulator you stand a better than even chance of "pranging" the diaodes when you do this. When  you remove the major load (battery) the voltage can spike very high before the field coil unloads and that's the end of your alternator.

Check with a volt meter. Bike not running, battery charged, key off should be over 13 volts (otherwise, bad/discharged battery). Key on, headlight on, shouldn't drop below 12.7 or weak battery. Starting shouldn't drop below 12.3. Running at 1500 rpm you should see 14.4 or so...

[fstsix]

I just got a little on me LOL!!!!         we didn't have Google back in the Day LOL!!!

[John J]

My alternator failed at about 30k. The price of a new one is quite steep so I managed to find a company that could professionally refurb the old one. They rewound it, added new brushes and coated it all for £50 ($76). If you have anyone locally that can do that sort of thing it maybe another option for you.

[Maldog]

Thanks to all for ur advice and info  im going to get a ho alt. from this gentalman,,,http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/resp3jbj/,,,, at half the price of a new one from Honda and im lucky enough im close enough to go pic it up and save shipping,,,ahhhh I feel better now

[Gunslinger]

Alternator on my 2001 IS (35k miles) Crapped out on me a few days ago.

I have this alternator on the way from eViLBay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=270538666695

It is the Wing alternator, the Hitachi part # (for reference) is LR140-708C.

the LR140-708C is the supposed High output version (95 amp?) LR140-708 is the standard version (40 amp)

LR140-718C and LR140-718 are the Valkyrie specific numbers.

[eric in md]

also check your ground cable make sure its clean and tight to the frame

[Ricky-D]

The alternator for the interstate is Hitachi  LR140-722.