aja

Hey all

To be quick to the point, I am pissed off, frustrated, and dont know what to do now.

I got my hawk last Sunday. I have been riding it every day to work (20 miles round trip) a few times to school, and have taken a few joy rides. I havent even really had a chance to get into it and see what she can do because it has been pretty cold lately. Here she is



Anyways, the bike is completely stock mechanically (as far as I know) except for a Staintune exhaust. I took a 10 minute ride to a friends house last night and she ran great. I went to leave a few minutes later and she started up then suddenly died, lights and everything. I check fuses and found that the main fuse blew, so I replaced it with the spare and when reconnecting the cables to the relay, the new fuse blew. I did some searching and found that the R/R goes bad, so I figured that was the case and I went home for the night. I picked up some more fuses today, went over and put one in and she started right up. After a few minutes of idling, she died and had no lights or power. I checked the fuse and it was still good, so I hooked up cables to a car and started her that way, only to have her die a minute later. I pulled out my voltmeter and the battery read 11.3DCV after charging from the car for a few minutes. With the key on (bike running or not) the battery reads 9.9 and drops rapidly, with the engine dying around 7v. I hooked it up to a charger for a few hours and took another reading of 11.6 with the battery out. I put the battery back in and the N light and oil light comes on, but she wont turn over and no lights work. I pulled the battery back out and took a reading of 6.4

I know 11.6 is low, but shouldnt she still crank over? I checked the negative ground from the battery and the connection and cable look fine. I did some more searching and some possibilites are alternator/stator, a drain somewhere, or the R/R. The PO showed me the bike a few months before I got her and the battery was dead. When he delivered it he said he charged the battery, and she ran great for the week ive been riding. Im starting to think he knew of this problem and put in a new battery before delivery, so I am not too happy about that.

Any ideas on where to check for drains? I dont have much electrical knowledge but if something is explained to me I can do it. I appreciate any help I can get.

jay956

R/r is bad and it killed the battery. search the forum for a replacement how to, there are plenty of threads about it.

aja

I already know how to replace it, and I know about the R1/R6 unit being better. If the R/R was bad, would it blow the main fuse everytime power is connected? And would it cause the battery to drain in less than a minute? I also read that if the R/R fails, it can take the battery with it, so maybe the battery is just dead. I will pull one from my friends quad (thats where the bike is as I have no way to get it home) and see how it reacts to that battery. I found someone local with a R/R from an 05 CBR1000, any idea if this unit will work? I cant find a complete list of R/R's that you can use.

I read on here that charging does not happen below 3500 rpms, next time I get it started should I keep it revved past there for a few minutes?

I just dont want to throw parts and money at it hoping one will fix it.

nuhawk

I think you answered your own question. Yes, it will sometimes not right away but soon. Less than 3=5 minutes.

aja

I had a hunch but I'm the kind of person who likes to know for sure rather than assume.

I'll be trying out the CBR unit ASAP since it is free to see if that fixes the problem. Thanks for the input.

jds03

That's the same symptom my bike had. Replace the R/R. Eastern Beaver has the connector kits for the Mosfet RR. R/R Connectors

You should also replace the CCT's with manual ones to prevent much bigger and costlier problems than the R/R. Do a search, lots of threads about this problem.

jay956

dotn remember the exact numbers but my bike, with stock stator, R1 R/R and eastern beaver wiring, charges at about 14v at idle. maxes out somewhere around 14.5v at probably 4k rpm

aja

Regarding the CCT's, I will have to open it up and check if they have been changed. I got zero info out of the PO. I doubt it though, I don't think he even changed the brake fluid or clutch fluid since new. The bike is at 18,500 miles right now, so I plan on checking the ccts asap

mboe794

No need to open anything up to see what kind of CCT's are installed. They are visable from the outside. The rear is in plain sight. It's that odd shaped thing jutting out from the head just above the the main ground connection. Stock would be an aluminum piece with a smallish (maybe 8 or 10mm head) bolt at the tip. An manual aftermarkets will look like a large bolt with a nut to lock it.

Thumper

Mine would blow the main fuse within a few minutes of starting if not immediatley. R/R is your issue.

smokinjoe73

Hey if you just got the bike last sunday its way too soon to be frustrated or pissed off....

aja

Not exactly. I traded a pretty rare 1970 Datsun 240z 100% original running project for it. The car is worth more and I was "assured" there would be no issues with the bike. I'm sure the r/r going bad couldn't be foreseen, but its not a good feeling to be left stranded in the country with no cell reception. Luckily I know where my buddies spare key is and I got in and used his phone, had I been anywhere else I could have been SOL. I'll probably be not as irritated when I get it fixed

smokinjoe73

Yeah when my rr died I was on the "highway" in Brooklyn in 98*. Didnt know what it was and push-started the beast 5 times before pushing it 2 miles up the highway to a gas station. I can see where frustration can come in. Just swap out the rr (and maybe the fried battery) and you should be fine. These are reliable bikes. I mean they are Hondas.

Tweety

The stock R/R is made of diodes... One of their favourite ways of dying is to become termistors... Ie once they get warm, they start conducting, and zap goes the fuse... Takes a few minutes of running for that to happen...

Also, stock R/R doesn't charge until roughly 2500 rpm... Not 3500, but bad enough... Ie not charging at idle... That's a trade off for not overcharging at full RPM... A Mosfet type R/R however is capable of charging from idle to full RPM without problems, and does soo, like others have described...

You don't need a list of R/R... Complete or incomplete... You need one piece of information that is available if you have read the recent threads on R/R's...

You want a Mosfet R/R... And the way to know is to look at the markings... FH-*** whatever is a Mosfet type... An SH-*** marking means it's not a Mosfet type...

Since the only R/R's that are "incompatible" are those that are obviously too wimpy, from a 250 or whatever... Other than that, they are ALL compatible... If they have some extra wires, they are still compatible, you just need to look at the schematic for the bike to know how to hook them up...

But just to make it easy, if the R/R have 5 wires, and are Mosfet type, and not wimpy... Then it's compatible... That's the list... Complete...

Some are easy to connect, using a plug that is readily available... Search "Mosfet rectifier regulator" and you find that list... If you select another one, you either need the plug from that bike, or know how to solder...

The 2005 CBR 1000RR can be both Mosfet and non-Mosfet unfortunately... Check the markings before purchase...

With the abuse your battery has taken by now, consider it a write off as well...

aja

Thanks for the info. I guess I need to do some more reading.
I do plan to solder the new one in, thanks again.