Battery/Regulator woes

[rc211v]

Well, i was out last weekend going for a ride in my nc30. I had my lights and fan on as I always do.

About 12 miles into my ride, I stop and turn off the bike to wait for my buddy. Now, when I tried to turn it on again, the battery didn't have enough juice to start the engine. Good thing a shop was nearby and I was able to get my battery recharged just enough to start the motor.

So, I got home, fully charged my battery and got out the tester, and these were the results:

Key-On Engine-Off = 12.9 V

Engine On
@ 1,500 rpm (idle) = 14.4 V
w/ lights and fan on = 12.7 V

@ 5,000 rpm = 14.45 V
w/ light and fan on = 13.1 V

Regulator was replaced last June 2008.
Battery was replaced December 2007.

Is my regulator acting up again? Or is it time I got a new battery?

Oh, and something odd is going on with my turn-signal relay. It keeps ticking even with the turn signal switched off, but the lights don't blink. The signal lights still work properly when I use the switch though. Any insight to this?
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VFR400 (NC30)

[Phoenix]

Voltage with lights and fan on looks low, why is your fan hardwired on? You're better off having it on a manual switch, not sure how much power the motor draws but it's not going to be small. You can overload any electrical systems by constantly putting a high load on them, so it's possible you have killed the battery/regulator, try and borrow a replacement if you can and retest the voltages easiest way. I've never managed to successfully test a regulator using the reistance method even when I have one I know works fine and one I know is knackered, replacement is the only test (I have 2 bikes that use the same regulator so it's easy for me).

[Kickstart]

Hi

I would go with Phoenix. The NC30 has a marginal charging system. Running with the fan on will draw a lot of current, as will the lights (especially if you are using bodged in larger commonly available bulbs rather than the smaller Jaopanese spec bulbs).

Suspect the problem is that you are just running the battery down with the extra load.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[rc211v]

my fan is on a manual switch, but i usually leave both lights and fan on all the time. maybe that wasn't such a good idea. i don't know if it will make matters worse that I'm running HIDs, which are rated at 35W each. (stock bulbs are 50/60W)

the ticking relay was something that occurred later, after i did the voltage tests. so i doubt it was the cause of the discharge.
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VFR400 (NC30)

[Kickstart]

Hi

The HID bulbs (if really 35W) should reduce the problem.

However from a quick look I think UK spec VFR400s had 60/55W headlight bulbs, while Japanese spec ones were something odd 60/35W.

The fan will likely draw a hell of a amount of power. It is on a 10A fuse shared with the horn and the tail light, neither of which will draw much. If the fan pulls only half that then that is 60W gone.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[rc211v]

i have a jap spec '30.

so you reckon it is the fan that's hogging all the power. at what temperature should I turn on the fan? After the needle passes the 90 degree mark?

I live in the tropics, so that's why I keep my fan on all the time.
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VFR400 (NC30)

[Kickstart]

Hi

The fan is meant to come on at 98 degrees (and that will be radiator temperature which should be lower than engine temperature) and switch off again at 93 degrees. The thermostat doesn't even start to open until 80~84 degrees, being fully open at 95 degrees.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[rc211v]

right. i'll keep that in mind.

by the way, just one off-topic question:

How much oil goes into an NC30 engine without an oil cooler?
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VFR400 (NC30)

[Kickstart]

Hi

Is it UK or Japanese spec ones that didn't have an oil cooler?

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Phoenix]

Mine is Japanese and has an oil cooler, never actually seen a UK one, but it'd make sense that that is the one without. There's also a sticker on my clutch casing with the oil quantities. Otherwise a google will no doubt yield the answer very quickly.

[rc211v]

as per service manual

Engine Oil capacity:
@ draining = 2.4 L
@ disassembly = 3.0 L
@ oil filter change = 2.5 L

I guess its 2.4L then.
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VFR400 (NC30)