[dsteinhoff]

I keep telling myself that big boys don't cry...

I have a 2009 Burgie 650 Exec. The initial problem I had was that my battery would run dead and the bike would die. Originally I thought the issue was the alternator (magneto) but after reading this forum, I discovered the issue was more likely to be the regulator.

So after cutting up my hands on the tupperware, replacing the regulator, I foolishly put the bike all back together before lastly hooking up the battery.

As soon as I connected the battery I heard a zap and the bike was dead. Upon further review, I found the main fuse blown. I replaced it and zap it was blown too. I then attempted to disconnect the battery, replace the fuse and hooking up the battery again and zap. Now I'm down to two more good fuses and looking for advise.

My thought is that the new regulator isn't the issue because I can't even get to the ignition switch, the fuse blows before I can put in the key, but I'm not an electrical guru, so I'm not ruling it out either.

Can one of you brainiacs help?

Thanks in advance! I'm going to go get a cigarette and a beer and await your words of wisdom. A free fishing trip in the Keys to my savior...

Doug
Marathon FL

 

[Duster]

Battery connected backwards ??

 

[Penforhire]

Got an ohm meter? Sounds like you have a short somewhere on your bike, from positive voltage to ground. A resistive short could have been your cause for running the battery down. With the battery disconnected but one of the new fuses in, check the resistance between the two wires going to the battery (sounds like you'll find near-zero resistance). Since the change is dramatic, if you find a short detectable at the battery leads as expected, I would focus on where you removed the tupperware.

Maybe you pinched a positive power wire to a chassis grounding spot, almost any exposed metal, that cut into it. Otherwise the task becomes more tedious, trying to find what wire is shorted to ground (or a switch that fried internally, though usually you can smell those as the 'special smoke' escapes).

Are you sure you installed the new regulator correctly (is it reversible or otherwise possibly shorting to something)?

 

[bikerdoc]

I'm following along on this one, as I too have ended up buying a new battery (Motobatt MBTX12U) to replace the Yuasa battery which would end up flat towards the end of a days riding. I pulled the High beam headlight fuse so that I could run with either low beam lights on or default to no headlights with the light switch in the high beam position. This still resulted in a sluggish to dead battery toward the end of a days riding. A press on the horn button is a good audible indicator as to how the battery was holding up. Replaced to old Yuasa with the new Motobatt which ran fine for the first few rides (full day rides ~200-300km) but has now also developed into a drained/flat battery by the end of the rides. I'm still running the scoot (AN650K7 Exec) with same 'off-on' headlight configuration to help conserve the battery. Yes, been using a trickle charger on both batteries to make sure that both had been topped up before venturing out. Just the other day after stopping off to buy lunch, returned to the scoot to find that the Motobatt was too sluggish to get scoot started. Fortunately I have reverted to carrying a brand new Motobatt MBTX9U destined for my Super Tenere XT1200Z, under the seat of the scoot. So swapped the batteries over as use of the jumper leads between the batteries didn't work in getting the expired battery to start the scoot.

Am unsure it's the stator versus regulator/rectifier/alternator or something else... like perhaps a bad battery (does happen) though it would be coincidental to have the Yuasa go bad and receive a battery with a failing cell...

 

[peelbrow]

I would not suspect the battery at this stage. I would check the regulator for correct wiring orientation. Is it original equipment or is an alternative?

 

[dsfraser]

I'm following along on this one, as I too have ended up buying a new battery (Motobatt MBTX12U) to replace the Yuasa battery which would end up flat towards the end of a days riding. I pulled the High beam headlight fuse so that I could run with either low beam lights on or default to no headlights with the light switch in the high beam position. This still resulted in a sluggish to dead battery toward the end of a days riding. A press on the horn button is a good audible indicator as to how the battery was holding up. Replaced to old Yuasa with the new Motobatt which ran fine for the first few rides (full day rides ~200-300km) but has now also developed into a drained/flat battery by the end of the rides. I'm still running the scoot (AN650K7 Exec) with same 'off-on' headlight configuration to help conserve the battery. Yes, been using a trickle charger on both batteries to make sure that both had been topped up before venturing out. Just the other day after stopping off to buy lunch, returned to the scoot to find that the Motobatt was too sluggish to get scoot started. Fortunately I have reverted to carrying a brand new Motobatt MBTX9U destined for my Super Tenere XT1200Z, under the seat of the scoot. So swapped the batteries over as use of the jumper leads between the batteries didn't work in getting the expired battery to start the scoot.

Am unsure it's the stator versus regulator/rectifier/alternator or something else... like perhaps a bad battery (does happen) though it would be coincidental to have the Yuasa go bad and receive a battery with a failing cell...

I would not delay getting the regulator checked/replaced. It sounds like that is what it is. A dead regulator CAN take out your stator, which (last I looked) was $660 before installation. I would not ride the bike until I knew for sure what the problem was.

Regards
Scott Fraser

 

[Buffalo]

For the OP, it does sound like you have a short somewhere that is blowing the fuse. I would take the rear side panel off again and look everything over before putting a new fuse back in.

Bikerdoc, I agree with Scott. You probably have a bad regulator/rectifier and by now a bad stator from running it with the bad regulator/rectifier. If you have a multimeter hook it up to the battery then start the bike and rev it to between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm. If you don't see at least 14 volts on the meter then you need to pull the side panel and test the rectifier/regulator and the stator. I suspect you will end up replacing both.

While a new stator is $600+ you can have the old one rewound for a lot less than that. I had mine rewound for $200. If you have any mechanical ability at all changing it out is a pretty simple process.

 

[peelbrow]

I would not suspect the battery at this stage. I would check the regulator for correct wiring orientation. Is it original equipment or is an alternative?

I know that you are very busy but an answer would be helpful

 

[bikerdoc]

I would not delay getting the regulator checked/replaced. It sounds like that is what it is. A dead regulator CAN take out your stator, which (last I looked) was $660 before installation. I would not ride the bike until I knew for sure what the problem was.

Regards
Scott Fraser

Cheers Scott for the feedback
I'm waiting for wife's in-laws to head back to the States (from China) and when they are there, buy a new regulator/rectifier, so that they can then offload to another relative who can in turn bring back to China as part of their luggage. If I buy and have shipped to China, it becomes expensive both in terms of freight and likely Customs duties/taxes and there's a chance the item is lost. Parts for the Burgman whihc is not a standard model offered in China are expensive as there is no Suzuki dealer support for the model and only Taobao (China's eBay) sellers/dealers offering parts at exorbitant (extortion) prices.

 

[bikerdoc]

Bikerdoc, I agree with Scott. You probably have a bad regulator/rectifier and by now a bad stator from running it with the bad regulator/rectifier. If you have a multimeter hook it up to the battery then start the bike and rev it to between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm. If you don't see at least 14 volts on the meter then you need to pull the side panel and test the rectifier/regulator and the stator. I suspect you will end up replacing both.

While a new stator is $600+ you can have the old one rewound for a lot less than that. I had mine rewound for $200. If you have any mechanical ability at all changing it out is a pretty simple process.

I also thought that, but interestingly I rode the scoot yesterday still fitted with the MBTX9U battery about 250km over 6 hours through mountains and some highway with stop/start stops for 10-30mins. at a time. Ran the scoot half the time with headlights on the rest of the time, off. Scoot ran without issue, no hard starts, or anything of the like. Horn sounded fine throughout the whole ride (always a good indicator of battery performance). So I'm left slightly confused, but still plan on swapping out the regulator/rectifier (see post above). Thinking about buying a used Kymco Myroad700i (off topic).​

 

[Buffalo]

When my stator went bad it produced enough current to keep the battery going for about 200 miles (320 km) with 3 or 4 restarts before I had starting problems. Even then I could jump start it from a friends bike and it would run just fine as long as I didn't shut it off. It was peaking at about 13 volts on the multi meter at 5,000 rpm which apparently wasn't enough to both keep the bike running and replace what was lost from the battery each time I started it.

 

[dsteinhoff]

Just a quick update. It was the regulator, but the first one I got was bad. The second one I got was poorly constructed and the wires disconnected from the harness as I installed it. The third one works, and I'm back on the road after 6 weeks.

Thanks to all who contributed to the post. Now I have the same issue on my boat, and I'll tell you that working on a Burgman is so much easier than an outboard.