Voltage on a GL1100

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wilcoy02

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I took the alternator off the bike and plugged the stator back in.
How many volts should my voltmeter be showing when doing 60MPH?

At idle it shows 12.1
The first mile or so it reads 13.2
After that it stays on 15.2.

Is this something that needs checked or am I just being paranoid?
 
15.2 will prolly eventually fry the battery. At least you know the stator is working. From the looks of it, the regulator/rectifier is messed up.
You would normally want to see anywhere from 13.5 to 14.5v while running down the road. 15 isn't that bad, but it will cause damage to the battery eventually if allowed to charge that high for a long time.

I had a voltage regulator stick at 16v on a car of mine years ago....first time I turned the headlights on, they both popped... :doh:
 
Here are the checks and limits from the manual:

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Double check with another volt meter, even if you have to tape it to the tank best to know for sure..maybe time for an upgrade to a mosfet RR if you do need a replacement.
 
I put a voltmeter on the battery and revved the engine.
Both voltmeters, The digital dash, and the one on the battery, read identical readings.

RR is probably shot. Will be putting the alternator back on this weekend. As we are riding to Ky
Monday to see the sun disappear. This will be my second sun disappearing act.
 
When my old '81 engine was overcharging, it was the connector at the RR. I pulled it and cleaned the contacts and spades and put it back together. Solved the overcharging and max voltage was 14.8 after that.
 
If it were me, I'd pay close attention to Post #4 and Post #8 before throwing parts at the problem. I had a similar issue with fresh paint on my '78 battery box hindering the ground connection there. Check connections.
 
It ain't about how fast you're going, it's about rpm, and drainage at he time you read it.

Whether you're riding it at the time don't matter a $#!T.

If your getting 13+v at the battery consistently at 3/4K rpm. you're good!

Only my opinion of course, 'cos wtf do I know?

I'd like to suggest a lot of stuff on here, but I'm not so sure that my 15 years of experience messing with this thing, plus what happened before that, (and coming up with a viable long range ride-able bike,) carries much weight, or is is taken very seriously by the ownership and his sidekick.
 
From what I've experienced, high 14's - low 15 in the 15.1-15.3 range, results in a nice fully charged battery that spins the starter good.

What I have read is, that high voltage will shorten the life of the battery. You're choice to let it run either way. With an agm, I favor the 15 volt range.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=194872#p194872:31qr95ad said:
wilcoy02 » Today, 9:22 am[/url]":31qr95ad]
I put another R&R on. Same results.
15.2 @ 2000RPM and above
With an AGM battery on the bike this should not be a problem?

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I was looking for a reference at the Odysey battery site what they recommend so I could link it here but I'm not finding it right off. I remember reading that charge voltage over 14.5 to 15 is recommended but should never exceed 15 volts because it could start "venting" above 15 which will reduce its life. What Odyssey references is THEIR battery and not necessarily apples to all AGM batteries so you should research the particular agm brand and model you have.
 
I don't remember the exact specs, but I do remember that the AGM technology batteries appreciate a higher current charge. That means a larger differential between actual battery voltage and charge voltage. Charge current is a function of that Delta.
 
Have you checked the voltage of the sense wire going to the regulator and compared it to the battery voltage?
 
Remember that most of these regulators run high voltage at high rpm as long as the majority of current is going to ground and not the battery you will not have any problems. If you want stable voltage then you need a Mofset regulator. The main symptoms of battery overcharging are sweating ( loss of fluid), heat in the battery ( boiling off the fluid) and poor cranking when hot ( whilst trying to start start again straight after shutdown).
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=194882#p194882:2tb6avel said:
slabghost » Today, 3:16 pm[/url]":2tb6avel]
Have you checked the voltage of the sense wire going to the regulator and compared it to the battery voltage?
I would do a easy test by jumpering at the regulator plug sense wire to the battery positive then see if your meter reads any lower.
 
Thanks Dan. I have an Odyssey cp680.
I put the alternator back on for my ride tomorrow to see the sun disappear in Ky or Ill.
It is giving 14.5 on the voltmeter.
It's a gamble on which way I should go.
The pulley makes the engine knock but keeps the volts down.
W/out the alt the knock goes away but my volts increase.
 
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