Gremlins

[melbxs]

On batteries ...

I bought one of these a year ago and it has been bloody brilliant.

http://www.allpurposebatteries.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=16_32&products_id=145

I had a lot of problems when my CDI went and the battery took a battering when trying to start the faulty bike. It never once went completely flat.

I wouldnt go back to a cheapy. Steptoe mentioned his mate had also had a good experience with the same battery.

[Jonesy]

Steptoe mate, no one could ever say you dont have a fair dinkum go at nutting out a problem, I tips me lid at your persistance.

Sometimes Almost always these intermittent faults will have you pulling your hair out. I blame electricity for that. And its usually a by chance, accidental observation that solves it.

As for my little minor gremlin. Its behaving perfectly normal at the moment, although I've never been to confident with the battery since I bought the bike, slow cranking, not holding charge too well etc etc. So a new one is on order and any future gremlins shouldnt have a weak battery in the equation.

[steptoe]

you want a gremlin story,, ,, have a captian cook at this hair pulling out, stress level raiser, bloody pain in the *&$@ epic job,,,

actually walked away and left it in disgust for a couple of weeks,, keep an eye on the dates of the posts for how long I worked on it,, grab a coffee,, you gonna need it


http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24696

[Christian Raith]

I got them from the mob that makes them in Taiwan RCE. Varying price as they were on ebay but I have not done a long term test with it yet, too many other things to worry about.
Wait untill I run it for a while and see how it performs.
Also I have replaced all the lamps (except the headlight) with led's and used a relay controlled by the ign switch to connect power and I have a Matchbox relay in the headlight shell to control that. http://www.culayer.com/Matchbox.htm.
14.2V is good

[Jonesy]

I just did the first check in melbs link

and I've got 14.2 V at 200rpm, just within the specs given 14.5 +/- .3 across the terminals

before starting the bike I only had 11.9? but lights and all were working and I was  able to start the motor.
Christian
I'm going to look for the topic you started some months back on a new type of battery.......were you the distributor?

[Christian Raith]

Also measured at the terminals that battery should be 13.2V. If you do any voltage measurements don't use the chassis as earth, take earth straight from the battery terminal.
You could also measure from the terminal earth to the chassis and see if you get a reading even if ever so slight it would show a problem there.

[Jonesy]

Brian, Christian
Thanks for the reply

At present its all ok again and I'm not going to do anything about it

But.....if it does I'll go through all the earth connection In melbs link

and as a backstop I've had an offer of help from an XS11 enthusiast who is also  a level 2 electronics wizard......now that a winning combiantion ay xtian 

[Christian Raith]

You don't need the cdi for the lights to work so don't go pulling that apart.
Do you have a wiring diagram?
If not let me know I can send it. Don't do anything rash first.
Start with the simple things like power to the ignition switch

[melbxs]

Could be a less than perfect earth.

Try some of this:

http://www.benefiscal.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4234.0

[Jonesy]

This is a first for me.
Just finished building the rack, with some of the welding done while it was on the bike, took all the precautions like disconnect the battery, and the CDI too just to be sure.
This arvo I turned the key and absolutely nothing.....no idiot lights, blinkers, or event he faintest orange glow of headlight bulb.
Hmmm? so I get the multi meter out, which I'm not really qualified to use but I do any way. all the fuses have continuity but the battery only has 12.02 Volts? still I should have some lights? or a really weak engine crank?
I get the little jump starter pack out which is fully charged and still only 12.02Volts and dead as doornail?
Now I start to think I've fried something during the welding.
In a desperate attempt I start jiggling wires hoping it will come back to life but nothing happens.
looks like I'll have to rip the lid off the CDI and see if theres any burnt out tracks......but first, I dont know why I grab a pair of pliers and put them across the starter solenoid and she fires up and all the idiot lights are working again......what the? turn the bike off and back on again and everthing is good? even got 12.9Volts?

Electricity. cant see it, cant understand,  but cant do without it.

Anyone else got some weird gremlin stories?