Need a favor from a couple of you..

[Sasquatch]

I am trying to figure out if my 955 Tiger is charging properly.  Could a couple of you that have a digital multimeter give me some readings checking your voltage right at the battery?



Start the bike and let it warm up.  Check the voltage at the battery at:



Idle:



2500 RPM:



Thank you very much.  My numbers seem a bit odd.



Idle: 13.75 to 13.85 vdc

2500 rpm's: 13.1 vdc



I have never had a bike that charged at less than 13.7v (most were in the 14.1 v range).  It still starts fine, I just think it is odd that it is so low.



Jay

[Guest]

I recently had to check my charging because I woke up to a flat battery on holiday and I wasn't sure why. Anyway I got :-

14.1v at tickover which dropped to

13.7v at higher rpm.



So yours is a bit lower than mine but it's not too tragic.

[Mechanoligist]

Hi Gentlemen,



 New member here Just picked up the Tiger last weekend. While we are on the subject of charging. I have a trickle charger that puts out 1.5 amps the manual says 1.2 is tops is this going to be a problem.

[McB]

Hello Sasquatch,



maybe there will be a problem in a while. To check it, search the rectifier (hope this ist the word i need :?: ) between battery and framework at the left side.

Follow the 3 cables (red, yellow, black) up to the plug near the injectionbridge.

Separate the plug and check each of the pins at the cable which comes from the (dynamo  :?: ) for an output of ~38V.



If one of them is lower your dynamo got a short circuit in one of the (12?) coils.

if this happend you can ride up till your tachometer goes down one day.  :shock:  Then turn off all external electrical consumer (lights, gps...)

and drive home without turning of the engine  



My dynamo had such an error since two years. I had realized that but because this part is not fixible i decided to use it ase long as i can.

I replaced the dynamo at a charching power of 11,8V (18, 14 & 9V left at the pins- 5coils were down). Now it is still fine again.



Greetings from Germany

McB

[Mudhen]

Is the point at which you have a problem right when it drops to 11.9 volts?



I've had to be push started a couple times lately, so I checked the output the other day.  I only get to 11.9 with everything on - grips, gloves, jacket, gps, high beams, yet my battery wasn't starting the bike after riding with grips, jacket, gps, and low beams on, which shows the bike still running at 12.5 volts.



Think it's a battery issue??

[zombie]

Hi Gentlemen,



 New member here Just picked up the Tiger last weekend. While we are on the subject of charging. I have a trickle charger that puts out 1.5 amps the manual says 1.2 is tops is this going to be a problem.

Nope cos you have the faster green tiger  

cheers mick

[wonko the sane]

Is the point at which you have a problem right when it drops to 11.9 volts?



I've had to be push started a couple times lately, so I checked the output the other day.  I only get to 11.9 with everything on - grips, gloves, jacket, gps, high beams, yet my battery wasn't starting the bike after riding with grips, jacket, gps, and low beams on, which shows the bike still running at 12.5 volts.



Think it's a battery issue??

A fully charged 12 Volt battery should actually put out 12.6 volts, so it would take more than that to recharge the  battery.  My decent quality GB (Gardner Bender) digital multimeter is supposed to have an accuracy of +/- .7% for measuring DC volts.  At 12.6V, that would be +/- .882V or 11.718 to 13.482 volts.  So to assure myself that the battery is being recharged, I'd like to see at least 14V at the battery with the engine running at the rated RPM, say 3000 RPM.  Of course, too many volts will damage the battery.  



If its not one thing, its another.  Its always something!

[iansoady]

My decent quality GB (Gardner Bender) digital multimeter is supposed to have an accuracy of +/- .7% for measuring DC volts.  At 12.6V, that would be +/- .882V or 11.718 to 13.482 volts.

I make it .0882v tolerance on the figures you quote ie between 12.5118 and 12.6882 - if it was as imprecise as you suggest it wouldn't be much use IMO.

[Mechanoligist]

Thanks Mick

[wonko the sane]

Let's see...7/10ths of 1 percent is...  Aww Nuts!

Thanks Iansoady!



I claim sanity, not intelligence :oops:

[tcowjww]

I tested my battery voltage ('03 955i) this lunchtime but I was getting around 14v at the battery when the ignition was off, and around 16v when the engine was at idle!



With readings like that I think this multimeter must be toast, so I'll have a go with a different meter when I get home tonight 8)

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for all the help so far.  I have not had a problem starting the bike ever, I just feel that 13.1 volts at cruise is marginal, at best.  



We are moving into our newly built garage majal this weekend, so I can start tracking down the cause shortly.  I have never been pleased with the electrical connections supplied by various MC companies on the charging circuit.  All of my Yamahas in the past have cooked connectors on the charging circuit and I see that the Triumph uses the same crappy connectors.  So, I will be diving into my Delphi connector catalog and sampling in some good sealed connectors that are overrated for the current needed.



I'll keep you all posted.

[tcowjww]

Right, I tested the output tonight with a meter which is rated at 0.5v accuracy, and here's what I got :



Battery after being sat, unused for a while : 13.05v

Battery when ignition turned on (inc. headlamps) : 12.25v

Battery when engine warmed up at idle : 14.40v

Battery when engine at 2500rpm : 14.05v



HTH,

Tim :)