SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1580591558

Message started by Bokobob on 02/01/20 at 13:12:38

Title: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by Bokobob on 02/01/20 at 13:12:38

Introduced myself an hour or so ago.  Recap:  Bob in North Carolina, 83 years old, 36 bikes so far counting the 96 Savage LS 650 I brought home today.  Have two bikes left.  Rebel 250 and Savage.

Ask me to define ohm, amp, watt, volt and I am (way) out of my depth.   Thus the subject of this posting.  New-to-me  bike has 12000 miles.  

Tackling "dying' battery is first item on fix list.  It only gets one and at  most two starts after a charge before it cranks insufficiently.  (Headlight remains very bright.)  I plan to take it out and make sure it is filled with distilled water.  Then take to get it checked to see if it is any good.  I am hoping it isn't, so that I can buy a Yuasa battery, install it, and be care free for awhile...Of course if  instead (or also) there is a bad stator or rectifier that is another matter.  First things first.

I did hook up a voltmeter to  the battery while it was running at maybe 2000 rpm and it registered 12 volts.  the meter shows that the "good" charging number is a bit less or more than 14 volts.  (I have no idea what that means)….

Clutch also slips.  I can live with it for awhile but would like to remedy it before late spring and  have seen tutorials claiming the clutch doesn't usually fail, but it gets caked with a substance that makes it slip and can usually be remedied by sanding the discs (is discs the right term?) and the fiber parts and soaking in oil and replacing...I'd also put in heavy duty springs from Barnett.  I can afford new parts for it and would buy Barnett brand if that would be a good bit easier.  

Any suggestions, links to good explanations, comments,  etc., are very much appreciated.  

Thank you in advance for any assistance from y'all.  

Bob in North Carolina

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 02/01/20 at 13:26:35

If you are only showing 12VDC at the battery with the engine running then you have a charging problem. The way to determine if it’s the Regulator/Rectifyer or the Stator is to isolate the stator and check all 3 legs for AC output. At 3.000 rpm you should see greater than 60VAC on each leg. The way to isolate the stator is to simply unplug the r/r from the stator harness.

If the stator checks out ok, then you can perform a test on the diodes of the r/r.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by IslandRoad on 02/01/20 at 14:20:49

The clutch slip could be as simple as the previous owner using incorrect oil. Modern oils with friction modifiers can cause slippage. It might be worth doing an oil change before you start taking the clutch apart.

There is ALOT of information on this site about oil. I believe a lot of guys in the USA go for the Rotella T6.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by verslagen1 on 02/01/20 at 15:37:11


3F35313B30393D346A6C68580 wrote:
If you are only showing 12VDC at the battery with the engine running then you have a charging problem. The way to determine if it’s the Regulator/Rectifyer or the Stator is to isolate the stator and check all 3 legs for AC output. At 3.000 rpm you should see greater than 60VAC on each leg.  


And at 3000 rpm it should show about 13.5V at the battery depending on it's state of charge.

At cruising speed, it should take about a half hour to fully charge the battery.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by verslagen1 on 02/01/20 at 15:44:24

for clutch slip, 1st check adjustment of the clutch lever on the bar and check it on the engine too.  there should be a gap between the lever and the perch, at least an 1/8".
On the engine where the cable meets the lever, you should also have free play.  Pull up on the lever, push it back down.  If there's no free play your cable is too tight.
Also check the lever position when you pull up, there are 2 marks in the case behind the lever, the bottom side of the lever should be between the 2 marks.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by SpamyToo on 02/01/20 at 17:59:23

A camera battery will indicate 12v but it sure wont start your bike.  Meaning that although the battery may show 12v and keep your light bright, it may just be old or abused and not have the amperage to get the job done anymore.  Reviving it is not likely possible.  Once its lost capacity (amperage) its pretty much gone.  Those charge checkers dont usually indicate much for the batterys life Ive found. Just a very rough indicator.

As far as the clutch, slipping in most cases indicates that the clutch is worn out or that a mix of incompatible oils where used in it.  In either case I suggest new clutch plates and flushing out the case with the new oil before reassembly.

I have tried so many times to revive old clutch discs with a myriad of solutions and have never ever been successful.  Seems like once contaminated they are a lost cause.

I would just stick with the stock springs actually.  If your motor is stock and everything is good inside the clutch they are sufficient.  Others in an attempt to strengthen the spring tension have tried a bunch of stuff like stronger springs, adding washers to them and even adding extra clutch discs and the results have not been that good.  In fact some have ended up cracking their clutch baskets in the process.

The oil debates are deep and heated. Tons of info on here.  Honestly I use the most basic Chevron oil on most of my bikes and change oil pretty often.  I have never had a problem with lubrication or clutch issues with it.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by Bokobob on 02/01/20 at 18:12:15

Guys, a thousand thanks for the many valuable suggestions and comments.
I treasure your goodwill.  I'll keep you all posted on my status as the work progresses.  
Many regards,
Old Bob in North Carolina...

PS....Any additional comments and suggestions are most welcome

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by batman on 02/02/20 at 08:43:11

Before doing anything I would be sure all the connections to the battery are clean and tight ,both battery posts and the base of the ground wires (the other end of the battery neg.) this can be found on the right side case under a bolt about 2"above and 2" in from the oil sight glass .) It could affect both starting ( The motor case carries the ground from the starter motor back to the battery) and battery charging .

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by srinath on 02/02/20 at 09:38:10


587571757875781A0 wrote:
Guys, a thousand thanks for the many valuable suggestions and comments.
I treasure your goodwill.  I'll keep you all posted on my status as the work progresses.  
Many regards,
Old Bob in North Carolina...

PS....Any additional comments and suggestions are most welcome




Hey, I'm next door in Charlotte. Have had 7 savages so far with the recent one being my son's. Just saying welcome to the party.
Cool.
Srinath.

Title: Re: Totally Brain Dead at Herding Electrons..
Post by Bokobob on 02/04/20 at 14:39:13

Reminder...I have owned this bike for just a week.  

Thank you guys for additional comments..
I will check the ground for the battery again.  

Cool that there's a seven Savages owner in nearby Charlotte NC.
I have determined that the battery was unable to hold a charge...
So installed (what a bxtch of a job) a new AGM battery and took a nice 20 mile ride today and enjoyed it a lot.  (20 miles in chilly weather is a lot for this 83 year old.)  Soon enough I'll know if the rectifier and stator are doing their jobs.  

I also adjusted the clutch at  the handlebar and attempted to do so down low but the lower adjustment nuts would not budge.  It had been slipping badly but now it is not slipping if I just ride it reasonably easy.  When I give it full throttle all at once it slips, but I have no need to do that in normal riding...Once I change the oil and make sure I put in motorcycle oil, I am hoping the clutch will no longer slip.  

All in all it seems like a very suitable bike for me.

SuzukiSavage.com » Powered by YaBB 2.2!
YaBB © 2000-2007. All Rights Reserved.