[cdyoung1985]

So I thought my stator went out because my battery isn't charging, then I realized that with a dead battery I can still ride and the bike stays running, so that makes me think the stator is working... I noticed that when the battery's dead the lights are super dim, turn signals won't work at all, so I tried revving the engine, and they started working, which led me to believe it was the voltage regulator, swapped that from my parts bike, went for a ride, and after about 10 starts and an hour of riding, I tried starting it, and absolutely nothing..... So what do you think???

 

[TXDrummer]

Battery. Either charge it or replace it. If it is shorted internally, you might cook the stator by riding the bike for a prolonged period of time.

 

[CXPHREAK]

Check your stator output, it may be marginal. If you're showing a healthy 14 v or so at the battery terminals with the engine running at 5000 RPM and this drops back to less than 12v or so with the motor off TXDrummer is probably right and it's time for a new battery.

 

[Blindstitch]

And here's the info you don't know.



Why were these bikes liked so much by couriers and other forms of bike delivery people.



It's because with the cx500's that operate off cdi's there are 3 circuits to the stator. One for low, one for high and one for charging.



If you were out and about and the bike wasn't charging you would be able to continue on your journey till you shut the bike off. Then if you hit the starter it wouldn't go. But if you push started it the bike would run fine again.



But as you noticed the lights will dim or not work at all.





Get a multi meter so you can start the bike and give it a ride. When you get home leave the bike running and use the multimeter to check how the charging system is doing. Anything under 12 is junk. 13-14.5 is what you want.

 

[thackney]

If the battery is dead, sulfated, shorted etc. you may not get reliable voltage readings. Charge it first or substitute a known good one to check the charging voltage.

www.rmstator.com click on technical resources, then on "faul finding diagram" for a pdf file covering this. The spelling error is theirs.

 

[cdyoung1985]

The battery is brand new, I fully charged it with a battery tender before putting it on.....

 

[Blindstitch]

The battery is brand new, I fully charged it with a battery tender before putting it on.....

Then that means that a multimeter is in need.

 

[emtcustoms]

The battery is brand new, I fully charged it with a battery tender before putting it on.....

Just a head's up....Last month I bought a brand new battery and had to take it back due to an internal short in it. Although, it's not really common, you can get a brand new battery that is bad. An internally shorted battery can skew the voltmeter readings a lot. The old school trick is to disconnect the battery while it is running and check the bike's output without the battery. Something to look at and rule out, otherwise it can drive you NUTS!!

 

[DaveF]

...The old school trick is to disconnect the battery while it is running and check the bike's output without the battery...

Not recommended on these bikes as the battery is needed to stabilize the output of the regulator/rectifier. You could probably use a large capacitor in place of the battery, though.



If a battery has a shorted cell its output voltage should be lower by the amount normally created by the cell. This is usually a good indication that a cell may be shorted.



With the battery disconnected for some time, what is its voltage? If it's around 12 volts then most likely it does not have a shorted cell. If it's around 10 volts, it could have a shorted cell or it may be just be discharged.



As Don stated, it's multimeter time.

 

[81custom]

each battery cell has an optimum storage capacity of 2.12 volts so a fully charged battery at absolute peak storage and prime condition holds 12.72 volts..



with a shorted cell it could only produce a maximum of 10.6 volts

so any battery measured with less than 10.6 volts with a battery at rest after being properly charged, possibly has a shorted cell. or it is very badly sulphated if it's a wet cell.



I had a small chart I am trying to find that shows the %age charge in a battery relative to the voltage measured.....



here is a link to a page with a similar chart - might help people understand things a bit better



http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_battery_metering.html