QuestionHi
I have recently purchased a 1984 Honda magna 750 with the v-45. I am having trouble with the battery not recharging for some reason it wont run when the batt. is dead i can hook it to the charger and it will start but as soon as i un hook it ..it dies again. him not really sure my bike has a alternator? or what i need to change to fix this but i would appreciate your knowledge.
AnswerHi Justin,
Street bikes need to have a (somewhat) charged battery to run. If the battery is completely dead or no battery is present, the bike won't run. The bike cannot run off the alternator alone.
The electrics on street bikes are different then dirt bikes. Dirt bikes are able to run off of the pick-ups alone.
You will need to see why the battery isn't charging. Is the battery new? If not, replace it. Its a cheap, quick way to start with charging problems. Next, hook a voltage meter to the battery terminals when the battery is installed on the bike. Start the bike and watch the voltage meter. You should get around 12 volts at idle and 14-15 volts above 2500 RPM.
If you are not getting 14-15 volts above 2500 RPM, then you could have a bad alternator or a bad ground (short).
If the voltage goes above 15 volts, then you most likely have a bad Regulator/Rectifier.
And as with any electrical issue, its a good idea to take apart every connector on the bike, clean it and put it back together...and have a look for bad wires and shorts.
