QuestionI have a 95 yamaha virago. The problem is something drains the battery down very fast. I had the battery checked and it is fine. I bought a new regulator/rectifier and it gets too hot to touch in seconds. I see no wires touching anywhere and fuses are good. i dont know a whole lot about bikes and dealers are too expensive to work on it. What should i check next?
AnswerWell, Jason.... this a Yamaha question not a Honda question. I can send you to the Electrosport website where they have troubleshooting charts for charging systems, but if you don't have a volt meter and/or don't know what to do with it, it won't be much help.
www.bikebandit.com has illustrations of the parts involved, but I don't have a wiring diagram for a Yamaha and am not familiar with their parts designs or wiring systems. You didn't mention which Virago model it is, as they start with 250s and go to 1100cc I think. There are great differences between the designs and components on that range of models.
If the reg/rectifier gets hot when you just plug it in with no power on or the bike not running then you have a dead short in the charging system. Either a wire has gotten grounded or perhaps the stator is shorted out to ground.
The reg/rectifier does get hot when the engine is running and the charging system is functioning normally.
You can unplug every wiring plug connection in the bike, with the power off and then start plugging stuff back together again with the power ON, looking for something to spark and get hot in a hurry when you find the right circuit that is causing the problem.
That is the best psychic reading I can do for your non-Honda machine, without being there.
Bill MrHonda Silver
