GT185 charging system

[carsonwcram]

So i've been putting in some work on a 75 GTR185 and one of the things I did was tear down the wiring harness to the bare minimum and put it all back together. I pulled all the wiring for the signals, front brake, speedo and tach lights and indicators, electric starter,etc... I didn't really ride the bike too much before i did this, so i cant say if the charging system was working before this, but it's definitely not working now.

My question is, is there something i may have pulled from the wiring that was a key component to the charging system? I've read that the charging system goes bad on these things pretty regularly, but before i start pulling apart my stator, i wanted to make sure i hadn't made any dumb guy mistakes in my haste to hid all the wiring.

Thanks

[jabcb]

Wiring on the GT185 is different than the other GT-series bikes.
It doesn't have an alternator. The rotor + stator act as both the electric starter & the generator.

When you removed the wiring for the electric starter, you could have removed something that also is needed for the generator.
You might have also disconnected something used by the voltage regulator.

The wiring diagram is here: download/file.php?id=827

[carsonwcram]

So I think that my charging system is working. Example I checked my voltage on my battery this morning before i rode it, way low...like 6.5 volts. so I rode the bike around for a bit and now its back up to over 12 volts. But again, if i leave my bike with the battery connected overnight or for a few days without riding it, then the voltage of the battery drops down super low.

What could be causing this?

[Alan H]

Disconnect the battery between rides and see if it discharges. If it does, you need a new one. Check the battery fluid levels - is there any acid/water in there?

If you disconnect one battery lead and connect a multimeter set to AMPS or A (not mA) - you may have to move the test lead to another socket on the front of the multimeter) and put one test lead to the battery terminal and t'other to the lead you disconnected and see what it reads with everything switched off. If more than the slightest bit, something is draining the battery and it will mean testing, testing and probably some profanity to find it.

If you post a copy of your wiring diagram or PM me with your email details, I'll check and make some suggestions as to possible other causes.

[carsonwcram]

I have a sealed gel battery, so no acid/water issues. I know that i read somewhere about the contacts sticking closed in the voltage regulator? And that causing the battery to drain while the bike sits. I have a spare from my parts bike that I may swap over, if that could be a solution.

I didn't think to redraw my wiring diagram when i re-wired the bike, so i'll just have to go though the one in my manual and cross of what i took out. that kind of deal.

Thanks for all the help.

[jabcb]

+1 on checking the wiring. You may have wired the generator to always be on. Also could have a short.

As you suspect, the voltage regulator could be the problem.
You can take the cover off of the voltage regulator. Make sure both relays are in the open (unpowered) position.
If one of the relays is closed, then the generator rotor may be drawing current from the battery even though the bike is turned off.

If its the voltage regulator, it may be repairable. Might just need to adjust relays and/or clean contacts.
NOS voltage regulators are still available but they are pricey at around $140.

[carsonwcram]

+1 on checking the wiring. You may have wired the generator to always be on. Also could have a short.

As you suspect, the voltage regulator could be the problem.
You can take the cover off of the voltage regulator. Make sure both relays are in the open (unpowered) position.
If one of the relays is closed, then the generator rotor may be drawing current from the battery even though the bike is turned off.

If its the voltage regulator, it may be repairable. Might just need to adjust relays and/or clean contacts.
NOS voltage regulators are still available but they are pricey at around $140.

I would say that I less "re-wired" the bike and more just stripped all the un-neccesary crap out of the bike. I pulled all the wiring for the signals, front brake lights, indicators and lights in the speedo/tach. Is it possible that i may have removed something that could have been neccesary to keep the generator from staying on all the time. I also pulled the electric starter relay, but put it back on because i felt like that had something to do with the charging system.