[maysem]

Hi all, this is my first post so hoping you all can help.

I've got a 2002 GSXR 600 K1, which I've owned for a year or so and has had issues with the battery draining for most if not all of that time. I originally noticed that when riding, the speedometer/gauges would switch off and the revs would drop to 0 before then restarting and jumping straight back up, the whole time the bike would continue running though. I thought it was related to the headlight as when I turned the headlights off, it seemed to stop. I noticed there was a 100w bulb in so swapped it out for a 55w one. Anyway, that didn't stop it from happening still and it continued to happen whether the headlight was on or not. The bike still run and it didn't turn the lights off etc. so I just lived with it.

The battery draining is the big problem though...I can leave the bike for just a day or two and the battery will be dead. I recharge the battery and the bike starts up fine. I bought a new battery and the same thing keeps happening.

I just purchased a multimeter and hooked it up to the recharged battery with the following results:
Switched off - 12.4
Running - 12.17
Running at 5k RPM - 12.05

Does that mean the regulator/rectifier is ok?! I've read to check connections and stator but I wouldn't know where to start with checking connections.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[rv6john]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, a bit over 12 volts running will not keep the battery charged, it is just enough to keep the bike running longer.

The usual causes of partial charging as you have, is a bad wiring connection between the R/R and the stator or a bad stator itself. The connector is known to get corroded, heat up and fail. The stator is easy to check if the connector is good with just a voltmeter. Do this first before taking the bike apart.

Here is a link if you want to learn more.

GSXR charging system 101

GSXR charging system 101. This information is based on the K6 600/750 GSXR charging system, since that is what I have. Most GSXRs for at least a decade before and to current models are 99% the same. There are generally two ways to approach a charging system problem; 1. Just throw new parts...

www.gsxr.com

 

[maysem]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, a bit over 12 volts running will not keep the battery charged, it is just enough to keep the bike running longer.

The usual causes of partial charging as you have, is a bad wiring connection between the R/R and the stator or a bad stator itself. The connector is known to get corroded, heat up and fail. The stator is easy to check if the connector is good with just a voltmeter. Do this first before taking the bike apart.

Here is a link if you want to learn more.

GSXR charging system 101

GSXR charging system 101. This information is based on the K6 600/750 GSXR charging system, since that is what I have. Most GSXRs for at least a decade before and to current models are 99% the same. There are generally two ways to approach a charging system problem; 1. Just throw new parts...

www.gsxr.com

Thanks for the quick reply! I looked at the R/R but noticed it isn't connected with the usual connectors (see image) so stopped there.
I wonder whether that is the issue. Will research how to check the stator with a voltmeter and give it a go this week.

 

[rv6john]

The connector between the R/R and stator is known to get hot and melt when the connection is poor. Hard wiring the wires is fine as long as the connections are good.

You will need to open those connections anyway to do the 3 stator tests. (ground check, resistance check and no load voltage check)

 

[MadisonMotorsportUK]

Judging by the fact that you have less voltage at 5k than at tickover suggests possibly the stator to me. From experience, when a regulator fails it tends to over charge.

As the connections have been hardwired this makes testing difficult but not impossible.

If you have 3 Scotchlocks, you can tap these onto the 3 brown wires and insert the multimeter probes into them.

You need to test on AC voltage, 200v range, between 1&2, 2&3 and 1&3. Each test with the engine running at tickover should give you between about 60v and 75v.

 

[rv6john]

If you have 3 Scotchlocks, you can tap these onto the 3 brown wires and insert the multimeter probes into them.

I believe the stator needs to be isolated (disconnected) to get valid results.

 

[MadisonMotorsportUK]

I believe the stator needs to be isolated (disconnected) to get valid results.

In theory it shouldn't make a difference as you are measuring upstream of the reg/rec, it'll just be under a small load rather than off-load. Point taken though

 

[maysem]

Thanks guys! Will try to test the stator at the weekend. Have found a decent priced stator and r/r kit so will likely replace them both and use the standard connectors rather than hard wiring them again.