Dead battery query

[Zanderk]

Jumped on my Hawk today for a blat dodging harvest tractors, dropping grain and diesel on the apex, you know that kind of thing.

Turned the key on and everything dead. Checked fuses and then battery.

Battery was 18 month old and I used an Optimate trickle charger to maintain charge. I’ve used Optimate for 20years and swear by them. Checked out the battery with a voltmeter and it was dead as a dodo and couldn’t be recovered.

No great shakes but I’m wondering if as a precaution I should upgrade my regulator / rectifier to the Shindengen FH020AA MOSFET R/R that I have read others have.

One question, fitment as in connectors / connection - what have others done ?
I see the above fitment for NT700 and the part number is similar but not the same. Not great with electrics so thought I’d ask if anyone has found a specific fitment for the Hawk ?

[squirrelman]

youll need to check the charging system output after its running again to see that the battery is being charged properly. should be between 13.5 and 14.5 dcv at 5000 rpms. get out your mutimeter.

** dont use any "repair" parts unless youre sure theyre NOT from china.

[Zanderk]

Yep I’m going to get a new regulator / rectifier anyway but I’ll also go through the diagnostics on the battery and regulator / rectifier so I can get my head around it

[ParcNHawk]

Why do people do this with electricity?

...I'll replace a component that I don't know is causing an issue and see if that clears up the issue....

...If it does: great. Except I have no understanding of the problem or the solution - what went wrong and how to prevent future problems. And I either have false confidence or it undermines my confidence....

... But I get to say "mine was this" when somebody else describes a situation that sounds similar...

If the replacement part was garbage quality AND not the original problem, now I have 2 problems -- or more.

If it doesn't fix the original problem then I get frustrated and even more willing to repeat bad guesswork and unnecessary spending.

Try something systematic and top-down.

1. Is the battery fully charged? If not charge it.
2. Does it hold a charge? if not then replace the battery AND DO ALL THESE TESTS FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END with the new battery.
3. Does it flatline under real load? If so, replace the battery and do all these tests from the beginning to the end.
4. Is the fully charged battery getting the correct output from the charging system? If not, see step 5.
5. Am I losing any power on the connectors? If so, fix them and repeat step 4.
6. Is there a parasitic loss on the system? If so, find the circuit it's on and isolate the component.
7. Does removing the component stop the parasitic loss? If so, replace the component.

There is a charging system troubleshooting guide on a sticky in the mech & tech section. Load it, save it, print it, frame it, and mount it to your garage wall.

[Zanderk]

Zzzzzzzz

As I said….”but I’ll also go through the diagnostics on the battery and regulator / rectifier so I can get my head around It”

[ParcNHawk]

https://www.hawkgtforum.com/forum/honda-hawk-gt-bros-discussions/mechanical-and-technical/how-to-s/879405-battery-dead-after-rain?p=879438#post879438

Do the troubleshooting now, while you're waiting for your part to arrive.

[squirrelman]

being fatally cheap, i tried a $15 r/r (for my vtr250) that i bought recently from amazon. it never charged at more 13.2dcv and failed completely at just 64 miles.

and amazon refused a refund !

DSCF0026.jpg

[ExTex]

Good looking bike !!

I bought a mosfet r/r for my VTR250 and it was still functional when I sold it.
But they are expensive now.