So... it's definitely British.

The Triumph died on the side of the road today. Electrical problems. How British.

I rode it to work. Decided afterwards to just run 10 minutes up the coast and back for fun. Pull into a side road to do a U-turn and head back. Stall it trying to turn. Meh. Then... bike won't start up. It cranks once, maybe twice, but won't turn over and catch. Umm... dead battery? Bad alternator not charging? Crap.

So, I find a house with someone there and get a jump start. I didn't like jump starting off a car battery, but don't have much choice. Bike is going fine. I head home and decide to be certain not to stall it again.

About a mile out of town, the bike just dies. Going down the road, lights start flashing, things freak out. Bike shuts off. Engage clutch. Get to side of road.

Walk it across the street to a custom car audio place which is near and still open. They decide to charge the battery for me for a bit. Battery seems to be taking a charge. I suspect bad alternator or something. Let's hope it's enough charge to get me home.

Nope. I get a couple miles, but then lights flash, the tach freaks out, and the bike dies. Well, I'm less than a mile from work. I walk the bike over there, chat with the guy who does most of the maintenance for the brewery and who is a British bike nut. His house is three blocks away and he'll let me store it in his back yard with a nice privacy fence where it will be at least somewhat secure. So that's where it is now.

A bit of research indicates it's most likely the regulator/rectifier on the bike. Apparently they suck, and there was a recall. They aren't too far from the exhaust and don't take heat too well. So I'll probably need a new one. Hopefully it didn't take the stator out with it when it crapped out. Hoping I can find a decent but affordable MOSFET unit on EBay or something.

Blah.

Oh admit it, It wouldn't have that wonderful British charm if it didn't have electrical gremlins.

[dashes off to look for the $2013 listing]

Crap, I hope that didn't put you off the bike. At least you'll get to work on it and working on it helps bonding with it.

But I know how much more stressful a fitful bike is than a fitful car. Hopefully this is a minor hiccup and you get reliable service from it after this.

Well, look at it this way, british electrical problems (although more frequent) are usually much easier to solve than German electrical problems.

Also, if the rectifier is the problem, and if its mounted to a solid piece of metal, use some thermal paste on the mounting surface when you install the new one. It will help the mounting surface become a more effective heat sink.

A co-worker has a new (bought 2 years ago) Ducati Multi-Strada. The bike has more computerized electrical do-dads than my 2003 VW - like automatic temperature sensing traction control, fer cryin' out loud...

He made sure to get the extended warranty...

Call Oregon cycle parts 1st. The guy is good and knows his stuff and priced good too. Other sources are Ricks in NH but less infomation about what your getting and generaly cost more...

http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/index.html

dculberson wrote: Crap, I hope that didn't put you off the bike. At least you'll get to work on it and working on it helps bonding with it.

Nah. Not put off by it if it doesn't become a regular problem. We still need to check out the situation with a multimeter, but it looks like it is either the RR or the Stator. Either way, it's no more serious an issue than getting a car and having the alternator crap out in a week. It'll just take a bit more disassembly if it is the stator.

Previous owner reports that the RR was replaced under warranty in December. We'll see what the actual issue is.

check the conector on the RR closley if te RR whent bad under waternty there a good chance th conector is messed up too. the nylon melts a bit and the plugs slide back thus make less contact if any. get some Deox-it D5 for the contacts while you have it apart.

It wad recall work. Not warranty repair. I will still check the wiring and connectors.

Stator is dead. Unclear if the RR is too. Any guesses on the likelihood of the RR still being okay? How big of a pain is replacing a stator?

bummer. Rick's does list a stator for $175.

http://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/results

If the stator is like my bike you gotta pull the primary cover then pull the clutch with the primary chain and alternator thing that spins around stator. Don't know how similar a trimph is to a buell but the design should be similar. You need a primary locking tool and a couple of gaskets.

44Dwarf wrote: bummer. Rick's does list a stator for $175. http://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/results

Yup. They have a plugnplay RR too. Dunno how

In reply to benzbaronDaryn:

Way easier than a buell then. One side cover and a couple screws. Gasket is reusable if I am careful.

i would also relocate the RR if its the second time having to replace it just some where it can get a little bit more airflow to keep cool.

Getting the Mosfet unit will help as they just run cooler but cost more $$...any increases air flow will help all units.

Okay. Got the bike back over to my house yesterday. Just finished pulling the R/R. It was definitely upgraded to a Mosfet unit. It is a FH012AB unit. It was also relocated to an area with less heat issue (just in front of the rear spring). I have no idea if it is still good or not.

I messaged Rick's Motorsport Electrics. They said if I send the offending pieces to them, they can test them for $15-$20. If it is bad, and I buy a new unit from them, they will waive the testing fee.

Realized that I do not have any sort of multimeter. WTF is wrong with me?

What is an RR if I may ask?

I kind of wonder how a stator fails, there is nothing to them.

benzbaronDaryn wrote: What is an RR if I may ask? I kind of wonder how a stator fails, there is nothing to them.

RR= regulating rectifier. I didn't know either until I looked at the parts in question.

Thanks Rangers! The RR must turn AC to DC and control the charging of the battery. One of the few area of repair I like is electrical repair.

benzbaronDaryn wrote: Thanks Rangers! The RR must turn AC to DC and control the charging of the battery. One of the few area of repair I like is electrical repair.

Yep.

how do you know the stator is bad with out a multi meter? hell even a horable freight unit will help you.

Buddy who let me keep the bike in his garage for a couple of days actually has tools and checked it for me. He just didnt pull the rr off.

I will probably pick one up at radio shack tomorrow anyway.