[05RedKat600]

http://katriders.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2117823&postcount=8

Reading through a few threads, this guy charges at 14V. So your shop is full of poo. I also charge at 14-14.5 volts. Closer to 13 at idle though.

[Kreylyn]

yeah that is what everyone keeps sayin, but the alt/gen rebuild shop says that on that bike, 15.5v is the norm due to a strange design factor. if anyone has a kat can they test theirs and see what it says?

Strange design factor???

It's a Denso B3GO alternator.

The Denso alternator is used for practically every Japanese major brand vehicle out there, AND... used by many other makers as well. It's not "specific" to the Suzuki's, much less just this one suzuki bike model.

Nipon-Denso alternators have the following test procedures... (from their own information)

Voltmeter:

- Ignition ON and engine not running

Gauge readings should be between 12.0 and 12.6 volts with the ignition ON and the engine not running.

A readings below 12 volts could indicate insufficient charging, low battery, corroded, broken, loose or frayed wires/connections.

- Ignition ON and engine running

Gauge readings should be between 13.0 and 14.2 volts with the ignition ON and the engine running.

A reading exceeding 14.2 volts could indicate a bad battery, failed regulator or poor wire connections.

A reading below 13.2 volts could indicate a failed alternator or corroded, broken, loose or frayed wires/connections.

Krey

[05RedKat600]

Strange design factor???

It's a Denso B3GO alternator.

That's the classic shop "I don't know what's wrong so let's BS this guy out of here" move. And why I don't use them.

[Nut-Nut]

OK, here are my two cents...

I had the same problem a couple of years ago... charging through the roof 16+ at anything over 2K rpms...

Checked all grounds, new fully charged battery, and all connectors both for resistance and for voltage drops... no problems... so I changed the regulator rectifier... DID not Fix it...

Here is what did fix it, and it is something very easy for you to check before you go changing alternators or going nuts like I did...

I have a 93 1100, the running lamp circuit acts as a resistor for the voltage going to the rectifier, hence, if you change the bulbs in the running lights to lower amperage bulbs, you will get an overcharge condition... I replaced my front run/Turn signal bulbs to original, and the overcharging went away...

I chased this for a couple of years and several cooked batteries before I found it. worth a shot...

Somewhere in the wiring diagram the same circuit that "trips" the regulator to charge tees off to the running lights... I am not 100 percent sure if this is the same in your bike, but again, easy enough to check. From your profile pic, i can see that you have changed the front lamps...

[scottynoface]

That's the classic shop "I don't know what's wrong so let's BS this guy out of here" move. And why I don't use them.

[05RedKat600]

OK, here are my two cents...

I had the same problem a couple of years ago... charging through the roof 16+ at anything over 2K rpms...

Checked all grounds, new fully charged battery, and all connectors both for resistance and for voltage drops... no problems... so I changed the regulator rectifier... DID not Fix it...

Here is what did fix it, and it is something very easy for you to check before you go changing alternators or going nuts like I did...

I have a 93 1100, the running lamp circuit acts as a resistor for the voltage going to the rectifier, hence, if you change the bulbs in the running lights to lower amperage bulbs, you will get an overcharge condition... I replaced my front run/Turn signal bulbs to original, and the overcharging went away...

I chased this for a couple of years and several cooked batteries before I found it. worth a shot...

Somewhere in the wiring diagram the same circuit that "trips" the regulator to charge tees off to the running lights... I am not 100 percent sure if this is the same in your bike, but again, easy enough to check. From your profile pic, i can see that you have changed the front lamps...

To my knowledge, these 600-750 bikes don't have running lights. Just the headlights and the parking lamp above it. At least mine doesn't. The wires for it just dead end under the fairing.

EDIT: Yup, pre wiring diagram confirms it here. Left side, brown wire coming from license light would be running lights, they aren't hooked up. Just dead end. Good thought though!

[Marty78]

well the only lights that i have changed are the break light and the headlight. the headlight was supposedly stock but the tail light was said to be brighter than the stock one so i'll check it out to see if that helps

[loudnlow7484]

The most likely candidate for causing slight over charging is the old wiring. You must check voltage levels at the alternator to make sure that it is seeing the correct voltage. If not, run new wires. Of course you could try to chase down what connection/section of wire is causing the resistance, but if you just want to make it work, just run new wires.

I once had a regulator go bad. It was charging at 18+ volts and popped my low beam and then my high beam very quickly (it was at night). I swapped on a 98+ alternator, and it was fine for as long as I had it.

[newmotorguy]

Ricks Voltage Regulator

Well, I installed the new Ricks Voltage Regulator and .......... it's the same, dammit! So I am after the wiring and looking at the missing front running lights as a possible cause. I did remove the ignition switch from it's mount and when I wiggle the wiring from the switch to the loom the voltage changes, quite a bit, like .3 volts. I don't think it should change at all. I have the switch apart and am going to rewire it and the rest of the run to wherever it terminates. I will let you know the results. All of your suggestions and experiences ave very helpful. This is a great group!

[newmotorguy]

Update ........

UPDATE: The front running lights made no difference. I did run new power wires from the key ignition switch to the green connector that connects to the main harness and cleaned up the contacts in the switch. That lowered the voltage from 15.4 - 15.6 to a solid 15 and when I wiggle the wiring it stays the same. Better but still .5 higher than it should be. Now I am looking at the main loom. I have a feeling that the wires may have lost some of their ability to carry the load, the orange wire to be specific. The orange wire is smaller than the red wire for some silly reason.
I have seen this before on my GMC Van, where the wire coming from the alternator to the battery had lost it's ability to carry sufficient amps to keep the battery charged. I ran a separate (large) wire from the alt to the battery and it works great now. So that will be my next move to see if that fixes the Katana's situation. Hopefully!

[newmotorguy]

The latest .....

Rewired the loom from the Key switch connector to the alternator connector and that reduced the voltage even more. Now the voltage is running 14.75 with the lead/acid battery and 14.8 with the shorai battery. Much better but still above the 14.5 it should be. Not sure what to do next but will keep at it till I get it where it should be. I also added a couple of new grounds but that made no difference. Here are some photos of the wiring.

[Marty78]

so if the issue seems to be old wiring, which ones should you start off replacing? I cleaned my connections and added dielctric grease and that brought mine from 15.5 to 15.2. If i go from a 16g wire to a 14g wire for my battery connections, would it make a difference?

[05RedKat600]

so if the issue seems to be old wiring, which ones should you start off replacing? I cleaned my connections and added dielctric grease and that brought mine from 15.5 to 15.2. If i go from a 16g wire to a 14g wire for my battery connections, would it make a difference?

Yes. Always remember: Volts x Amps = Watts

When you have a drop in amperage due to old wiring, this will cause your voltage to raise to keep the same wattage. You can swap those three components around any old which way to compute any one of the three variables.

Larger wiring can carry more amperage, which will reduce the voltage needed to keep the same wattage draw.

[loudnlow7484]

so if the issue seems to be old wiring, which ones should you start off replacing? I cleaned my connections and added dielctric grease and that brought mine from 15.5 to 15.2. If i go from a 16g wire to a 14g wire for my battery connections, would it make a difference?

The pre98 alternators are more difficult, because the wires are attached straight to them. Ideally, you would run the heavy one straight to the battery, and the light one to a relay that kicks over with the ignition on, and then to the battery. I'd run a 10 gauge for the heavy wire, and a 14 for the light wire. The alternators don't put out that much juice, so the 10 gauge will be fine. On cars with stock 85-110 amp alternators, I'd run 4 gauge to the battery, or 0 gauge on high-output alternators. As far as I know, Ohio Generator doesn't make any kits to adapt a GM big-case alternator to the Kat, so there is no need for any of that here....

[DumbLuck]

It's a good idea not to trust the crimp only wire connectors. I prefer to solder the connector onto the wire, and then use some shrink tube to protect/insulate the connection. That way it reduces any worry about the wire pulling free from the connector. Anal and putzy? yes, but worth the peace of mind IMHO.