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Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
https://ukbeg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15095		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  kuterba [ 25 Jul 2012 19:10 ]
Post subject:  Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Hello,

I have a 2009 Buell 1125CR which I bought just recently. I went on a long trip and did about 2000miles. After I came back I left the bike standing for about 2 weeks with the battery attached. When I came back It started just fine but noticed that as I rode around on the same day it was more and more difficult to turn over and eventually it stopped turning over and I couldn't start the engine. I jump started the bike and got home, then charged the battery fully using a car battery charger (no other possibility).

Now I started noticing that when I ride the battery voltage is between 12.4 in slow traffic riding and 13.4ish in faster riding. When idle and/or stationery it goes down to about 12.1. When I entered the diagnostic mode it is showing error code 'Comm Error U0001". I don't want to think its the charging: stator or regulator and I "hope" that I have only knackered the battery and thats it. Does anyone have experience with this? Stator costs about 700quid so Id rather it wasn't broken.

I have found out from the Harley dealer that my bike had the stator/charge upgrade done.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Author:  Nutah [ 25 Jul 2012 20:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
this should help diagnosis

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=146 :here:

IF you need a new generator , i would get it rewound , lots of electrical motor rewinders
about , would be a world cheaper than a new one & better quality job as well
Author:  Adam [ 25 Jul 2012 21:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
kuterba wrote:
Hello,



I have found out from the Harley dealer that my bike had the stator/charge upgrade done.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks



That upgrade didn't really work, it just prolonged the stators life until they were out of warranty :roll: The root of the problem is the stator being under spec'd for its job.
Afraid you'll need a new stator, and to prevent it happening again, either fit the '08 rotor + stator, or fit the EBR rotor with a fling hole for a cooling oil spray.
There is a whole sub forum dedicated to this problem on that 'other' Buell site ;)
Author:  COLINTORNADO [ 25 Jul 2012 21:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Before you right off the stator,check the relay that is part of the upgrade harness. They often seem to fail and will give your symptoms. Look for heat damage at the relay connector.You could also omit the update harness by connecting the original yellow plugs back together and then checking the voltages etc...
The comm error happens when you get low voltage so will go after 50 starts apparently (assuming you find the fault causing the low voltage)
Author:  kuterba [ 26 Jul 2012 05:11 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Hi all,

I was riding to work today closely monitoring my voltage and when i ride it stays between 13.9 and 14.3 but when I stop at lights it goes down to 13.3 and even 12.4 if there are a lot of traffic lights. Is it ok and was i just panicking? Was the comms error the result of dead battery? What are your thoughts?
Author:  sportster_mann [ 26 Jul 2012 09:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
That sounds pretty normal to me - mine shows a lower voltage when idling and then picks up as the revs rise. Short journeys do seem to tire out the battery, so if you don't normally regularly ride long distances then it may be worth using a trickle charger if you don't already.

Also remember to use the engine kill switch to stop the motor before removing the key - 2008 models had a parasitic draw that seemed to happen if the kill switch wasn't used - the only time I had a flat battery on my R was when I forgot to use the switch before parking up. :oooops: I know yours is a 2009 but it can't hurt can it !

Lastly check your earthing points and check that they are all clean and tight - Buells in general do seem to suffer from bad earthing ...
Author:  kevmean [ 26 Jul 2012 09:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
kuterba wrote:
Hi all,

I was riding to work today closely monitoring my voltage and when i ride it stays between 13.9 and 14.3 but when I stop at lights it goes down to 13.3 and even 12.4 if there are a lot of traffic lights. Is it ok and was i just panicking? Was the comms error the result of dead battery? What are your thoughts?


That sounds normal as it's in traffic at low revs when the relay mod drops the charging to single phase to reduce it's heat output it will only revert back to 3 phase at that time if the battery voltage drops dangerously low ................ if when you get moving again the voltage starts to rise back up to the high 13's low 14's nearly straight away i'd say it was working normal ;)

If you do a lot of riding in the zone where the relay mod keeps working (ie comuting in traffic) it may be worth replacing the relay occassionally as they do tend to burn their contacts out eventually .
Author:  kuterba [ 26 Jul 2012 15:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Battery question continued:

After work, when it was really hot The voltage whilst riding goes up only to about 13.7-9 and drops when at lights to 12.6ish (depending how long I'm at the lights. It doesn't climb too quick though.

Kevmean said that it should climp quickly to high 13s however in my case it goes up to mid 13s at a rate of about 0.1 every couple seconds. Sorry to be so specific, I just don't want to have this issue in the back of my mind when I ride.

In relation to the Relay, where do I find it on the bike and where can I get one?

Again, much appreciated for all your help :)

Any Buellers from London up for a ride this week (late afternoon-ish)?
Author:  grumpygrandad [ 27 Jul 2012 11:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Part no is 31504-91b from HD price around £10.I suspect Halfords may do something but have not checked.Mine is mounted and zip tied to right side of frame under seat.There is a video on you tube about this,also loads of info on Badweather bikers site available through links on here.
Author:  kevmean [ 27 Jul 2012 11:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
The relays are available from Black bear ;) if you source an alternative make sure it has diode supression built in ;) ...................i think it is possibly the same relay as used as the starter relay on Blasts and some other HD's .
I bet Maz stocks them as well :D
Author:  erikmorecambe [ 29 Jul 2012 00:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
[quote="kuterba"]Hello,

I have a 2009 Buell 1125CR which I bought just recently. I went on a long trip and did about 2000miles. After I came back I left the bike standing for about 2 weeks with the battery attached. When I came back It started just fine but noticed that as I rode around on the same day it was more and more difficult to turn over and eventually it stopped turning over and I couldn't start the engine. I jump started the bike and got home, then charged the battery fully using a car battery charger (no other possibility).

Now I started noticing that when I ride the battery voltage is between 12.4 in slow traffic riding and 13.4ish in faster riding. When idle and/or stationery it goes down to about 12.1. When I entered the diagnostic mode it is showing error code 'Comm Error U0001". I don't want to think its the charging: stator or regulator and I "hope" that I have only knackered the battery and thats it. Does anyone have experience with this? Stator costs about 700quid so Id rather it wasn't broken.

Stator failure sounds imminent from what you describe here, initially I expect you are probably getting 14 plus volts? I tried a new battery on mine in Saudi and it cost me £100 and made no difference.

I also had charging problems after the stator was replaced and even though I had tried a new relay the only cure for that was to discard the recall harness.

Welcome to the 1125 club my membership expired today :clap:
Author:  kuterba [ 29 Jul 2012 08:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Erik,

Yes at first when I ride I get 14 plus and during the same ride it gets lower and lower oscilating between 12.4 and 13.9.

If stator failure is imminent and you said changing it made little difference, what do you suggest? what is the best option now? Why do you suggest dumping the recall harness and how do i do it?

Many thanks
Author:  Nutah [ 29 Jul 2012 09:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
erikmorcombe is no longer a member his account has been deleted as he requested
Author:  kuterba [ 29 Jul 2012 14:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
Rode back from work today on a new battery and it's all good. Goes up to 14s and no issues...the Buell voltage/stator stigma made me paranoid :P

Many thanks for your help everyone!
Author:  kevmean [ 29 Jul 2012 14:11 ]
Post subject:  Re: Buell 1125CR low battery voltage whilst riding
:yup:
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