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When you perform these procedures yourself, be sure to always follow the
safety instructions for using the unit (see user instructions); model-specific
details and target measurement values can be found in the repair and
maintenance manual for your particular vehicle. While we have carefully
researched all the instructions and reviewed them several times, you will
understand that we accept no liability.
1. Check charging circuit
The charging circuit ensures that there is a power supply to the battery and all
consumers (ignition, lights, etc.) on the bike.
- If there are indications that the alternator is not charging the battery sufficiently
(e.g. the headlight is dimming or the battery charging indicator light is flickering),
start with a visual inspection of all the accessible components of the charging
circuit: plug connections should be secure and clean, cables must not show any
sign of damage, wear or fire, the alternator and regulator/rectifier should not
exhibit any obvious signs of mechanical defect.
- To test the individual components further the battery should be in good
condition and fully charged.
- If you identify a fault in part of the charging circuit, also check all the other
components of the circuit for damage.
1.1 Charging voltage
The charging voltage measurement reveals whether or not the charging circuit
is working correctly. First warm the engine up. Now put the bike on its stand and
make the battery terminals accessible. Allow the engine to idle. Insert the red
test
cable in the VΩmA jack and the black cable in the COM jack on the
multimeter. Select 20 V DC measuring range. Hold the red test probe against
the positive and the black test probe against the negative battery terminal. Read
off the value
– for a well charged 12 V battery the display should now be
indicating approx. 12.6 volts. Now, depending on the model of bike, increase
the engine speed to around 3000-4000 rpm. With a 12 volt system the reading
should now increase to approx. 13.5 to 15.5 volts; in this case the alternator is
charging correctly. If, on the other hand, the voltage stays the same, then there
is a fault in the charging circuit. If the voltage increases beyond the range 13.5