No more charge

I changed the ignition switch and despite being a genuine part, it didn't work as the one it replaced - lights had to be turned on in order to get brake and idiot lights working plus ignition. Since all was fine with lights on, I figured no problem. Until I noticed the battery went flat; not charging anymore. Not sure if it's related to the switch swap or not, but here are a few questions to those with more knowledge than me:

1: If the switch somehow prevented power from the alternator to reach the battery, could the alternator have survived without permanent damage from overheating?
2: When riding on the battery only to supply ignition with juice, will the drain on the battery change with;
- rpm?
- load?
3: And if so, do these matter more or less than time itself?

faffi wrote: I changed the ignition switch and despite being a genuine part, it didn't work as the one it replaced - lights had to be turned on in order to get brake and idiot lights working plus ignition. Since all was fine with lights on, I figured no problem. Until I noticed the battery went flat; not charging anymore. Not sure if it's related to the switch swap or not, but here are a few questions to those with more knowledge than me:

1: If the switch somehow prevented power from the alternator to reach the battery, could the alternator have survived without permanent damage from overheating?
2: When riding on the battery only to supply ignition with juice, will the drain on the battery change with;
- rpm?
- load?
3: And if so, do these matter more or less than time itself?

Sounds like you unplugged something in the headlight and didn't get it plugged back in correctly. Check there first.

At higher RPMs, the factory ignitions use a little less electricity since the coils have less time to charge before firing. It's enough to raise the battery voltage a 1/2 volt or so when revving, even if there is no charging system at all.

Thanks! But I guess that time is still the main drainer, that is, riding faster to get home sooner is the most important thing.

Found evidence of shorts around the rectifier/regulator that probably caused the lack of charging. I'm have removed it all together with the altenator, which is from the F1 fitted into the B1 alternator cover most sloppily. Going to fit the complete charging system from my parts bike, the original 3-phase system. Also going to take the wiring harness - which has only been mildly butchered - and fit it to my bike, which have a very badly modified system to incorporate the new charging system to the old harness. Using bits from the harness on the bike to make the one from the parts bike stock and complete should render me with a trouble free machine. At least that's the plan

This is how the stator was fitted into an old B1 cover

Bit longwinded, but that's what I am

I still do not know for sure what caused the charging to stop as it could have been anything from a faulty stator to a shorted wire to a blown rectifier/regulator - the only evidence was some melted plastic on the insulator of a couple of contacts going to the regulator/rectifier.

The PO had somehow managed to get a 3-phase regulator/rectifier work with a 1-phase charging system. In addition, he had replaced the original wiring harness with one from the F1 - that also donated its engine. And then he went on to butcher it.

So when I decided to go back to the original B1 charging system, lifting it from the B2 parts bike, I also decided to move the wiring harness. Which had also been butchered, but to a far lesser degree.

I had to take several missing multi-contacts from the discarded wiring harness and solder it onto the one I planned to use. Some connectors were stock, but fell apart and also had to be replaced.

But in the end, I have a stock, complete wiring harness as it should be on a B1, save for the rectifier. All contacts have been cleaned and adjusted (if slack), the inside of the mechanical voltage regulator looks like it was made yesterday, the old 3-phase alternator delivered around 15V from idle upwards right after startup and the engine runs better without the missing experienced at high rpm from time to time before.

So a complete success so far