ST1300 charge system failure

Well, I guess I will get the chance to go in as deep as the alternator. Saturday 2/2/13 I was halfway from nowhere out in the middle of the Okefeenoke Swamp when I lost electrical power and the engine quit while riding east on GA 94. Roadside triage presented a dead battery - I had dim lights and fuel pump spun up but when I tried to crank it all it would do was click the solenoid. I checked the battery connections which were tight and then turned to getting help as the bike was not going anywhere with a total loss electrical system and a dead battery and total swamp darkness was 2 hours away.

Literally in nowhere (10 miles from the last crossroad village and 27 miles to the next cross road community smack dab on the FL/GA state line) I was able to raise 1/2 bar on my Verizon phone and contact BMWMOA roadside assistance. I was 72 miles from my house and my coverage with BMWMOA is 100 miles so when the truck arrived we loaded up and headed home. The tow truck came 47 miles west to get me and the driver said the cost to my house would have been about $550 out of pocket. The annual cost for my assistance plan is $46 and was well worth it Saturday. The truck was a flatbed roll back and he had nice clean tiedown straps so the bike rode very easy.

When I got home the battery was showing about 10.5 volts at rest. I hooked up my 1.25 amp charger and in an hour tried the ignition and the bike cranked right up and ran. The voltage output at the battery did not rise from 10.3 volts however and it is clear the charge system is off-line. I left the battery on the charger all night and yesterday cranked it with 12.8 volts at the battery. At 5,000 rpm there is no output from the alternator measured at the battery - it held about 12.25 volts while running.

I have to get an ammeter to continue the service manual troubleshooting, my multimeter does not have ability to check amps but it is clear the alternator or regulator/rectifier has given up and further checks to ID the problem necessitate baring the alternator and examining the wiring harness from the switch to the battery. I have never removed the throttle bodies so now I get that chance. Time to replace all the hoses in the Vee too I guess.

My bike has 117,xxx miles on it. This forum has a few threads on alternator removal/repair so keep tuned for updates. If anyone that has had this or a similar problem I appreciate any tips and moral support. The Honda cost on the alternator is $500 plus. My town has at least two good repair shops and I hope it can be rebuilt for much less as I do not have $500 I can spare after replacing the central HVAC system in my house three weeks ago.

Don't forget to check e-bay and salvage yards online for one from a wrecked bike, if it can't be rebuilt. Good luck!

Definitely give your local alternator shop a try. The alternator on the 1300 is a Denso, and the innards are very likely standard Denso parts.

--Mark

$500 dollars sounds like a bargain to me. In the UK a new Alternator for the ST1300 is nearer $2000.

When mine failed a couple of years ago it was the Stator that failed.

The verdict is in, at least for me. The lack of a pulley on the ST alternator prevents normal bench testing to find fault or test rebuilt units for proper operation so the local shop that thought they could rebuild it said they could not - this after having it a few days. I asked them to take it apart today just to see if they could component test the various parts in hopes of fixing it cheaply ...... they determined the rotor winding was open circuit. The rotor is available from Honda for about $215 so by the time I replaced the rotor and brushes the cost would approach $360 to $400 and the bearings and rectifier/regulator would still be well used. The bike has 116,840 miles on it.

Another option was a fellow in Indiana that advertises rebuilt Goldwing and other motorcycle alternators. I called him yesterday and he said what I was going to hear again today from my local auto electric shop. He can and does rebuild a few ST1100 and ST1300 alternators but the Denso alternator parts are so expensive the cost approaches $400 or more for a rebuild when a new OEM Honda unit is $509 to $600 depending on the seller. Since I never want to do this job again I want a reliable warrantied alternator and a used part just seemed like false economy. In the end the choice was to buy a new Honda part. I sold a couple things to raise the cash and late today ordered a new alternator and all the coolant hoses under the throttle body that are impossible to reach in normal circumstances. I really love Honda of Jacksonville. They matched the lowest prices I found on-line and threw in a small discount on top of that to ease the pain.

The parts will be here in a few days. More will be revealed.

Well, the good part, it's all ready out, so it's just now putting on the new hoses, then installing the new alternator and off you go!

I have had a very similar issue. I replaced the rectifier which was 200 from the local parts store and I bought a crap battery as to not ruin a new good one. It is 200 cold crank amps and gel. Which standard is about 230cca so it's "close". However during a test ride all was good for about 15 mins and then I lost some electrical and eventually bike died due to not having power to fuel injectors I assume. Someone tell me there is a chance this is just the amazon battery. This alt is not easy to test or take out, nor do I want to spend another 600 on a alt if it's not likely the case. Did repairing your alt fix this issue?? Any and all help is appreciated.

13 year old zombie thread

I'll bite. Of course, it could be the battery. However, if you charge the battery and then do a load test (most gas stations will do that for free) and it passes,then you know it was not the battery. The recommended battery for ST's does not have much reserve power, and you chose a smaller and cheaper one for your test. After starting the bike, it ran with the headlights and maybe accessories on. The problem might still be there and you just ran down the juice.

Zc83 said:

and I bought a crap battery as to not ruin a new good one.

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The prob with that strategy is if the cr@p battery is insufficient, you've now wasted money on it and now need to purchase a proper battery, and you've contributed to unnecessary battery waste

For your purposes it is easy to check the alternator. Take the battery to a retailer that has a battery tester. The battery could be discharged and still good. If the battery tests bad get a new one. If it tests good but discharged then charge it. To proceed with the alternator test you must have a known good battery with 12.3 or higher standing voltage. 1.) Check the standing voltage at the battery terminals and note it. 2.) Start the bike and with headlights on high beam and the rpm at least 5,000 rpm check the voltage at the battery. After a moment holding 5,000 rpm the voltage must be greater than the voltage noted in part 1.)

If it is the same or less the alternator must come out for component testing.

If it is the same or less the alternator must come out for component testing.

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After confirming that the battery is good, first check for loose connections, corroded connections, damaged wiring, etc., in all of the wiring between the battery and the alternator, including the battery cables, before yanking the alternator.

Andrew Shadow said:

After confirming that the battery is good, first check for loose connections, corroded connections, damaged wiring, etc., in all of the wiring between the battery and the alternator, including the battery cables, before yanking the alternator.

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That all makes sense to check the easy stuff of course if there is no output from the test outlined in #11. However the sub harness connecting the alternator to the motorcycle cannot be checked without pulling the alternator out. The sub harness plugs into the back of the alternator and is shielded (the female wiring connectors plug onto recessed male terminals) so if every other connection tests good the alternator must be removed for component testing.