hard work paying off

[ARCHIVE_connorsracing]

Need a starting point

Hi there..long time no post...

I recently converted my '86 600 Eliminator from it's drag bike status...back to street trim.

Major problem now...

It's not charging. I kinda figured there was something wrong when I was racing it...but only a 1/4 mile at a time, I wasn't concerned. Took it for a 5 mile scoot yesterday, got home....the battery was flat. It's a new one. Put the charger on it, fired rite back up. Put a meter on it...the more I reved it, the faster it died.

What and where should I check first?

Also, put a new headlite bulb in...and it still doesn't work There's no power at the plug..Hot wired the bulb and it's o.k. All the fuses are good.

Any ideas are greatly appreceiated!!

Thanks!!

Gary

 

[ARCHIVE_Southern style]

As far as the charging goes, I'm more familliar with the 900's than the sixes, but most all alternators test this way. Remove the cover of the alternator and you should see the voltage regulator staring back at you. There should be a terminal on the regulator labeled "F". Ground this terminal to the chassis, start the engine and check your battery voltage again. If it's above 13.5 volts, the regulator is bad. If it's still below 13.5, you've got bad brushes, bad windings, ect. Don't try to go the cheap route and just ground this terminall to fix it. The alternator will constantly pump all the juice it can into the battery and cause very very BAD THINGS!
As for your headlamp issue, the 900's came with a little black box labeled "reserve lighting device" It's actually a relay that turns the headlight on after the starter is engaged and turns it off with the ignition switch. It will also turn the headlight off when the starter is re-engaged with the ignition on due to an engine stall. On the 900's it's located under the cover behind the battery cover. I'm not sure where it is on the 600 or if it even has one. If you have the service manual for the bike, it should be listed in the wiring diagram. If you don't have the manual, do some digging on the web, I found mine as a free download.
Hope this helps!
Later,
SS

 

[CHRIS]

hey everyone! mark showed me how to post pics. from my photobucket, so, i thought i would try one more for practice ! anyway, here is a recent photo, of the zl 900, that i helped my dad (MARTY) pick up at mid-ohio, this year. you've probobly seen my posts thanking machIV, mark, wuputt, & vfrman, for helping me get a jump start on getting her ready for dad, & some of you requested a photo, so here it is !

we pollished the forks, put mirrors on it, ( temporary ), rear turn signals, a little plexyglass fairing, & cleaned it up a little ! i let dad borrow my chrome airbox cover for photo, but still need a set for him ! also, knee guards, & swing arm cap, but, she is running good, & going to get fresh paint this winter . CHRIS

 

[lowlife]

Thing looks clean, mide me asking how much was paid for it?

 

[CHRIS]

$1500.00 through a friend.

 

[lowlife]

Yeah for 1500.00 I would have snagged it too. You guys did well. Mileage?

 

[CHRIS]

21000 miles

 

[zl900_moab]

Looks good, boys.
moab...

 

[rammy1500]

Yes, it sure looks a lot better now than what it did sitting at Mid-Ohio. Great work Chris.

 

[CHRIS]

thanks for the compliments guys, but i can't take all the credit. i did a few things to get it running a little smoother, but most of the time consuming, & hard stuff, i owe graditude to mark, machIV, wuputt, & vfrman for their hard work at mid-ohio, & dad was like a little boy at christmas time, when i got it home ! i took the tank & seat off so dad could clean everything underneith.

dont get me wrong ! i played a good part, esspecially when we got the bike home, but i consider this a group project, & would feel bad taking all the credit . THANKS AGAIN ! CHRIS

 

[wuputt]

LOOKING GOOD