I finally finished off the changes I was doing to my electrics.
So the bike has now has a new battery, new rectifier and replacement wiring all the way from the alternator thru the rectifier and thru to the battery. Why? an
article on Ducati-Up-North basically outlined everything thats wrong with the charging system and possible fixes. I got to this point after far too many recovery trips on the back of RAC and other independent rescue trucks. I've made some mistakes along the way, but got there in the end.
I initially thought it was this bugger here..
so I replaced it with some weatherproof connectors. It wasnt.
Oh and this is what happens when you order connectors not designed for the current from an alternator...
They've since been replaced by some connectors that ARE capable of handling the current.
So a few weeks back the bike got this treatment.
so I could check the condition of the alternator and replace all the relevant wiring from alternator > rectifier > battery. I also fitted up a volt meter so I could see how the battery volts were charging (or not) while out on the road.
Last weekend, the rectifier was fitted (having moved it somewhere it wont cook)
Took the bike for a test ride tuesday, cracked out 45 miles, during which the (original) battery dropped from 13.5v down to 12.6 on startup, then dropped down to 11.6 by ride end. So basically, although my charger could charge the battery, the bike couldnt. Looking thru the receipts/invoices from the bike (its got a folder thicker than Jimmy Carr's bank account) I couldnt see a replacement battery ever.
So today a new battery was fitted, (different make and size, better spec) and I spent about an hour cutting, bending and drilling a strip of aluminium (dont laugh, never done this before
) and altering the battery holder to suit.
So now the bike looks like this
Took the bike for a testride to check the volts and also to make sure the battery wasnt going to fall out going round righthand bends! Voltage pre and after startup was 12.6, after 10 miles, the readings were still 12.5v (close enough).
Would have stayed out longer, but it was chucking it down with rain, and the cold river down the crack of my jeans was really annoying.
Bring on the weekend when I can give it a proper go.
She's already taken me round France, Belgium and Germany in 2011. This year we're heading to France, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland. Yesterday's rack and rails task was to ensure I had a slightly more elegant solution than "have a really large backpack".
