Charging Frustrations! Need advice Please

[Rosso-mandello-dave]

A month ago my battery died. Once I push started it, the bike still ran fine with plenty of headlight. I rode it home 40 miles!!
When I made it home I checked the battery. It was 11 something volts and from 2001. Probably time to replace it.
I bought a Yuasa from Batteries Plus. Part number Y something or other-15. They filled it, sealed it, and gave it to me charged.
It fits perfectly and has been in the bike for at least 600 miles.

The 1st sign of trouble was the charge light randomly flickering. It was very random. It might take 100 miles for it to happen and only last for a minute usually going away once I rev it up a bit. In the 600 miles it probably happened 6 times. I had seen this once before with the old battery and I didn't have any problems for thousand of miles so I figured it was just a fluke. This time it kept coming back so I checked a few things. I cleaned all the cables I could find coming off the regulator, checked the 30 amp fuse and cables to it, and cleaned up the ground wire to the regulator. Yesterday I measured the charge off the battery with the bike off,and with the bike running. It seemed to be charging perfectly so I decided, "oh well" Guzzi fluke no worries.

Well that was a mistake. Today I went to a motorcycle night event and when leaving the bike barely started. No low charge light or anything!! I stopped on top of a hill on the way home and stopped the bike to try and restart it. It wouldn't start. I had to roll start it down the hill. I rode it home 7 miles. I have to say that the headlight was very strong even with high beam. I would guess that if the charging circuit were bad, the charging light would come on correct?? Could I just have a bad battery?? even though it's brand new? I would have thought that I would have lost my headlight on the way home.

I didn't peel back the plastic cover on the yellow cable connectors at the regulator to see if they were corroded but from what I could see they looked good and I put some electrical contact grease on the male side. Should I peel back the cover and check them?

Can anyone help??!! I freakin love this bike but these electrical gremlins are a pain in the butt and I am getting very frustrated.

At the moment the bike won't start so I can't take any voltage readings. I have the battery on charge to see what happens and then maybe I can take some readings.

I have had a V11 mandello 6 months, no end to problems from electrical to strange tyre wear front and back to out of the blue the handlebars touching the tank
on the left hand side! No reason for this happening, the guzzi is stored in a garage and is never left anywere for it to be knocked over. The electrical problems have been
a real head wrecker, flat battery next morning or not enough to turn starter, tacho doing its own thing maybe monitoring earthquake ? no idicators then indicators?
engine starts cutting out with a full tank on a motorway then gets over it then does it again whilst im over takeing legaly ! I realy got the hump with my beloved after that.
But we made up! We were palls again up untill the sun came out today and the bitch does not want to come out! grovelin did not work neither did a few well aimed f@*k you f*@ing c%*t . . . . we are going to a work on things though,
thats love 4 U ; )
I do love my guzzi, iv had lots of bikes like most people i know and many of people i know who dont have a guzzi would like the idea of a luverly big old twin. They see your guzzi and they glaze over! then they tell you" i would love a guzzi but !!!"and most wont even alow the thought or "H.D" word to be spoken in there presence, should some other say it "H.D" they get laughed at and mostly they leave soon after. There are problems with most bikes of all origins as we all know some more then others ahh hmm just clearing my throat.
i wouldnt say thats that guzzis for life but if it was you wouldnt here me complaining , there is something i think about a guzzi that feels long term not like other bikes i have had, i love my V11 despite the problems. I believe once you own a guzzi and dont bring it back after a week or 2 you become a convert.
Is that the time?!?
Must dash...

Cheers

Dave S.W UK

[huub]

Did read all the stuff here, and I'm happy not to be alone with electrical problems. I'm trying to solve a problem with my charging indicator. The strange thing is that that indicator doesnt show up if I turn the key. But when I put on the headligts or use the brake on the same moment the charging indicator light suddently comes up. When I start the engine, the indicator is going out again as it should be and the battery is charging. I've put on another voltage regulator, but that did not solve the problem.

T

he charging indicator has two wires. The blue wire goes to the regulator. When you turn on contact, this wire should give ground. But I measure 12.8 volt. Anyone an idea?

 

I did buy a second hand wiring harness on ebay, to solve this and all the other problems I had in the past, but there should be an explanation