• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Alternator or battery ? And can alternator be rebuilt ?

ett

ett

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Dec 31, 2011
Messages
161
Location
Allentown, PA
My Griso's battery charging appears to be slacking.

When new; the voltmeter display on the dash was indicating approximately 14.6 volts while riding.
(Which is within specs according to the manual I Have. A PDF file.)
And when I used all my electric heated gear; the voltage would drop down between 14.2 and 14.0.
(Don't recall the voltage with ignition on but motor not running.)

Now that it's almost three years and 85k miles later.
The voltage is down to around 13.4 while riding.
With electric heated gear; the voltage drops to between 12.9 and 12.7.
And with ignition on but motor not running; the voltage is at 12.9.
(I've confirmed this 12.9 with both the dash's voltmeter and TechnoResearch's Centurion diagnostic tool.)

I changed the alternator belt a few thousand miles ago.
My Griso is a 2010 model that I bought as a left over in Dec. 2011.
I believe the dealer had to charge the battery before they let me test ride it.
And the battery tends to get it's terminals corroded; indicating it's casing may have some hairline cracks near the terminals.

Would it be normal for a Guzzi's alternator to go bad at this stage ?
Can the alternators be rebuilt ?
(I don't see any individual parts; such as brushes; listed any where.)

Or do I simply have a dying battery ?

Thanks;
 
Could be either. First clean the battery terminals then test voltages again. If voltages are still not good, have the battery load tested. If the load test is good, then it is probably the regulator part of the alternator. I don't know if the alternator is rebuildable, but since it is an automotive type, I would think an automotive electrical rebuilding shop could handle it. It would be worth trying.
 
Personally i would hook up a known good battery before anything else. While i know some batteries go 5 years or more i have had many start going bad at 3.
 
ET, yes you can rebuild alternators/regulators - not rocket science. I believe these units are from Nippon Denso so any Japanese Auto electrician should be able to see you right - might even have an identical unit is stock, depending what it originally came from or was designed for.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Sunday morning when I started this thread; was the first day this Fall that was cold enough to warrant using my heated clothing.
And whenever I used my heated clothing; I always plug in the Battery Tender to the Griso when I get home for the night.

Well even after being on a Battery Tender; both Monday morning and this morning. The voltage displayed was only at 13.5.
And when starting the Griso Monday morning; I saw the voltage drop to below 9.

So I will be ordering a new battery.

Thanks again !
 
So I bought a new battery last night and installed it today.
Made absolutely no difference in voltage displayed on the dash.

So that means the alternator is going bad.
I've called the dealer and asked about the price of either a rebuild kit or a new alternator.
And unfortunately Guzzi does not offer a rebuild kit and the price of a new alternator is nearly $500.

WOW ! During the 10 years and 260,000 miles I put on my GSXR. I don't think I even when through $500 worth of stators.

Since even with all my electric gear; the voltage is still positive. (Just not as positive as I prefer.)
And since it took me nearly a whole day to replace the alternator belt.
I guess rebuilding the alternator will have to wait until mid-winter when the roads are snow covered.
At which time I will have plenty of non-riding days to take the alternator off and shop around at auto parts stores looking for compatible rebuild parts.
 
ett,

I don't really recommend rebuilding it yourself. Find an automotive electric repair shop. A quick search using "automotive electric repair allentown, PA" yielded several results. They will replace only what is needed, and be able to test the alternator before it is installed on your bike.
 
Before your spend money on the alternator, does the regulator test out OK?
 
GT-Rx® said:
Before your spend money on the alternator, does the regulator test out OK?
Click to expand...

Todd,

I believe the regulator is built into the alternator on the CARC bikes. Can't find a voltage regulator called out in the parts manual.
 
Don't rely on the voltage reading on the dash, check it with a voltmeter across the battery terminals. According to Guzzi the alternator is just one unit, no internal parts are available. However, as said above, an auto electrician who deals in Japanese goods, may well be able to help.
 
Oz1200Guzzi said:
I believe these units are from Nippon Denso so any Japanese Auto electrician should be able to see you right - might even have an identical unit is stock, depending what it originally came from or was designed for.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that the Suzuki Swift has the identical alternator.
 
Next thing you know there will reports of tractor parts that fit - gotta love Guzzi!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top