Very concise and easy to understand explanation.Been riding,building and restoring bikes for over 40 years but elecrical stuff is still witchcraft.

This man is one of the most mechanically inclined people I have ever seen. Remarkable!

Cody I use to be a auto technician and couldn't agree more with you. Very knowledgeable about teaching people the basics in a practical way.

Probably the most direct, clear and concise charging system lesson ever. Great job.

Cody, thank you for ALL your instructional videos on the motorcycle charging system, stator, regulator/rectifier, & battery. Simple, to the point, and easy to understand. They have helped me understand & diagnose my system on my 2003 Honda VFR800.

I have spent the last several days seeking and watching charge system videos. As for your video..... BRAVO!! Keeping it simple and straight forward is a plus.

Thanks for this lesson 👍. And the time and effort you put in!

It’s like doing an apprenticeship watching these vids. Awesome, really appreciate the content.

I really appreciate this one. This is a simple tip to diagnose this part of the charging system. Years ago I went through a charging issue and would have loved to have had this info. Thanks as always. Great Video!

thanks for this one ,my buddy's bike has been having this problem and all his biker buddy's were clueless.

Thanks for uploading another great video Cody; I really appreciate what you do for the motorcycling community 🙏🏻 You’ve saved me a small fortune, and it’s made me bond more with my bike. Take care

It would be best to check charging system at a higher rpm than idle, reason, the break even speed is generally above idle on most makes , unless it is 3 phase. Break even speed is the RPM needed to replenish the draw of normal engine components when running, coil, lighting etc. It is just good practice, covers all types of charging systems. Great video, and will help those in need, thanks.

This just helped me solve a charging issue on my virago xv535 (and saved me a lot of cash!) As a total novice on bike electrical systems this vid was absolutely spot on. Cheers Cody!

I've got a paraplane with a 582 rotax that started giving me a warning for overcharging today. Slowly climbed to 17 volts within a minute or so of starting. Acted almost exactly as what you just showed. I just ordered a new rectifier/regulator. Thanks!

Thanks for the video! I'm pretty sure this is the problem with my bike. It's throwing an "over voltage" code. This is the only video I've seen so far that shows over voltage. Thanks again!

Working on a 79 Ironhead. Your video gave me a clearer idea of what I'm dealing with. Good stuff

Cody, I’ve rebuilt, (with help from professionals), a 1993 Yamaha SRV 250. I’ve had an electrical problem since I’ve had the bike and can’t figure it out. Some of the ongoing symptoms have been low voltage to the horn, a tachometer that goes crazy, starting problems until I put it in gear and bump the motor, and I’m now on my third neutral switch. I thought I had the problem solves by repairing damaged wires but when I went to start it up there were again no dash lights or headlight. I tried to find second gear to bump the engine and pulled up on the shift lever and everything came back on! So I figured it’s definitely something in the neutral switch wiring. I removed the wire from, heat shrank the connector, and the bike ran. While riding the bike started to sputter so I thought I’d put some upward pressure on the shift lever and the bike began to run perfectly. Not only that, but the tachometer started working as advertised. I can’t figure that out. With the neutral switch wire disconnected, how could the shift lever, which is mechanical, have any effect on the electrics? BTW, the battery has no charging problems.

I successfully diagnosed and fix my bike's electrical issue thanks to this video!

A Voltage Meter is a good addition to the other instruments. Its always good to know if its a silent problem that might lead to a problem in the near future. I did notice my rectifier going bad by having a not so good turnover by the starter. As i looked on the dc meter it was only charging at idle and not anymore with a bit more rpms. Could have run out of juice oneday and would have had to pay for the towing or even a new battery but i avoided that by beeing suspicous.

This guy's a. Damn good bike mechanic and great explanation ... Good job

This is awesome, very helpful for an electroidiot like me. Keep up the great work!

Your explanation was so easy to follow. I will be tackling my system tomorrow and thanks to you, hopefully sorting out my motorcycle issue!

Used this video to diagnose my sv650. Saved me a lot of time and batteries

Just saved me alot of heartache and money..I have a VR issue. Cost 70 dollars..beats taking the whole primary side apart get at the stator which proves perfect..thanks forever member

Great video! I learned a lot, I'm new to bikes and my kawasaki zx10r died while riding the other day D: hopefully these simple tests will save me time and money instead of attacking the stator first

Watched a couple of your vids to diagnose a non-charging issue on my 1984 Honda V65. Following your instructions I found that the older splices on the 3 yellow wires were bad. Snipped and re-soldered those connections. Tested my R&R and stator and we're good as new. 14 volts at 5000rpm. Instant subscribe!!

Cheers for your video. I think my reg rect is dead as I have voltage AC voltage going in , but no DC voltage coming out. Thanks.

Since, I lost a battery due to a bad rectifier-regulator. I can say this for sure, thanks to you sir.

dude this is saturday morning bacon! Great stuff!

Thank you Cody,I've had a few small battery problems in the past week, I took my battery to the shop & all is well up to now,but,I'm yet to put gas in my Honda cbr1000 & actually run,I ran out of gas last week,take care friend & thank you for your Valuable information,Time & Excellent battery & charging video 🙂🙂🙂

Just found you. Good stuff. When a battery is overcharging, it becomes much easier to figure out. When a battery is not charging at all, that’s when it gets tougher. Could be anything in charging system and even a bad ground. Lastly intermittent charging issues generally lead themselves to be more likely than not to be regulator as well.

Very informative video, you explain the fundamentals in a way that is easy to follow. Excellent delivery of knowledge.

AWESOME TUTORIAL! I’m from the Philippines and I’m a big fan of your channel. I’m learning a lot from you. Thanks and keep up the great work!

two thumbs up. This exactly what I looking for in diagnosing my Yamaha R6 battery leak. thank you from Ontario, Canada!

This video will help me with my 1985 Honda Shadow VT1100. Thank you.

I have a hyosung gv650 and I need to test my regulator and stator , ignition coil and battery your videos are so helpful

Man, I really appreciate these videos! This was an excellent explanation of how this charging system works, as well as the risks and safety hazards. Subscribed!!!

Great video!!! just an observation the shock mount bushing is gone and looks like its digging into the aluminum housing.

much appreciated..very helpful ...I will be checking mine. Like the last sentence about if 5000, 6000 8000rpm and only getting 13,5v then look at stator..so in one lesson I learnt about regulator and stator . thanks

I recently changed my motorcycle battery but it ended up dead then I got replacement battery it catches fire I saw your vedio and it was very helpful I changed my regulator rectifier now it working fine. Thanks for info

I jump started my bike, took off, saw smoke and pulled over. Used similar troubleshooting and found my stator grounded. This advice works for Harleys too, luckily the lead from the stator to the regulator is a short one.

Very good diagnose tutorial to recognize a faulty voltage regulator. Totally explained. Thanks!

Great video. Very practical and helpful. My '96 Africa Twin is undercharging and I'm waiting for the replacement rectifier to arrive. Hope that solves the problem.

Very helpful. I’m struggling with my Cb750 lately. When I follow your instructions I notice my multimeter slowly clicking down. Then when I hold throttle it stabilizes it but doesn’t charge. I’m going to have to check the stator as per your recommendation

Thank you!! I have watched several vids regarding the charging system BUT you have clearly explained the TROUBLE-SHOOTING aspect much better. I especially like going after the obvious FIRST; check the battery. You provide the right numbers and I understood that. SECOND, how much of a charge is coming in from the stater and WHY the charging number needs to be stable around 15 or so. You also explained why too much (like your example at functioning RPMs) is BAD! In the case of this Honda everything looks to the rectifier and you provided extra analysis of why you can't really go any further (closed system). Again, thank you for taking the time to Share your expertise! Well done!! :)

proper mechanic instead of a youtuber in his garage. 👍👍

Great explanation of the electrical system

My friend, I have been looking to get a tutorial to help with installing a new stator with a higher output and rectifier to change from ac to dc and installing a street legal kit. It was very informative

I'm happy to find this video , it gave me more information on testing my 97 shadow vt600 . One week after I took it out of the shop and the bike does on me while I was riding home I hope it's just a faulty stator , but I'm definitely gonna test everything like it's shown here in the video

I really fw your videos! I really appreciate the fact you're a Honda mechanic too. On Friday I'm going up north to the cabin where my new to me 1994 300ex (seen you had one too) to try and diagnose her selective starting issue.. lol

Hi, I have a strange problem on my Magna. Short version of the back story. Instead of removing crabs and cleaning after sitting I dumped carb cleaner in the tanks and carbs until it finally sprung to life. A few times the "Starter seemed to stick." Then after she was running great. I was about to change the oil, and wham, she went lights out. I have a new battery. checked every fuse and ground connection I can think of. Easter egging a starter, ignition switch, start button is more than the bike would be worth whole. I have not electric what so ever after hitting the button.

Love the slogan “Pretty Rippin” lol. Let me use it in a sentence...”officer I was not speeding, the sound is pretty rippin! “ love that line. Lmao. Great video too bro

Your my goto guy for working on my VT1100C. Thanks for the very easy to follow content

Great easy to understand presentation dude! Keep up great work...

Thank you man that's exactly what I needed to know rectifiers the problem👍

I shur learned a lot about electric components from you, thanks and God Bless

Thanks great be of advice 👍 will help me check my vfr overcharge..

Informative vid.........shock absorber bushing looks like it's blown out.

You deserve more views! Very helpful

A natural tutor. Thanks

Great vid. Just fixed this exact issue on my '99 vt600. When 1 battery died early and the next one died within a couple months, I found the RR putting out over 18vdc at idle.

Hi Cody, great video, that's got to be the clearest and best explanation of a motorcycle charging system. I've learned a lot from your videos keep it up buddy.👍.. Neil from Nottingham England

New Subscriber! I've got a lot of catching up to do with your vids. Watched this one and the one where you checked if stator is good or bad. Learned 2 new things today. Looking forward to learning more. Don't know why I'm becoming a motorcycle junkie. But i love it! 👍😎🇺🇸

New to this channel. I am looking to buy a 2005 Honda shadow spirit that doesn't recharge or ruin batteries put in it. Great video!

Great tutorial and help, came looking for a stator issue that I thought might have been regulator, turns out it’s stator as I first thought

Thanks for the video! Appreciate the tips. I am testing the charging system on my DRZ400. Thanks

i checked out my sportster system using this process. i feel more confident now

i'm gonna try shooting starter fluid into my carburetor but if it;s the regulator rectifier then i think that might be why my motorcycle which is a kickstart isnt holding a charge and just isnt starting. great video brother!

Good tutorial, I hope you sold them shock bushing too because those are worn out.

This video is so helpful. Helped me diagnose what was wrong with my charging system. Btw do you know where Dave is?

Hi Only just found you channel Great vid clear and concise diagnosis. Now let me guess after having never worked on a harley I recon they use permanent magnet alternators As do so many other manufacturers. Fortunately my old gpz900r uses a conventional car style alternator. I have noticed that quite a few bikes seem to have rectifier/regulator problems and the vast majority seem to use permanent magnet alternators. Just think how many cars and trucks are on the road and how few alternator regulator problems they have, why do you think that bike manufacturers use these alternators instead of a mor conventional style

Great videos that simply explain troubleshooting for noobs like me. Really helpful! 👍

Excellent approach to one possible solution. I'm hoping that the R/R issue is what I'm dealing with, thanks for the excellent simple battery test to (hopefully) find it.

Nice video Cody!

The Honda Shadows come from the factory with shitty regulators. They do not work very well and send excess juice to ground when the battery is charged, which makes them run very hot and also eventually will burnout your stator also. Before all this happens, you should first: cut out the connector plug between the stator and the regulator and solder the wires together. That's one of the weak spots in the system. They usually make a poor connection, heat up and melt. So do that first. Then replace your voltage regulator with a Mosfet regulator (One from Ricks or another brand, anything that uses Mosfet technology. Those are the main reasons why the stator burns out. It's working over time to keep the battery changed and burning out prematurely. The Mosfet regulators run a lot cooler and send more power to the battery, even at idle, which the stock regulators cannot do. If you run any added accessories on your bike, you sill start to have electrical problems because of how the system is designed. They're just not good enough to keep up.

I’m about to order a new RR for my ‘90 Africa Twin. Saw over 17 at 4 grand. Boiled the las battery

love your channel .. great explanation without all complicated BS

I have a Kawasaki 1600 Nomad that has charging problems. I will use your system to check it out.

I love your old videos!

Literally best video on KZfaq. Thank you so much

Great video, two days ago I bought a new battery for my chook chaser xt250. Went for ride and could smell the battery when I returned home, pulled the side panel of and could not touch the battery cause it was so hot and bulging like ready to explode. Then I watched your video. All sorted, Thanks

good information and yes it is an easy way thanks.

Great video. I will check my readings. In the meantime, my bike had new battery but I didn't ride for 2 years. Now I have to connect battery to charger. It charges battery so bike can start no problem. I can ride the whole day. I can stop bike many times and bike start again. Next I go home, I don't connect battery to the charger and I leave bike overnight. Next day bike doesn't start 🙁. I have to connect charger again. What do you think is the problem?

I found this video by looking for stator testing, but watching it I realised you’re good. You know your stuff... so my question to you is: I have an Aprilia sr50 2st. Scooter that won’t start. bought it like that.. I rebuilt the top end, new rings head cleaned and new gaskets. New coil, new plug. Started for 5 mins then died. It’s a Ditech injection model Piaggio Motor but i can’t understand why it won’t run...

Hi. First off all I want to thank you for the detailed information that you have shared with us. I have finally found the problem on my honda shadow. I need to ask you a suggestion. I ordered the new voltage regulator, but unfortunately it needs 2 weeks delivery time. My question is can I run the motorcycle with 18volts charging for 45min and then switch off the charging current for about 30 minutes and then reconnect. I mean can I do manually that the broken part on rectifier does automatically?

Thank you so much for this video .. Nice and easy to understand and follow ....just have a question ..would you say 13.8 - 15.4 volts be about normal across the board for most motorbikes ? ( like for none non-Japanese bikes / non-Harley ..etc) for charging

Thanks for sharing all your Honda knowledge with us!!

Great video - thanks for posting. Well explained info , much appreciated. I was hoping to see the result of the rect/regulator replacement....did it solve the problem...? Thanks.

Excellent video! Super helpful!

Best explanation on rectifier/regulator

Dammit, wish I knew this 2 weeks ago. Lol. Went through 3 batteries before I gave up & let the shop have her. Too much stuff @ work to spend the time to go further myself. That bike you demonstrated on could have been my Aero's twin sister. I knew enough to look for the 3 wire connector, but after the 3rd battery died on the one day I got to ride so far this year, I just lost patience... so off to the shop she went. I just wanna ride!

Great videos thank you My issue is on 1980 Honda CB650. Bike not charging swapped out stator rotor and rectifier. Reading on 3 leads from rectifier .5. Diodes read good and directions tests on rectifier read good. Stator unplugged and running reads good and increases with throttle. Can there be an issue from rectifier to battery other than wiring? Everything else on bike works no other issues. Puzzled???

Excellent video. Well explained.

Thank mate let me use this knowledge on my Harley now 🛠🛠😅

Outstanding job mate. Love this mech stuff on cars and bikes. One more weapon to my arsenal 👍😊

awesome video !

Hey Cody, if my headlight and neutral light is dimming as it revs up, does that point to anything specific in the charging system?

This was a ton of help.. thank you

The rectifier/regulator voltage control is subject to prevailing ambient temperatures in which the bike operates. Generally the regulated voltage in lower ambient temps. (< 50F) is higher ~14.75v, whereas in higher ambient temps. (>80F) the voltage is reduced ~13.5v to reduce stress on the battery (over charging/cooking the battery). This is all done by electronic thermal sensor (thermistor) in the rectifier/regulator to "trim/modulate" voltage to a safe level. I should think 15v is too much applied to the battery & cycle system.

so quick question I have a 99 gsxr 750 got a new battery on there was good. I can start it ride it doesn't cut off while im riding im good but if I stall out or so for some reason try to start it up back the battery is dead cranks slow. sometimes it will start sometimes no. so I used a mulimeter without the bike running I got 12.3v when I start it I get 13.2v. ok now if I give it throttle it will drop from 13.2 to 12.2 or 11.8 at idle go back to 13.2 v is that the rectifier or the stator