Speedfight 2 problem

[Rick Hughes]

Have a Speedfight2 .... with a weird electrical fault symptoms as follows:

1 - when it is just ticking over and you try to give it throttle the bike
starts to die out and does not go anywhere(but it doesn't stall)

2- If you operate the indicator light - indicators will not flash....also
the indicator on the dashboard does not flash when indicators are on ( they
just stay on as a light)

3- When any indicator is put on the scooter will drive perfectly but as soon
as you turn indicator of it looses all power ( then power is gained by
switching indicator back on)

4 - Horn makes a feeble low volume noise

All pointing to an electrical fault.

On idle I did connect a battery charger to engine, and horn for example then
worked OK .... but don't know if this would prevent the 'dying' when running
(if you switch indicators off)

When I first bought the Speedfight it had this issue - I took off battery,
charged overnight cleaned up connections and problem had gone ... been OK
for 12 months. Now it's back.
Fully charging battery makes no difference.

[Catherine Jemma]

I do not know of this particular vehicle, but from my general motorcycle
knowledge, let me say..........

Indicators glowing but NOT blinking, says insufficient power available,
voltage or current (amperage) -wise

Horn feeble.....ditto, not enough power

Battery could be knackered. Charge up on an external charger. Then let sit
for half an hour, then place under a decent reasonably heavy load......at
least a couple of headlight bulbs rigged up temporary say, or a spotlamp off
a car

Wait 5 minutes under load then check voltage across batt terminals. Cheap
digital multimeter testers are less than $10 at various electronics stores,
eg Tandy/Radio Shack etc can also try Auto parts stores or Kmart etc tool or
auto section

Voltage should be 12 volts or barely under. Turning of the "load" of lamps
etc should see the voltage rise back to just over 12 volts if the battery is
good

......also... as you said earlier you'd done a year ago, ensure all
connections are firm and fuses good and making good contact

Sometimes where the battery or motor main earth lead attaches to the body,
you need to undo the bolt, use some emery/sandpaper to shine the metal
bright, apply a squirt of WD40 or a thin smear of "baby's-bottom" type
Vaseline petroleum jelly, then re-affix the main earth lead. Ensure the
metal tab on the end of it is also shined up clean. Ensure the main power
cables are good and that the wire hasn't come loose from any crimped on
end-lug

Note that cars and motorbikes etc always have some kind of re-charging
system for the battery. With smaller motorbikes and scooters this is
sometimes a "magneto" that generates AC but has a rectifier installed
somewhere to turn it into DC for battery charging

Some older mbikes and cars had DC Gnerator systems but most larger bikes and
cars nowadays have AC "alternators" with a rectifier either built in or
separate

It is possible for a beattery to become so dudd, that even if an engine's
started, the charging system cannot cope, and, past a certain point, the
engine would die

Many years ago as an experiment I actually tried......

I started up an old car using jumper leads and a booster battery which I
then disconnected. I left in the battery that was thoroughly rooted. It
wouldn't even "take" a charge into it.

I increased the idling speed so the DC generator was putting out a
reasonable amount of power......the motor ran beautifully

I then started turning on electrical accessories one by one until their
consumption exceeded what the genrator was putting out, then, the ignition
coli having insufficient power, the car conked out.

A curoius little experiment. Safe enough to do with old cars with DC
generator systems from the '60's

Sorry back to your problem, first make very sure your battery is not just
very very defective

Ensure all leads etc are clean and all fuses ok

Checking the charging system is a bit more difficult, but if, using your
simple digital meter as mentioned earlier, leaving it connected across the
battery terminals, after starting the scooter, then gently increase engine
revs to a fairly fast idle (just give it some gentle throttle) the voltage
when revving should increase from 12-ish volts at idle to somewhere between
13 and 15 volts when revving engine with lights off, and still at least 12.5
to 13.5 volts with lights on. If not, the bike's charging system
(magneto/alternator etc) might be defective

However they usually give long lives without any servicing. Magnetoes have
no replacement parts. Alternators have little carbon "brushes" that do wear
out over time, usually tens of thousands of kms

--

"Save the Cheerleader, Save the World"
.....HEROES ep 5 Oct 2006

this email brought to you by Rubbish-Dump computer-power !

Find me at http://myspace.com/catherinejemma
check my weBlog http://catherinejemma.blogspot.com

Patsy....."So is killing NOT wrong anymore ?"
Trudy....."We don't have to worry about Right and Wrong anymore, ZOOT
decides for us"
................The Tribe episode 2:49

[Rick Hughes]

OK .. my description may not have been good enough.

#Start the scooter ... if you try to increase revs its dies
# If I put indicator on (Left or right) engine then revs and runs happily
# When indicator is in the 'On position' ... the indicator bulb for that is
permanently on .. i.e. not flashing, it is not dim, but full brightness.

Will try testing the charging voltage.

"Catherine Jemma" <xe...@agn.net.auREMOVEthis> wrote in message
news:4667...@quokka.wn.com.au...

[Rick Hughes]

Battery OK on test.
Re made all connections .. still an issue.
Then removed fuse, and replaced it with another and horn & starter now
working ... old fuse looks perfect, but it must have a break or crack in it.

I assume that weak 'sound' from horn was the low amps available from the
magneto on tickover.

Still at a loss as to why engine would only rev with indicator switched-on
.. but that is the way it is.

One fault left ....indicators not flashing, just permanent on .... took out
the flasher unit and wired it in series with a 20W headlight bulb, and when
across the battery, bulb permanently on .. even though it's drawing full
1.7A ... which is what the 2 x 10W indicator bulbs would take.

Assume flasher unit is dead.

Are these bimetallic strip flasher units standard items ? ..... or specific
to each make of scooter ?

"Catherine Jemma" <xe...@agn.net.auREMOVEthis> wrote in message
news:4667...@quokka.wn.com.au...

[Catherine Jemma]

For cars, flasher units are pretty much standard. Oh a Ford GM Toyota etc
dealer will happily charge you more than a general auto parts store for a
near identical part. Only for people with large caravans or trailers are
special heavy duty versions recommended (so as to run many more indicator
lamps)

I would *guess* that motorbike flasher units are also generally the same.
If your bike has electric start it is more likely 12 volts, so that's the
main thing (many older and smaller bikes were 6 volts, but this is rarer
nowadays)

Taking the old flasher unit to a nearby motorbike parts place they should
have a suitable replacement for just a few dollars

Good Luck

Cate
Outback Western Australia