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I have 2-3mm of freeplay at the clutch lever, but I checked this with the bike off.  Do I need to make this adjustment with the bike idling?

Ok I am going to:
1. Move idle to 1400, see if it improves.
2. Screw in air screw 1/2 turn, see if it improves.  If it does, move to 30 pilot jet and 2 turns out on air screws.

K

The pilot jet is 27.5 and the main is 120. I will try setting the idle to 1400 and see if that helps. The air screw is at 1 1/4 out from fully seated.  Should I try adjusting the air screw? 

Idle is set at 1200.  It stalls when I start from a stop (sometimes).  It's difficult to manage the clutch/throttle interplay when starting for some reason.

Hi guys.  I've been riding my 400c around the neighborhood and I am having trouble keeping it from dying from a stop.  At first I thought I just needed to get used to the throttle/clutch interplay but it's not getting much better and I never had issues with my TU250 (although it's a completely different animal).  After it dies it fires right back up.  Is there some clutch or throttle adjustment that will help or is it just a matter of practice?

K

Rode it around the neighborhood today!    It sounds great.  The gears don't click in as positively as I am used to on my Suzuki 250, it this normal?  All electrics are working, even the self canceling unit! It's pretty incredible to me that I took the whole bike apart, put it back together and it runs.  Thanks to everyone for your help. 

Karen

It's charging!

To review:
0. Tested the rectifier as noted in the service manual, it tested bad.
1. Removed the brushes from the stator and tested the resistance between the two slip rings, it was 5.7. Also tested each slip ring to ground and it was not continuous. Wiring at the stator looks good.
2. Center bolt was magnetized with ignition key on, and the bike off.
3. Voltage on the green wire at stator-
Key on, bike off,  Left green wire 11.3 V, right green wire, 310 mV,
4. Make sure green wire is not shorted to earth on ohms.
Key off-Ohms in left green wire, 6.3.  On right green wire, 18.2 (black lead on battery negative). Short (continuous) from both green wires to case.  Short from green wires to screws.
Key on- no shorts from green wires to ground or screws, O.F ohms between green wires and battery (negative lead). 
5. What is the resistance between the different pairs of the three white wires, should be about 0.5 ohms. All are 0.6 ohms
6.  Test each of the white wires to ground to make sure it's not continuous.
None are continuous with the engine case.
7. Check to make sure white wires are not continuous with each other. 
Key on or off, all white wires at rectifier are continuous.  White wires at rubber boot connector (rotor side) are continuous with each other, key on or off.  (This is something I read I think in the aircooledrd forum. It seems to me they should be continuous.)
8.  Check to make sure battery hooked up right (leads not swapped).

Since all of the above checked out except the rectifier, I went ahead and put in a new reg/rec from economy-cycle, and now the bike is charging.  Thanks everyone for your help!

Karen

Got it.  So if that all checks out, then it is the rectifier, which tested bad.  I will check it out this weekend. 

K

Chuck,
I will test the white wires as you suggest.

Frank,
I haven't taken the stator off yet, but I guess I need to get a look at the windings like you say.  Is it just those three screws that need to be removed to access the rotor?

K

I checked the rectifier actually 24 ways.   ;D. I checked it for continuity like the manual says (switching the leads for each set of three).  Then since I have a diode tester on my DMM, I tested each of the 12 combinations with that.  The top right wire (looking at the fuse panel) seemed fine with the diode test, each group of three was OF one way and 0.4 when I swapped the leads.  The bottom left wire however read 0.00 in all six combinations, this is why I think the rectifier is shorted.

For the three white wires, what test should I do?  Am I just looking for 12 or so volts on each white wire coming from the rotor?  Do I put one lead on a white wire and one on the cases to ground it? 

Thanks for your help, I don't know a lot about this charging system.  I went to a vintage bike rally on Monday and there was not a single RD.  I really need to rectify that.   8)

K

Tonight I checked the rotor. I took the brushes out and tested between the two rings, it was 5.7.    Then I tested each to ground, there was not continuity.  I think this means the rotor should be ok?  The brushes were short, but not past the line.  I have a pic below.

Then I tested the rectifier as described in the service manual.  The D1-D3 elements were discontinuous in both directions, and the D4-D6 elements were continuous in both directions.  I think this means the rectifier is not good. 

Is there something else I should check, or just replace the rectifier?  Any suggestions on a replacement?

Thanks,
Karen

Thanks Chuck, can I use this to troubleshoot it? 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1091/5694/files/fault-finding-diagram.pdf?235929069374954073

I guess not since it says it only works if there is a combined regulator/rectifier. 

Karen

Well, this morning before work the battery (not hooked up), after trickle charging all night was at 12.87.  So I hooked it up and went to work. Then:

After dinner, key off: 12.81
Started on first kick (my first ever start  )
Bike idling: 12.8
Bike at 3000rpm: 12.1
Bike at 3000rpm headlight on: 11.8. 

Also the fuse on my multimeter blew but maybe that was coincidental, not sure. 

So I guess I have a charging issue?  Any help appreciated. 

Thanks,
Karen

The points are new and bike is timed to 2.0.

Ok the good news is it actually started.  The video below shows the first start (my uncle started it).  It dies in the video because the idle was set too low. 

https://youtu.be/UtZ52uAuQf8


The bad news is even after the idle was set correctly, it still dies after running for a few minutes, and then won't restart unless the battery is recharged.  So I guess either the battery is bad, or it needs to be charged fully, or there is an issue with the bikes charging system.  I'm trickle charging the AGM battery overnight and will then start it again and measure the voltage on the battery at idle lights off (12.5 +/- 0.5) and at 3000rpm with lights both on and off (14.5 +/- 0.3).  If the first is wrong it is the battery, if the second is wrong, it is the charging system.  Does this sound like the correct course of action?

My understanding is that the battery will not charge under 3000rpm is this correct?  But even so the battery should not become depleted just idling, right? 

Karen

It passed the leak down test.  Good idea on the oil pump lines Evans.

K

Yep, just until I confirm the oil pump is working well.