Things that are genuinely good to know !

Starting System Symptoms:

Weak battery symptoms:
-- Slow cranking.
-- Stops cranking suddenly on compression stroke with button pressed.
-- Starts when starter button is released at end of cranking.
Repair:
-- Charge/Test/Replace battery.
Failure Modes:
-- Loss of capacity. Appears to charge, voltage good but no reserve for starting.
-- Won't hold a charge.
-- Low voltage/cell failure.
Preventative Maintenance:
-- Check fluid levels regularly
-- Maintain full charge: Regular riding, trickle charger.

Ignition Coil failure symptoms:
-- Hard starting/misfiring during cranking.
-- Rough idle that can't be tuned out with carb adjustments and carb cleaning.
-- Idle misfire clears with new sparkplugs, returns in a few hundred miles
Repair:
-- Replace: Preferably with Nology for higher reliability than stock Gill coils.
Failure Mode:
-- Shorted turns in secondary resulting in weak spark.
Preventative Maintenance:
-- None
Testing:

Pickup Coil failure symptoms:
-- No spark at all
-- Spark quits with engine hot, returns when engine cool.
-- Note: Pickup coil failure is total. There is no random misfire spark loss.
Repair:
-- Replace pickup coil
Failure mode:
-- Thermal intermittant with long (15-30 minute) period.
Preventative Maintenance:
-- None. Get a spare.
Testing:
-- Ohms checks hot and cold.

Worn starter symptoms:
-- Sometimes won't crank until the bike is rocked in gear.
-- Excessively noisy cranking with a grinding sound.
-- Click from under seat but no cranking.
Failure Mode:
-- Brush wear progressing to commutator damage.
-- Bearing failure related to brush wear.
Repair:
-- Rebuild or replace.
Preventative Maintenance:
-- Maintan battery in peak condition.
-- Follow proper starting procedures. Neutral, clutch in.
-- Crank 5-10 seconds at a time max., switch off for twice as long before cranking again.

Worn sprag clutch symptoms:
-- Very loud rattling when cranking
-- Starter spins but engine doesn't turn
Falure Mode:
-- Breakage
Repair:
-- Replace sprag clutch
Preventative Maintenance:
-- Maintain battery in peak condition.
-- Follow proper starting procedures. Neutral, clutch in.

Worn starter solenoid:
-- Click from under seat but no cranking.
-- Won't crank after rocking bike.
-- Starter continues to run after bike starts and won't stop until the battery is disconnected.
Failure mode:
-- Internal contact damage resulting in non-conduction.
-- Internal contact damage resulting in contacts welding shut.
-- Internal damage/wear prevents solenoid core movement.
Preventative Maintenance:
-- None.
Repair:
-- Replace starter solenoid.
Testing:
-- For no cranking, short across solenoid high-power terminals. Normal operation denotes failed solenoidcontacts.

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This thread is for anyone who wants to begin using TuneECU and would like to avoid any potential confusion. It may come easy for some and work flawlessly the first time around, but for others, including myself, you may run into issues that can become major headaches.

So, if you want the idiots guide to using TuneECU, these are the steps you should follow:

1. Download The Software: You can download the newest version of TuneECU here:

https://www.box.com/shared/pusg6v7nyd

I recommend after you download and unzip the file, you save the application directly to the C drive. Also make sure there is a copy of the TuneLibrary.dll to the C drive as well. TuneECU needs this in order to operate and will be part of the download.

2. Download The Drivers: You will need a specific set of FTDI drivers for the cable you will buy, and you can download those here:

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm

Make sure you download the correct drivers for whatever operating system you are running. If you are unsure whether you have a 32 or 64 bit OS, you can find this by right clicking on My Computer and viewing properties.

Although your cable may come with a driver installation disc, and although Windows can connect to the internet to find suitable drivers automatically, you NEED to use the drivers from the previous link. Download the drivers, create a folder in your C drive (I named mine "TuneECU Drivers") and save the driver files to that location.

3.Buying A Cable: I think most will agree with me that the biggest cause for problems with using TuneECU is getting hold of a non compatible cable. You may hear others talk about a cheap eBay or Amazon cable they used with success, but you don't necessarily know what you are getting when you buy from these vendors. The only cable I or anyone else will be able to 100% say will work with absolute certainty is this one:

http://www.lonelec.co.uk/index.php?m...products_id=32

Regardless of what anyone tells you, I highly recommend you buy this cable and not have to worry about another one potentially not working. Trust me, its not worth it!

4. Installing Drivers: Once you get the cable, this is how you will install the drivers. First ensure you are not connected to the internet by disconnecting any hardlines you may have and disabling wireless. Then plug in the cable to your laptop. Windows will try to install drivers, but do not allow it to connect to the internet by saying no to that option and clicking "manually install" drivers. Then you will browse files on your computer and point Windows to the folder location where you saved the driver files.

On my computer, installation wizard never actually appeared, so I had to do it all manually. Simply go into devices and printers in the control panel, and you will see the USB device plugged in. Double click on it to open it. Go to the hardware tab, and then click on properties, and then change settings. Then go to the driver tab, and click update drivers. Again, tell windows you want to manually browse, and point windows to the file location where you saved the drivers.

Once you do this, you should get a message saying the drivers were updated correctly. You will then get another message saying that windows could not install the drivers. No need to worry, this is windows trying to install driver software for the serial port you are using with the cable. Again, go into devices and printers, click hardware, and now you will see two items, the USB converter which you just updated, and a serial port. Double click on the serial port, and follow the same instructions as above to update the port with the FTDI drivers.

While you are doing all this, I also recommend you turn off VCP for the driver as it is unnecessary and could potentially interfere with your ability to connect. With the cable plugged in, go to devices and printers, double click on the USB converter, click on the converter, click on properties, go to the advanced tab, and unclick VCP.

5. Finding A Tune: You can find a tune you want for your specific model number (based on vin number) from here:

http://www.tomhamburg.net/Tune_List.html

Create a folder in your C drive, I named mine "TuneECU maps" and save whatever tune you plan on using here. In addition to the tunes from the TuneECU page above, you can share others with friends and forum members. Save all to the same location for ease of use.

6. Connecting: To connect to the bike, do the following. First, make sure any antivirus programs on your laptop are disabled and that the lap top is connected to a power source. Also, turn off any screen savers or sleep mode settings, and go into power settings and ensure the screen never dims and the computer never enters sleep mode when its plugged in. Then open up the TuneECU program from where it is saved on the C drive. Turn off the autoconnect feature of TuneECU by clicking on the options download and unclicking autoconnect. Then plug in the cable to the same USB port where you had it when you installed the drivers. Pull off the seat on your bike. Plug your bike into the tender. Remove the headlight fuse only (# 8 for the speed triple) Then connect the other end of the cable to the OBDII connector. You will have to then have the key to turned to the on position, and the kill switch to the run position, and you should be all set. Do not start the bike.

In TuneECU click on the ECU dropdown, and then connect. You should see blinking red light in the lower right hand corner which means its initializing. If all is correct, it should then turn yellow and then green as it connects and authenticates. Once connected, your vin number will appear as well as a battery icon which shows voltage.

At this point, you want to read the OEM map off the bike and save a copy. Click the ECU dropdown, and then read map. This will take some time. For me it took longer than 20 mins and I left my computer which is why you want all screen savers, sleep modes, or screen dimmers shut off. Once it reads successfully, the OEM map will populate the screen,. Save a copy of this map by clicking the file dropdown, and save map file. You will want to save a copy of this tune to the folder where you have others tunes stored.

Once you have saved the OEM map, you can download the new map of your choice. Open up the map you want by clicking the file dropdown, and then open file. Open the map you want from the folder you created. Once it is open, click on the ECU dropdown, and then download. This will begin the download process and if all the above steps were followed, you should be all set!

7. Troubleshooting: If you encounter a failed download, or timed out scenario, there is a good chance it is because you didn't listen to my cable recommendation above and went with something else. No worries, now you just need to order the correct Lonelec cable and wait for it to be delivered from England which can take up to 7 business days. In other words, get this one to begin things and avoid any trouble.

Just know that after a failed download scenario, you will NEED to have a map opened up in the TuneECU program when you go to reconnect to the bike or it will NOT initiate the recovery mode. With the map of your choice open, and the cable connected, try to connect, and then click OK when the recovery option is offered. This will recover the ECU, or in other words, download whatever map you have open in the TuneECU screen, onto the bike, and you will be all set!

8. After The Download: Once you download a new map onto the bike, you will have to reset adaptations to get the bike ready to run correctly with the new map. Do this by going into the test pane, and clicking reset adaptions, then ok when prompted. You will get a message on the bottom of the screen saying it was done successfully.

Once you do this, then start the bike, and with never applying any throttle, let it idle until the fan kicks on, and then let it go for another 12 mins to complete the 12 minute tune which is when the bike will re adapt to the new maps for idle settings. You should see the TPS indicator light turn green again (if you have a Kiehin ECU -ed) which means it has completed the idle adaptation process.

Then go out and ride! As you ride the bike through the rev ranges and such, it will continue to learn and adapt to the new map.

Hope I didn't forget anything, and I tried to keep this user guide as short and to the point as possible. If I can help anyone avoid the troubles that I ran into, it will all be worth it.

 

Inspiring stuff

 

Charging System Diagnostics - Rectifier/Regulator Upgrade
Foreword: This is a reference thread only - for discussion and general Q&A regarding Generating System issues, please contribute to this thread

Subsequent to originally writing this thread, my current endorsement for best choice R/R replacement is the Shindengen SH847 Series R/R (scroll down towards bottom for details)

MOSFET R/R are a great reliability improvement on the OEM SCR type R/R, in its own right as the R/R device.
However they do nothing to add reliability to the stator, whereas the Series Style greatly enhances this aspect.
A Series R/R significantly reduces the load on the stator which will run close to half of the current as it would with a Shunt R/R (whether that be SCR or MOSFET)
Ergo the stator runs less hot and reliability is significantly improved.


This mod applies equally to most modern bikes regardless of the marque/model.

The defining factor regardless of motorcycle brand/year/model is that your bike has the discreet 3-phase Stator/Generator and Rectifier/Regulator arrangement

As a preliminary, acknowledgements due to OldnDumb and CLB for their previous inputs on this subject.

This is about replacing the standard equipment Regulator/Rectifier with a more efficient component. You can do this in event of failure rather than replace with the same stock component, or you can even do as a preventive measure if desired.

As a prologue, let me introduce a basic troubleshooting process to determine whether you have a charging system failure.

Diagnostics:

A good Multi-meter is a pre-requisite.


Record your battery voltage under the follow conditions
1) Ignition off, unloaded battery.
2) Ignition on, headlights on, not running
3) Bike started, running at idle

For condition 1, should be at least in the high 12.x range if fully charged.

In condition 2, your voltage should not drop much below 12.0 at worst. (It may continue to drop – hopefully slowly! – as your lights will be discharging it. However this should be a slow decline)
If it does drop immediately into the 11’s, your battery is insufficiently charged – if it was just charged from a battery charger however, then it indicates your battery no longer has sufficient capacity to retain charge/supply current to load and should be replaced.

Condition 3 is what we are most interested in with respect to charging capability.
Voltage should be at least in the 13’s at all engine rpm. You may detect it will fall off slightly as you raise engine rpm. This is not atypical performance. A simple mod that can enhance your charging voltage to the battery can be achieved by this modification outlined in this thread. That should give you performance in the 14V+ range.

What if you have less than 13V?
First thing to check is the fuse in the charging circuit. Ask on the forum for your particular model which one you should check if in doubt.

Next, examine the wires and connectors between the stator output and the R/R input (three wire harness and connectors) – are these charred/melted due to excessive heating? This is fairly common result of poor connection between the mating terminals. See later in thread for examples of this issue & suggested replacements.

A ‘cold’ resistance check for shorted diode/SCR:
Unplug both input & output plugs from R/R;
With your meter set to read resistance (use a diode test if the your multi-meter has one), test from each pin of the three pin plug, to both the red & black wired pins of the 4-pin plug; NONE of these should read short circuit (zero resistance); depending which way you bias the test leads, you may get some reading (from the forward bias of the component) but it must absolutely not be a short. If you see a short on any of these readings the R/R is defective.

Next, do a resistance check on the stator (check at the cable connector going back towards the stator itself).
This test is typically unlikely to show any definitive issue, whether good or bad - unless there is a complete open circuit to one pin, perhaps indicating broken wire connection
Some guides suggest you can see a difference between the readings if there is a burned coil - highly unlikely that you have a meter that is capable of differentiating.
So really just looking for basic continuity here.
Measure between the three respective combinations of the three pins:
1-2
2-3
3-1
This time each of these should measure almost short circuit (very low resistance in order or about 1 ohm)

This next check is probably the simplest/quickest way of determining a stator problem
- in majority of cases a bad stator will be indicated by failing following test:
Check resistance from any one pin to the engine ground terminal – this should not read any indication – maximum resistance or open-circuit.
If you read ‘short’ in that last test, then your stator is bad.
(if open, it is not quite guaranteed your stator is good however - but in majority of cases a failed stator will fail this isolation test)

Check the AC voltage output from the stator with engine running:
Leave stator disconnected from the R/R and start the engines.
With meter set to read AC Volts check
1-2
2-3
3-1
All three should be the same value – any significant difference of one reading will indicate a bad phase and the stator is probably defective.
At idle this should be ~ 20V* and rise to ~ 70V* at 5K rpm.
I hesitate to use absolute numbers here as this can be different between models and test equipment and especially the engine rpm!
What you are looking for is same value between phases and like increase on each phase as rpm increases.
If any of the above tests raises suspicion, pull the cover & inspect the stator. It is simple to do and can set your mind at ease by seeing what it looks like. Hopefully NOT with 1/3 of it a black charred mess!

If you have to replace the stator and R/R, especially because of a shorted R/R and excess current drain, be especially careful to ensure that your wiring has not been compromised. Replace any cable &/or connector plug that is not in optimum condition.


Now on to the alternative R/R replacement

Preface: When this thread first written, there really wasn't a good Series Regulator widely available as a replacement candidate. Now there are a couple of options that are in play.
This thread is read by many non-Triumph owners so I will define the replacement strategy into two groups

1: If your bike marque/model generally has a robust stator with low failure rate amongst the population, then MOSFET Regulator remains a good reliability improvement for high-failure SCR Shunt Regulators.

2. If your bike marque/model suffers from a relatively high failure rate in the general population, then MOSFET Regulator will do NOTHING to improve this situation and selection of a Series* style Regulator becomes a much better choice.

* The short version is that a Series Regulator will run much lower current in the stator and so it will have the stator itself producing lower dissipated power, run cooler and be more reliable.
Generally, a much better device regarding the reliability of the stator. The only downside - until recently - has been cost vs good value MOSFET Shunt units. However that 'value' is achieved if stator replacement does not have to be added to the equation!

For more on Series Regulators read on down towards bottom of thread.

MOSFET SHUNT REGULATORS

Best widely available MOSFET Shunt R/R on the market today is the Shindengen FH012AA* used on the late (06+) Yamaha FJR, 07+ Yamaha R1 among others
What makes it better is that is a MOSFET controlled device rather than the crude SCR shunt type that is on most bikes until recently and also is a 50A rated device.
MUCH better voltage regulation and runs cooler too due to more efficient devices and control circuitry.
* Recently superseded by FH020

 

The SCR shunt type consumes more energy in the Regulator itself than the bike is using and dumps a ton of current into the heatsink (feel yours & just see how hot those things run!!!! - don't touch it - you'll burn yourself - seriously!) The problem is exacerbated because their efficiency goes even lower when they get HOT so it's a vicious circle. Heat is the number 1 killer of these devices.
Incidentally its a misconception that shunt type work harder with increased load i.e. higher-wattage lights, heated vests etc - actually, the higher the load on the output, the less work the shunt regulator does in dumping that excess energy and will actually run cooler!!

The FET has extremely low resistance in conducting state and this results in a lower dissipated power from the device while conducting load current, as opposed to the SCR which shunts the maximum current across a significant volt drop, resulting in a higher dissipated power - and resulting temperature, much more so than the FET device.


You can install this unit on your Triumph Sprint, S3, Daytona, TT600, Tiger; Suzuki TL, SV 650, SV1K;
or indeed ANY bike that has discreet three-phase stator and R/R arrangement.


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These are starting to show up on the EBay market - there are many other bike models, simplest check is to use something like Ron Ayers to find all the match models. (Even Grizzly ATV uses it) I paid $32 plus shipping for mine. They are regularly available for < $50

The OEM Yamaha part number is 1D7-81960-00-00

On Ron Ayers website, there is a feature called where is it used
- enter that part number and it will give list of all the models/years that it is utilized on. Then when you find one on EBay you can validate it is the FH012.

Currently, lowest price (at time of writing) for brand new is from MRCycles at $136 plus shipping



Have the FH012 on the TL, and just converted the Triumph Daytona with same and ultimately the SV650(which will receive the FH008 shown below).

The connector plugs are quite different to the OEM Triumph of course - SEE POST #6 FOR UPDATE ON SOURCE FOR THE CONNECTOR PLUGS

The best connection method IMO is to run the output leads directly to the battery (the '+' via a 30A fuse) - that minimizes any losses & you get the 'sensing' voltage directly at the battery terminals.

This is on a Triumph Sprint (coutesy of OldnDumb) - my TL & S3/Daytona installations are further down.


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Another alternative that has MOSFET control, is the FH010 - this is used on late-model Kawasakis (ZZX10 /14).
I'm not sure of the power rating compared to the 012 (unable to find exact specs for it) but expect it would be similar to the 012 and should still be plenty for the Triumphs.
That 010 unit has same form factor as the 012.

Here is the end profile of the FH012: I'll post up some pics of it installed on my TL & S3 later.

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Mechanical Installation:

Note that pitch between the mounting holes on the FH010 or FH012 is 70mm - the Triumph OEM are ~ 80mm
You can simply 'slot' the holes in the R/R heatsink body using a rat-tail file or Dremel to allow the bolts to align to the original mounting holes.
This will help satisfy the mounting requirements in the majority of cases.
In some other models, it may be necessary to fabricate an adapter plate.

 

Most of the late model CBRs utilize the same type of R/R

The latest CBR1000 looks like it uses a model designated FH014 which looks very similar to the 12, but with different connectors.
(the ones listed below as available from Easten Beaver will NOT fit the FH014)

The pre '08 CBR1000 and the CBR 600 unit is also a Shindengen MOSFET unit. FH008EB - the 'F' designates it is an FET model - the Shunt/SCR ones by same manufacturer have an 'S' prefix. These have flying leads with connectors that can be removed & replaced with the Triumph or Suzuki ones - I prefer connecting directly to battery however.
Unfortunately I can't find exact specs on the FH008 unit but is still an excellent choice given it uses the MOSFET technology. Due to more compact size I suspect this is a 35A unit rather then the 50A FH012 model.
This is a good choice for TT600 - I used this one myself on the Mrs SV650.

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My preference in connecting these is to eliminate the original bike harness wiring from the output entirely - connect 12ga wires directly from the output connector of the R/R to the battery terminals - female spade on the R/R end and ring terminal for the battery. For the positive lead, there should be an in-line 30A fuse on that leg.

I'm trying to find a source for the Furakawa waterproof connectors that should mate to it - have a supplier looking into that currently. The spades give good enough electrical connection but offer no strain relief - should not be an issue where its located and they're on there good & tight. (a little 'squeeze' on the female spades ensure a snug tight fit).

Connectors would be great though, no doubt.

Here's the pictures of the FHO12AA on my TLS:

It was just neater back there in that location on the 'S' vs the OEM which is further dforward & exposed below the tail plastics; although the heatsink fins are not in the the prime airflow (& oriented 90 from ideal), this thing barely breaks a sweat on temp relative to the SCR models, so I'm not too worried about it. After I've been out for an extended run I'll take a temp reading off it for you.
I also relocated the ambient air pressure sensor to accommodate.

The meter indicates the performance at idle - it was actually fluctuating a little at idle down to about 14.00 even (stil less than 2/10 of a Volt folks!), but became solid by 2000 rpm - revved to about 6K barely made much no difference right through that range, increased just off idle to 14.25V and held there pretty much. This thing has excellent regulation. up

Note that it also features a 'slow start' mode which initially caught me by surprise.
When you first start the bike, the output remains at battery voltage then slowly ramps to the full output - takes about 10 seconds or so to reach 14+.

So if you install one of these, be prepared for that feature!

Final configuration with the proper connector plugs (vs the temporary spade terminations above)

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And earlier tonight I finally got around to installing the Shindengen FH012AA on my Triumph Daytona/Speed Triple

A couple of notes on this one;
I found that the connector plugs between the stator output & the intermediate connector harness was in pretty bad shape; clearly had not been making good contact & arcing through the plugs.
I decide to eliminate the plugs & hard solder the connections.
At the R/R end of that intermediate harness, I eliminated the plug and using female spades, as before, connected the three phases directly to the input of the FH012AA.
For the output, these connections run via 10 ga wire directly to the battery; the +ve via a 30A fuse in a waterporoof connector.
I have some strain relief in place by virtue of the cable-ties snugged up on the wires to prevent it being pulled through the feedthrough holes.
Note also that I have used a copper heatsink, which was previously employed in my former set-up with the OEM R/R. But this is not really necessary with the Shindengen R/R but is left there as an added safety measure of insurance. Notice that I also cut some slots in the cooling fins of the heatsink, since I actually have this mounted transverse to the 'normal' natural airflow. I also used a heatsink compound paste (available at electronic supply - like RadioShack or Maplins) between the R/R and the heatsink to improve the thermal conduction between the two media.

* After running for extended time, the copper heatsink is absolutely unnecessary for the Shindengen - there is very little heat generated by the MOSFETs and it is of no concern. At this point it is no more than simply a mounting plate for my early gen sub-frame which originally had no provision for mounting even OEM.

In testing, you can immediately see the difference - regardless of the engine rpm, the output voltage remains constant. This shows that it is a TRUE regulator vs the crude SCR shunt of the OEM. Typical behaviour on the OEM SCR R/R is that the voltage will actually decrease as rpm increases - this seems counter-intuitive to many peoples logical thought, but it is because the R/R is actually sinking more as the generated voltage increase.

Here is the new R/R in final configuration with the 'proper' Furukawa connectors -

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Here is the testing validation - bike is at idle but voltmeter actually reads consistently regardless of rpm.

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And finally all buttoned up again with the tail skin back on. You can see the R/R under the plastics on the right side of bike. (Top of pic)
It is located in the air-stream while bike is mobile.
You can also see the fuse-holder in center-screen which is the connection between battery and R/R +ve output


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None of thats mine. cheers Andyc1 its an idea to put all this in one place

 

Good one.The next vids good to

 

The problem is ;- I watched it, I understood it, Ive forgotten it!