some advise that may be help..I have same experience as you before..i have fix a voltmeter at my KLE..while running the charging voltage should 14V above..if shows 13.5.V or something below 14V, its not actually the RECTIFIER problem...Its the BATTERY itself, of course when observe/test with Multimter..the battery shows 12.5V, but try to push the bike START BUTTON the voltage will drop drasticly to 7-8 Volt...the battery CANT hold the voltage to provide enough Current to the starter...I have change the battery..and the problem solve.
The first syndrom is same as you..1st the battery flat...recharge back, and okey for a while, than flat again...until its fail to start at all.

after your battery has been on the charger it measures 12.6? thats fully charged? If so that is quite low. A fully charged 12v batt should sit at least 13 if not 14v's. Is it a sealed battery? if not check your fluid levels. From there you either have a ground leak or rectifier/alternator/wiring problem. The Manual does describe how to check these things but it can be confusing if you do not deal with electronics alot. Hope you can work it out.

Rash,
Sorry, but you are off base with what you say.


For most 12v batteries, they will not hold more than about 12.5v-13v maximum.
They will show a voltage higher than that when first disconnected from a charger or after running the bike for a while, once they have been at rest for a while they will commonly come back below 13v

12v batteries need at least 13.8v [possibly more in some cases] to recharge the battery from the charging system.

It is NORMAL for a battery to drop way below 12v when starting, this does not mean the battery is faulty, it will quickly recover to normal voltage after you stop pressing the starter button or when the bike/car starts.

If new or recharged batteries are going flat after a relatively short time then the charging system on the bike is not putting enough voltage in to the battery.

A multimeter test at the battery terminals while the bike is running should give a voltage reading of at least 13.8v [or whatever the owners manual says the charge rate should be].

If the voltage reading is at or above the recommended figure then the battery needs to be load tested, this can be done by you but is far safer to have it done by an auto electrician with a proper battery load tester.

Leon, you are on the right track with also testing for voltage leaks.

If the charge rate is correct and the battery passes a load test then voltage leak is the next thing to look for.

Also note, if your charging system is putting in a charge rate much higher than the manufacturer recommends then you will cook your battery and it will fail in a very short time.

[I worked in car workshops for some years as an automotive serviceman]


LaCarretera

I would be checking the charge rate going in to the battery when the bike is running, I would bet a six pack of that it is under charging.

After that then get the battery load tested.

Hope you get it sorted out.

You are correct ocker, sorry i should have been a bit more descriptive. I meant that the batt would be up around 13-14v straight off the charger.

Do what Ock suggests! He's a good fella!

G'day Leon,

Wasn't picking on your post, just adding my experience and 2c worth.

The more feedback the better it helps when trying to sort bike problems in my book.

Went and bought myself a tank bag for the KLE today [the Strom one is too big for it], and a new Nolan flip helmet.


LaCarretera, let us know how you get on with sorting the problem.

I may also be looking for a new battery for the V-Strom and would be interested to hear what others have found that work well.