I've had this issue for a while now and have decided to eliminate it (Had to buy a 2nd new battery in 6 months).

In less than a week my battery will go from fully charged to only clicking when I hit the starter. I just replaced the battery (again) since my charger has found an open (or sulfated) cell and the battery voltage hovers in the 10.5v range.

After much researching and reading (Mostly here), I started by sanding and tightening my ground points.

With the battery connected and the DS running, I get between 14.5 and 14.74v depending on if I have the lights on or not, so the charging system is working.

I found that, in order to test for a draw, I need to connect the positive side of the battery to the DS positive cable and leave the negative side disconnected. I have tested the voltage between the negative battery terminal and the negative wire (With the quad off). I am getting around 11.9 - 12.2v. That seems to be a hefty draw.

When I disconnect the rectifier plug and retest, the voltage reads zero. Does this mean my rectifier is bad??

 

I also have this problem with my DS... let me know what you find out please..

 

have you guys found your problems yet?

 

EDIT: Oh geeze. I just noticed this post was from last year.......




If the rectifier was bad, you would get more than 15 volts, or not charge at all. You do want to see charging voltage to be around 14.5V. You actually need to set you test meter to amps, not volts when doing the test of switch off (remove the key even), neg cable disconnected, and connect the meter between the cable and the negative post. Post back here what kind of amps you are seeing. At most it should be a couple of milliamps. Don't do this test with the switch on, as you will probably fry your meter unless it has a very high amp setting. If your meter has a high amp setting (10 amps?) use this one 1st, and switch down if it is within the lower range of the meter.

Charge the battery fully, and leave it disconnected overnight. Check it again the next day. Voltage should be 12.4 - 12.8 depending on different factors. If voltage is not good, you may have a bad battery.

Check the wires running into your rectifier. Loose wires in this area have a tendency to move while riding, and the wires break down where they enter the rectifier. I encourage anybody with a DS to look the wiring harnesses over thoroughly and use cable ties to secure the wires. When the wires move around while riding, the copper inside will fatigue and break.

If you are still having problems, I can post testing procedures for the rectifier, stator, trigger coil, etc...