BACKFIRE Problem? related to rectifier / regulator????

[hendo]

Hiya guys,

Just recently, my 93 SF has started to 'Backfire' on occasions? :D

First time it did it, it scared the pants off me but you should have seen the next door neighbours cat who was quietly sauntering around the back of the bike!!

Anyway.......has anyone else ever come accross this? and am I right in thinking that all I need to do is give the plugs a good clean? I'm wondering if this problem is either a contributory factor to (or from) the bike struggeling to start first thing in the morning?

Just wanted to bounce this thought about you all?

Cheers,

Graeme

[castrol101]

Could also be a problem with jetting/balancing? So cleaning the plugs may only solve the problem for a short while.

My bike would backfire all the time when it was restricted as it wasn't jetted to suit. It does still on occasion backfire if i rev it very very high and then shut the throttle. But its rare.

[Sligeach]

hitting the kill switch by an chance!!! lol

[amorti]

I've had that when the battery wanted changing - spins over for ages, sounds fast enough but maybe it isn't really, then backfires, then starts. And your other symptom of it struggling to start says the same. I'd get a battery "in stock" before any cold weather comes...

[hendo]

Amorti! - thanks.....I wish I had listened to you and changed my battery when you said..........but to be honest the battery is only just over a year old......surely it shouldn't be needing replaced already?????

......... anyway....... the bike finalyy died on me on the way to work last week. For the last few days I was having to 'jump' start it....as I couldn't be bothered (AKA didn't have the time) to go and get another battery (but as I said it is only a year old - the battery that is).

So what happened you ask?.........well........it would jump start easily and then run just as normal (perfect in fact). However in the last few days it was getting harder to jump. On the day it died it suddenly just cut out at the 'busiest' set of traffic lights in Edinburgh. I then pushed it down a hill and it started again with a 'jump'........ran for about a mile and then died again.....................SO...............am I right in thinking that this could now be a rectifier / regulator problem. I'm sure I've read a thread on here about them burning out? If it is can anyone tell me where it is located? I've been quoted £70.00 for a new one from Honda? Are they easy to change? And are there other ones from other bikes that will fit.

All help much appreciated as nornmal

Cheers!

Graeme

[superfourben]

Do the lights die as well, sounds very similar to what happened to my girlfriends SV when the reg/rec went. You will probably also need to change the battery as it may have fried it. The reg/rec is located behind the left hand side panel (the triangular one). Just unscrew the panel disconnect and simply plug in the new one. You can test the regulator rectifier but you will need the bike running for this... might be worth putting the new regulator on and running the test anyway (plus £70 sounds about the right price, you won't really get one much cheaper)
http://www.electrosport.com/technical-r ... -guide.php

Good luck

[amorti]

+1 to what he said, that fault finding chart is excellent and has helped me with all the numerous problems I have had with honda electrics.

Fit the new battery, fully charged then go through that chart.

It actually sounds a little bit like you might have one alternator winding failed. This means it charges at about enough to run the bike, but nothing spare to charge the battery. So every time you use the bike, the battery gets lower even if you give it a high revs, lights out thrashing. It's a pain! But anyway, no point guessing, have a good, methodical go through that chart with a digital multimeter, they're cheap from maplins and beat heck out of paying a garage for fault-finding time.

[superfourben]

I think I got the fault finding link from you morti, has proved invaluable to me when both mine and my gfs reg rec failed within a month of each other a couple of years ago! :D

[hendo]

Superfourben and Amorti,

Thanks for all this help.........VERY much appreciated!.......I'll get on the case and let you know how I do?

Graeme