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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
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  #1  
Old 18 Nov 2014
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battary
Was wondering if charging system is good. Battatty shows 14 v when running with key on only13v. When I start the bike goes down to 12 v,My concern is that the bike turns over slow not like my other bikes. Now its a new battary and does the samething any concerns I should have thanks
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Old 18 Nov 2014
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Didnt understand the first part, but under load (like when starting) voltage will drop a bit, usually a few volts.

If its showing around 14v with engine running and lights on, everything should be okay in the charging system.

Cheap and old batteries often have low crankingpower, eventhough the capacity (sustained draw on the battery) is still there.
Last edited by Jens Eskildsen; 19 Nov 2014 at 10:08.
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Old 18 Nov 2014
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Sounds okay with those numbers.

'Usually' on a motorcycle battery, if the voltage stays above 10V while it's cranking then the battery is okay. But it's just a rough test.
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Old 20 Nov 2014
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I bought a auto zone attary that is maintence free and I don't like the sound as she starts . It is getting colder out here now and its a 1990 xt 600
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Old 20 Nov 2014
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Is the starter still good? If you charge the battery up and then crank the bike over does it still do it slowly?
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Old 20 Nov 2014
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Yes alittle slow but it still starts. She doesnt start real fast.However she starts on 2 revolution. How would I check the starter without taking the whole starter out? The connections are good
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Old 20 Nov 2014
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It has to come out to test right. It isn't a bad idea to disassemble it and clean it out and put a little grease on the bearing and back in the cap bushing along with some new brushes.
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Old 21 Nov 2014
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is it hard to get out What rare your suggestions? thanks
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Old 21 Nov 2014
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If the bike used to crank over quicker in the past I'd have a look at the main battery cable connections. Not where they go on the battery - they're usually ok, but at the other ends - both bolts on the solenoid, at the starter motor and at the frame end of the earth cable.

You might also check the mounting bolts or whatever earths the starter are not showing signs of corrosion.

I've had starters go bad inside before but far more often it's the connections that are at fault.
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Old 21 Nov 2014
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Quote:
My concern is that the bike turns over slow not like my other bikes.
The speed your XT turns over is the same as kickstart model it came from. TBH I would rather press the button on my '91 XT600E and hear the starter motor lope about turning the engine over than have my leg do the same work with a kick start.

Mine always sounds slow, but it always starts (sometimes eventually). While it continues to do that job I don't worry.

That you are getting a 2V drop while it is turning over suggests a possible resistance in a connection somewhere or that all is fine. When coils go in starter motors they usually drag the volts down very low (like to 7V or even 5V).
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Old 21 Nov 2014
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Remove and clean the starter motor terminals. Like said, you could have high resistance in the cable going from the relay to the motor.

Do you know how to do a voltage drop test ??

Your motor could also be be tired. Worn bushes etc.

But if it's ALWAYS been like that then it just could be your imagination. Unless it's actually turning a lot slower than a previous time.
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Old 23 Nov 2014
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It has always started alittle slow. I put a new solonied in and a new batary in 3 months ago. Its cold here and noticed that it turns slow a she cranks. Again I am used to hear a fasr crank on bikes. Iwill take off the coveron the side and check connections and see. I was wondering if any other 1990xt 600 have this problem with slow cranks thanks again for your help.
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Old 23 Nov 2014
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You could try connecting another battery to your additional one with jump leads and see if it makes a difference.
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Old 23 Nov 2014
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On the XR-L some have used 2 batteries hooked through relays so the starter gets 24v but the rest gets only 12v, it helps for cold starting and high comp ect.. I have no idea about starter longevity, some have had it like that for a few years, I wonder if the Yami starter would hold up also, maybe using smaller batteries and disabling it for summer?

Shouldn't be needed with a stock motor and good starter & battery though other than extreme cold, even then doubt it. I'd do as Ted stated and first try/borrow a good ,plenty big(higher amp/hr) battery and see if it differs. Rebuilding or even just cleaning the starter is a wise thing either way just to make sure it is in good order and not going to crap out sooner than it should. It's fairly easy to do.
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Old 24 Nov 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjrider View Post
On the XR-L some have used 2 batteries hooked through relays so the starter gets 24v but the rest gets only 12v, it helps for cold starting and high comp ect.. I have no idea about starter longevity, some have had it like that for a few years, I wonder if the Yami starter would hold up also, maybe using smaller batteries and disabling it for summer?

Shouldn't be needed with a stock motor and good starter & battery though other than extreme cold, even then doubt it. I'd do as Ted stated and first try/borrow a good ,plenty big(higher amp/hr) battery and see if it differs. Rebuilding or even just cleaning the starter is a wise thing either way just to make sure it is in good order and not going to crap out sooner than it should. It's fairly easy to do.
24V ??

I don't know this mod (I have a 650L).. I would have thought putting them in parallel would have made more sense giving an increase in capacity (AH), not voltage...

But hey ho !
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