Topic: HELP! 12v+ at the battery, 10.5v everywhere else!

[Spanner 1]

Totally NORMAL IMO without the motor running and revving above say, 2,500 rpm. The battery will deplete quickly with ign. on, headlight on and no charging... flashers first to go after several seconds ! ( normal IMO ).
The older I get ( cranky old fart syndrome ) the more I want to say ' take the dang bike for a ( at least 20 mile ) ride and then see whats not working '.... 

[yodagruv]

Totally NORMAL IMO without the motor running and revving above say, 2,500 rpm. The battery will deplete quickly with ign. on, headlight on and no charging... flashers first to go after several seconds ! ( normal IMO ).
The older I get ( cranky old fart syndrome ) the more I want to say ' take the dang bike for a ( at least 20 mile ) ride and then see whats not working '.... 

Battery and charging system seem fine.  i bypassed the ignition switch by jumping the harness, the exact same condition remains.  Didn't have my meter with me nor time to check any other voltages.  So, where does the power go directly after the switch (i know it could technically be before) but all of the contacts are clean and good that i can see.  there is a lone, stray green wire that doesn't appear to connect to anything.  here's a few photos of the fusebox, etc.  click them, they get bigger! 

[IndyFour]

Did you check the voltage on the hot terminal of the ignition switch harness (i.e. where you bridged/bypassed it)?  If it is under voltage there, it is most certainly further back towards the battery.

That green wire is a ground that is for a three-terminal signal flasher if you had one.  It's not needed if you just have a two terminal type.  My friend's CB500 has the same spare ground wire on his bike.

[TwoTired]

You are chasing a voltage drop situation.
A voltmeter measures the differential between it's measurement probes.  Use this capability to find the voltage drop in the path.

Place one lead on the battery post.  Place the other on the solenoid post.  The reading will be the loss of voltage between those two points.
Note it.
Then move the battery post probe to the solenoid post, and the other probe to the red where attaches to the main fuse.
This will show the voltage lost between those two points.
Then from the fuse output to red at the key switch.
Then measure from the red to black wires.
Then measure between fuse posts (you should polish the contact points bright and shiny, btw, as oxidation can be transparent).

Use the wire diagram to "chase" the pathway losses between battery post and end using device.  You want to eliminate or reduce any pathway serial connection losses.  Finding where the losses are is the first step toward correction.

Cheers,

[yodagruv]

Looking at the color diagram from this website i have a couple of questions:

1a. It appears that the hot lead comes from the battery, splits to the solenoid ("starter magnetic switch?") and then joins to a split to the rectifier and the CENTER fuse, is that correct? 1b. What value is that fuse intended to be?

2a. It then appears to leave the fuse and goes directly to the ignition switch?  2b. Does the top block in the diagram represent the lugs and the lower two represent the "on" position and then the "park light" position?

If i read this right, my voltage drop is most likely prior to the ignition switch since all the voltages at all the connections we tested at 10.5V come after that.  That means it looks like i have 4 connections (like bullet connections?) and one plug connector to check before/to the fuse and then there's just a single run from the fuse to a connector and then down the line to the switch connector.

Am i reading this thing correctly?

BTW, what order do the values go in? Right now left to right i have 5A, 7A, 15A.

[Spanner 1]

With the ignition off there would be no reason for any voltage drop up to where the red wire connects to the ign. switch... but look at the battery connection to the solenoid , that's where the feed for all the bikes electrics are fed from ( red wire to fuse block ).... what's up with all the corrosion?

[scottly]

but look at the battery connection to the solenoid , that's where the feed for all the bikes electrics are fed from ( red wire to fuse block ).... what's up with all the corrosion?

1+ (good eye, Spanner!)

[yodagruv]

...look at the battery connection to the solenoid .... what's up with all the corrosion?

Noted, that's why I took the photo. However, voltage in and out of there seems fine. I had a moment this am and checked the voltage at the switch connector. There appears to be a drop of over 1V at the red wire when the switch is in the "run" position in the center and the voltages on all the other wires are the same in that position but consistent voltage with battery in the first and third switch positions. So it drops going into AND out of the switch when the switch is in the center position.

[scottly]

So it drops going into AND out of the switch when the switch is in the center position.

You have narrowed the voltage drop down to somewhere between the battery and the red wire where it connects to the switch: main fuse, solenoid post, etc. Does your electric starter work??

[yodagruv]

Starter works fine. The main fuse posts are my next check... This afternoon.