Topic: Electrical Issues on My CB550

[MivecEvo9]

Hi guys!

So last month I had a question about getting my Cb550 engine in a Cb500 frame and I successfully completed the swap early last week! But now it seems as though I have an electrical issue on my hands!

I'm going to start off by saying that I don't know a damn thing about electrical systems. I will try to explain my problem thoroughly enough so that maybe someone can help diagnose what is wrong with my bike. So the electric starter does not work at all, neither does the kick starter. The headlight and dashboard lights (neutral, oil, turn light etc.) are super dim. Dim enough that I can barely tell if they are on or not.

From my research online, I have discovered that this is likely a problem with my charging system (not enough AC getting converted into DC to charge the battery to run the bike). But I don't know if it is my stator or my rectifier. How do I tell which it is? I have the rectifier off the bike (or at least what I think is the rectifier).

I will attach pictures of my wiring harness. The thing that I am pointing at with the electrical tape on it is where a fuse used to be but the fuse was busted and I cut it out and jump started the bike to get it home.

Someone please tell me what the hell to do! Haha

[calj737]

First off, your battery sounds low on its charge. Have it charged fully so that it reads >12.6v at rest.

The component you are holding in your hand is pretty important. It also looks like you "taped" one of the power leads (it has a male bullet connector on it) up in a bundle, and its rather loose.

You need to restore all the components and properly configure the wiring before you commence determining what your charging/starting problem is. 

[MivecEvo9]

What I'm holding the regulator rectifier correct? I just tested it for continuity and it doesn't have continuity in one direction. The three AC power lines from it read ~450 for the first two and 800 on the last one.

[calj737]

It's the rectifier. The regulator is a separate item on your bike.

 I would encourage you to first resolve the wiring correctly, the. Commence diagnosing any problems you have. But first, charge your battery. Any diagnosis of a charging system with an unknown or suspect battery is a Fool's Errand.