Honda Motorcycle Electrical System Q&A

Will a Honda motorcycle run without the battery if the stator and regulator-rectifier work? The simple answer is no, but the question still came up during this edition of Partzilla live Q&A.

Our resident Honda motorcycle expert John Talley goes live on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern, and in this session, John addresses testing charging system components other than the battery, specifically stators and regulator-rectifiers, on a Honda CBR. 

Honda motorcycle electrical system

Honda Motorcycle Battery-Stator-Regulator

What if I change the stator and the regulator on my Honda CBR and it still turns off when I take the battery off? 

John Talley: You have to have the battery in there. The machine can’t run without it. It’s generating a charge to charge the battery, but that battery is basically a storage cell so you can’t just take the battery off once the machine is going. If you’re thinking that your stator or your regulator rectifier is going bad, just do a static test or running test on it. First do a static test to see if you have about 12 ½ volts and then start it up, rev it up a little bit and you should be getting 13 ½ , maybe 14 ½ .

As you might have imagined, a Honda motorcycle won't run without the battery in it. Still, if you have any doubts about whether the battery, stator or regulator-rectifier have gone bad, the video below shows you how to test the charging system on a Honda CBR600. This includes tests for all three components.

Watch the video above to see how to test the charging system on a Honda motorcycle.

 Buy motorcycle regulator rectifiers

 Buy a motorcycle stator

Looking to just test the stator for your Honda motorcycle? In the video below, John does a rundown of how to test stators for motorcycles, ATVs and side-by-sides, including stators manufactured by Honda.

Watch the video above to see how to test powersports vehicle stators.

Not interested in testing the battery or the stator and just want to go straight to the regulator-rectifier? In the video below, John goes through the process of testing several types of regulator-rectifers, including a Honda-manufactured voltage regulator.

Watch the video above to see how to test powersports vehicle regulator rectifiers.

Want to see more live repair questions answered? See all of Partzilla’s Live Q&A sessions here.  

 
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