so i was out riding my NC35 today and i noticed a strange odor coming from the bike. Something i hadn't smelled before. Smelled almost like gun powder but a little more sour, and it was very prevalent. Even though i was riding at around 50-60 kmph i could still smell it. When i got home i took out my nose and started to search for the source. Figured out that it was coming from the battery! I could also hear a hissing sound coming from the battery.

After removing the seat i saw the battery looked somewhat deformed, as if the rubber belt had applied to much pressure. I took the battery out of its space and i not saw that it was seriously deformed! see the pictures below.





Two hours after coming home and parking the bike, the battery was still a little warm.

The battery is only four weeks old, and the bike has been used on a daily basis. The previous battery was replaced because it couldn't maintain the charge and this new battery has performed flawlessly since it was replaced. Also, about a week ago my head light bulbs failed on me. First the low beam failed, and then 5 minutes later the high beam failed. Still haven't replaced the bulbs. Not sure if this is connected.

Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this? Overcharging? Faulty battery? Should I just get a new battery or what should be my next step?

I nearly bought one of those, glad I didn't! (to be fair, it may very well not be the battery's fault).

You need to check the charging system. There's probably a good chance the reg/rec had failed, and is overcharging. This will have caused your old battery to have been damaged and lose charge, and if so, is most likely why this one has died in a spectacular fashion. Also, if your headlight bulbs are dead, that's 70-120W which isn't being dissipated by the bike, and is therefore either going to be dissipated by the reg/rec if it's working properly, or else fed to the battery if not.

Replace the headlamps. Fit a new battery, and measure the voltage across the terminals at idle, and at 5K rpm. At idle on the NC35, you want an absolute minimum of 12.8V. A little over 13V is better. At 5K you want a minimum of 13.5V, with over 14V being preferable. If either figure is over 15.5V, the reg/rec is not doing it's job properly, the battery is getting overcharged, and therefore the reg/rec must be replaced. Do NOT use the bike until it has been, otherwise the next battery will be fried too. I'm not entirely sure, but if the reg/rec has died and is feeding an excessively high voltage into the system it stands to reason that accounts for your headlamps being blown.

headlights shouldnt matter as plenty of nc35 track bikes run without lights and standard charging systems.

Most likely your reg-rec has failed.

im 95% done with the reg/rec faq so will post that up soon but your symtoms are classic.

the most common cause of regulator failure is using an old knackered battery.. this causes excess stress to the charging system which kills the regulator / generator.

The second most common cause is corroded connectors which ruins the generator.

sounds like your old battery has killed your regulator and now your knackered reg/rec has killed your new battery.

time for another new battery and a full test of the charging system

Thanks!

I also just realized that before heading out today with the bike I removed the light bulbs (a shop wanted them as reference to find me new ones). Could the fact that I was riding without light bulbs have contribute? Or is riding with failed light bulbs (which I've been doing for a week) the same thing as riding with no light bulbs at all?

It's called a 'Motobatt QuadFlex Battery' -

Maybe the 'Quad Flex' is literal, and this is just normal behaviour



Couldn't resist, sorry.

Neosophist wrote:headlights shouldnt matter as plenty of nc35 track bikes run without lights and standard charging systems.

I wasn't thinking that the headlights helped kill the charging system, just that if the reg/rec is overcharging, then the lack of draw from them means all the more excess to be borne by the battery?

You can get replacement Japanese spec headlamps from Honda, they just cost a fortune. However, if you haven't put a relay in the headlight switchgear, it saves blowing the high beam switch up every year, and they cost far more!

speedy231278 wrote:

Neosophist wrote:headlights shouldnt matter as plenty of nc35 track bikes run without lights and standard charging systems.

I wasn't thinking that the headlights helped kill the charging system, just that if the reg/rec is overcharging, then the lack of draw from them means all the more excess to be borne by the battery?

You can get replacement Japanese spec headlamps from Honda, they just cost a fortune. However, if you haven't put a relay in the headlight switchgear, it saves blowing the high beam switch up every year, and they cost far more!

Ah I'm with you.

Yep if the reg/rec had already failed the the headlights could have been masking the problem and slowing down the inveitable death by over-charging from your failed rec.

Standard bulbs are NOT H4, they are H4R (35/60W)

Yup, and they're actually cheaper at DSS now than when I got a pair. Now 'only' £14.50 plus VAT. Think it was more like £19 when I did. Still, means a better chance of not killing the switch, and I swear the beam pattern and brightness is twice as good as butchering 60/55 H4s to fit....

okay guys, thank you for all the feedback.

first thing i'm going to do now is to replace the battery and source new light bulbs. then try to confirm if it's the regulator.

just a question: should i get the light bulbs BEFORE i test the charging system? or can i just get the new battery (will be quicker than getting new bulbs) and test the charging system without any light bulbs?

also, with regards to the new light bulbs. the honda dealer said he had 60/35W bulbs, but he wasn't sure if they were H4R. what is really the difference between H4 and H4R? is it just 60/55W vs 60/35W? or is the socket different as well? if it's 60/35W does that make it a H4R by default?

found these RRs on ebay

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/For-Honda-RV ... 23214053ac

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Regulator-Re ... 416e0efc37

will they do the job?

I had the same happen to me on the nc23, it was the reg/rec charging the battery at 17-20v which in turn burnt out my cdi.
So i wouldn't start your bike without putting a new reg/rec on if i was you as you might just end up popping your cdi which will be alot more money.

Regarding reg/rec's you get what you pay for, GF does a heavy duty one and im sure if you ask he can ship abroad to you.
http://www.gfracinguk.com/regulator-rec ... p-279.html

Adam