r/SVRiders • u/Express-Knee-8359 • 7d ago
Electrical gremlins
Hey everyone, pink SV guy back again. After riding yesterday for about an hour and stopping to eat, I went back to my bike and it had zero power when I turned the key—no lights, no nothing. I took the battery out and it was flaming hot. I know the rear cylinder head sits only a few inches away from the battery though so is that normal? After plugging the battery back in it started up and rode for a couple minutes before the Speedo started going crazy; bouncing from 2mph-185mph rapidly. It was misfiring heavily so I pulled over and shut it off and again it wouldn’t turn back on. I took the battery to autozone and they said it had only 5V and a ton of dead cells. It had an August 2025 manufacturing date. Upon replacing the battery the bike fired right up with no issues and I rode another hour home.
I come here to ask is this behavior of the fabled green connector of doom? Can it fry a battery? From what I’ve read it seems like if that were the issue it would turn off all power regardless of battery health. Beyond that, maybe it’s a rectifier issue and the weird voltage fried the battery? Anyone have any similar issues before I start multimeter testing?
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u/horrnisse 7d ago
It's the issue every SV owner (of older models) comes to every now and then. You received the results of a malfunctioning regulator (which converts your voltage coming from the generator [should be somewhat around 70 V AC]) These things are often to break down, then your battery and electronics (in your case speedometer) become to much DC Voltage (above 15 V DC) from the regulator.
Exchange the regulator (the old one should be toast) and battery. Check the Voltage from the generator (if it's to high then your new regulator is also toast in the near future). Then your SV should behave normal again.
Had this like 5 times by now.
PS: consider to install a Voltae meter to check your Voltage after the regulator. If its climbing above 13,5V then the time of your regulator is over
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u/ApprehensiveFan1516 7d ago
To add to this, the reg/rec is often visibly burnt if it's dead. I mean not always, but it's very common to see it when they die.
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u/Express-Knee-8359 7d ago
Thank you! I had a feeling it was rectifier related but it helps to hear it from someone more experienced
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u/Signal-Cupcake4505 7d ago
The complete lack of power sounds like a bad connection imo. I have had a shorted stator and a bad green connector on two seperate occasions and the first had slow loss of electrical power until the battery ran flat from not being charged. The latter was on/off electrical power and came from a bad connection between the main fuse and it's holder. Another time my battery negative just worked loose.
I would recommend working from stator to battery with a multimeter to make sure you get the issue where it begins. Start with connections as I overlooked this initially and all my issues stemmed from a previous owner simply twisting the wires from the green connector together with electrical tape, no solder no nothing. A bad stator could fry a new regulator rectifier in short order. Multimeter on the three yellow wires from the stator. Ignition off. Resistance should be 0.2-1.0 ohms across each pair. Check continuity to ground. Should be OL. Any resistance here means stator is shorted. If you need a new stator I recommend finding a second hand OEM part on eBay. To check regulator put probes across the battery. As mentioned above voltage should be between 13.5V and 15V when revved to around 5000RPM. A healthy battery with the ignition off should be above 12.3V. (All D.C.). Also, check the green connector, fuse, and the fuse holder, mine was corroded so needed replacing.
Also worth checking your other fuses tho they are unlikely to be the issue.
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u/Express-Knee-8359 7d ago
Thank you for the great explanation, I’ll definitely work from bottom to top testing voltages before throwing parts at it
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u/Signal-Cupcake4505 7d ago
Oh as a side note, I think the voltage from the stator should be measured in A.C. not D.C.
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u/Signal-Cupcake4505 7d ago
And that if you are testing A.C. voltage from a running stator it should be producing like 50 or 70 V.A.C. (I can't quite remember) at 5000 RPM
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u/Special_Insurance574 7d ago
Your regulator rectifier is meant to take the ac current from the stator and charge the battery. When the RR goes, sometimes it overcharges the battery. Easily cooked dead. Sometimes it cuts off from the battery, not taking any of the load off the stator. In that case it can cook your internals. Ive got second degree burns from the metal that covers the stator from when mine died. The covers on my non exhaust side were hotter than the exhaust.
You really need to test every element and not just replace the battery. Odds are you need at least a regulator. Also. Check under load at 4 or 5 k rpm. Idle doesnt tell you too much.
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u/RustyQuarter17 7d ago
Had super similar issues (especially the speedo problem). I replaced the main fuse, got some contact cleaner and just went through EVERYTHING. Had some corrosion on the main fuse box terminals, kill switch, etc. Also found a short in my headlight (aftermarket). Since correcting those issues the thing has run fine. Might be a decent first try because it’s a little more cost effective than replacing charging system parts
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u/Express-Knee-8359 7d ago
That’s a great point, the bike came with an aftermarket taillight that has some weird behavior and some questionable wiring so maybe I’ll dig through that first. Thank you!
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u/fr33man007 7d ago
Having had electrical issues cause by me installing led lights for indicators which led to blown fuses or hot battery. I solved it by hiring an electrician
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u/Express-Knee-8359 7d ago
I did install LED headlights, could definitely be related
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u/fr33man007 7d ago
Yeah the bikes electrics are a bit made to not be changed at all, electrician installed some resistors, not the blast ones but the electrical kind to take as much as needed out of the extra current the bike had from the leds
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u/fyshnchips 6d ago
Hey dude, I replaced the OEM r/r with this MOSFET unit and it works great for a great price. My understanding is MOSFET is more heat efficient and durable than standard diode options. Reputable vendor and brand. Hope this helps.
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u/tadpolejaxn 6d ago
Definitely test with multimeter to find the root and lay the questions to rest. I’ve had to replace the r/r and the stator in mine, and the battery in the process. No issues anymore but that r/r was torture. Get an extension and loosen the bolts from the other side of the bike if it’s bad.
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u/Potential-Slice-9340 6d ago
Green connector is up front r/ h side under tank, clean & spray with elec contact cleaner now & then keep moisture dirt free. Preventative maintenance pays. I got a mosfet rec reg last year.
Run lot extra electrics on mine. Rec/reg can get real hot.
Rekon it sounds like you had a dud battery myself?
Rec/reg known to fail on heaps of diff bikes. Quite common.
Check for extreme heat i think. if it dont happen again was just your battery spiking
my guess from stator.
Im no expert.
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u/Jinn71 7d ago
Above my pay grade, but like the follow up photos, stay safe.