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V7 Charging issues / Dead battery -- PLEASE READ

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Per the post below that started this thread, I STRONGLY advise that you check the charging system of your '13-16 V7 Mk I-II (ALL models) with a digital voltmeter at the battery (best) or Diagnostic software to see where the bike is charging both at idle, and ~3000RPM or so. Acceptable range is 13.4~13.8v at idle, and up to 14.4v MAX at RPM. Most I've seen hover ~15.X volts at idle and soar up into the 16-17's @3k RPM - Do not rely on your dealer to correct it if so under warranty. Our proven offerings here;

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What this does, is spike the electrical system with those voltages that the system was never designed to withstand. It is impressive that some of the bikes last as long as they do without a major meltdown. If you don't resolve this issue, first thing it does is kill the battery. If you've replaced your battery in a short time since new, or more then once, this is likely the problem. Second item that goes is the cam sensor. This usually appears by strange running at RPM, until the bike literally dies without warning and *will not restart* until replaced. On some bikes I've replaced the battery, voltage regulator (this is the culprit - don't replace with a stock version from these years), cam sensor, and most recently one bike took replacement of the entire ECU/Throttle Body to resolve poor running.

I have documented this on nearly every V7 I've gotten near since 2013 here in Los Angeles, including my own from my RentAGuzzi Fleet.

If your bike is still under warranty, and you verify this charging issue to be true on your V7, be sure to have your dealer replace the voltage regulator and battery, then ask them to show/prove to you that there are no cam sensor errors (P0336 - SEE THIS THREAD) on the ECU (or any others for that matter) - 0611 is an ECU error, and commonly lives always on the V7. Do this when you first take it in and wait/watch as it is easy to clear the codes once connected.
If there are error codes, demand they replace all items shown as an error, or you will be out of pocket for all of them sooner or later.

dabrucru said:
Ciao, yesterday i took my racer for its 2nd service ( 5000 km) and the mechanic noticed that the battery was over charging 15.1 something..i don t understand electronics... he tried it with an ampmeter(?) Any one has an idea? Thanks
Click to expand...
 
He probably used a voltmeter. Yes, 15.1 volts is too high and can cause damage. I don't know if Todd ever got everything sorted out with a bike he's been working on that had similar issues.

What did your mechanic do about it? The regulator/rectifier needs to be replaced. You should really not have more than 14.4 volts. A 12v battery is made up of 6 cells at 2.4 volts each (14.4 volts). If left at 15.1 volts, you risk damaging the battery and maybe some sensors and even the ECU.
 
The mechanic told me that the regulator may need to be changed. He also told me that its strange that the battery us still in working order...i m calling him again tomorrow
 
GT-Rx® said:
I'm going to do a long post on this soon. The '13-15 V7s all have MASSIVE over-charge issues, which ultimately kills the battery (don't be fooled into thinking it's not, as it will strand you), cam sensor and even the ECU in time. I am working on one now that I finally have sorted after replacing all listed, along with the voltage regulator. Idle should be ~13.6-13.8v and 3k RPM should be no more then 14.4v.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. So what do i have to do? Or change?
 
dabrucru said:
Thanks for the reply. So what do i have to do? Or change?
Click to expand...
Welcome, if you are under warranty, demand they replace the voltage regulator with the V7 II version, a new battery and ask them to see if the cam sensor has an error on the ECU. If it does, that should be replaced as well.
 
GT-Rx® said:
Welcome, if you are under warranty, demand they replace the voltage regulator with the V7 II version, a new battery and ask them to see if the cam sensor has an error on the ECU. If it does, that should be replaced as well.
Click to expand...
The warranty expired on the 8 of january 2016, the battery look ok. So if i change the regulator should i be ok?
 
dabrucru said:
The warranty expired on the 8 of january 2016, the battery look ok. So if i change the regulator should i be ok?
Click to expand...
As I wrote already above "which ultimately kills the battery (don't be fooled into thinking it's not, as it will strand you)." It will cause running issues either way until it strands you. Battery life is about 2-3 years on newer batteries.
 
This is very interesting. My battery died a few months after I got it but the bike was already around two years old. I replaced it.

My friend's V7, same year as mine has always had a problem with maintaining a charge - even if he leaves it for three+ days or so the battery completely loses all its charge, even after he's replaced it.

Which is weird, seeing as my brother's Racer, same year, has had the same battery its whole life and has little to no issues at all, even when he leaves it sitting for months...
 
GT-Rx® said:
As I wrote already above "which ultimately kills the battery (don't be fooled into thinking it's not, as it will strand you)." It will cause running issues either way until it strands you. Battery life is about 2-3 years on newer batteries.
Click to expand...
so in your opinion should i change the regulator? because the battery is still good. i have not had any running issues so far.
 
dabrucru said:
The mechanic told me that the regulator may need to be changed. He also told me that its strange that the battery us still in working order...i m calling him again tomorrow
Click to expand...


Todd, will diagnostics tell us if were running too high, etc., or is a voltmeter the only way to tell? Sounds like you think it's a problem across the board with nearly all V7s. Thanks.

PS Which regulator do you recommend in your store to purchase for 13' V7? (I'm assuming having an antigravity lith battery is still perfectly fine with one of these despite your disclaimer you have to write up in the details section) Thanks Todd.
 
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francod123 said:
Todd, will diagnostics tell us if were running too high, etc., or is a voltmeter the only way to tell? Sounds like you think it's a problem across the board with nearly all V7s. Thanks.

PS Which regulator do you recommend in your store to purchase for 13' V7? (I'm assuming having an antigravity lith battery is still perfectly fine with one of these despite your disclaimer you have to write up in the details section) Thanks Todd.
Click to expand...
tomorrow i m going to check my bike on a diagnostic...will post the results...thanks all
 
Hi all just a quick update. Today i took it to the official guzzi dealer. He put it on the diagnostic and found no fault. But he thinks that the battery is a bit used up. Maybe it needs to be changed.
 
Did he say what the voltage was reading while hooked up to the diagnosis? Mine shows all that in live time when hooked up. As todd stated above it will kill the battery over time.
 
The AGM battery that comes with the bike should be good for 5 - 7 years, much longer than flooded lead acid batteries of old. Your VR is probably killing the battery by overcharging it. Did the dealer plug the bike into a diagnostic machine and read the ECU's idea of system voltage, or did they actually use a voltmeter to measure the supplied voltage across the battery terminals?

For comparison, I bought my V7R used from an insurance agency. The bike had been in a house fire and had subsequently sat outside in the agency's storage yard through a long cold Canadian winter totally uncared for. It had the original Yuasa battery in it all through this. I continue to use that same battery 3 years later and it is in top condition. That demonstrates the environmental abuse these batteries can endure even if not properly tended all the time. However, overcharging cooks the inside and kills it quickly.

Replace the VR as a matter of course (unless you want to confirm the diagnosis by measuring the voltage across the battery terminals at 2500 RPM or higher). Do this before or at the same time that you replace the battery because, if you just replace the battery while holding onto a defective VR, you are risking killing another one and causing more expense for yourself.
 
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If all the dealer did was read the diagnostic codes I doubt he would have seen anything. If it is over-charging it will not throw a code. You need to measure the voltage to know whether or not it is over charging. The dash display, if it shows voltage, tends to read low.
 
My old Triumph's would over charge the batteries all the time. I found that running with the headlight on high beam helps save the battery. On those bikes I went to Boyer electronic ignitions along with a Boyer voltage regulator and that solved the over charge issues.

I've noticed my V7 will over charge, so I've been running with the high beam on all the time. Looks as if that is taking care of it.
 
elkgrichard said:
I've noticed my V7 will over charge, so I've been running with the high beam on all the time. Looks as if that is taking care of it.
Click to expand...
Pull and check your headlight bulb connection. It will melt. I highly recommend fixing the problem before it kills the cam sensor, battery and ultimately the ECU. Just be forewarned as I've repaired many now.
 
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