Honda CB550SC - Question
 

I just bought me a 1983 Honda CB550SC Nighthawk on Dec. 6 & need some technical help. I know the bike is made to where it doesn't charge the battery unless its above 1500 RPM's, as anything less than 1500 it runs off the battery (that is the way its made & I got that out of the owner's manual). I had a problem with it not charging the battery at all & took it to the shop to be checked out. They said the Stator was bad & I had them replace it. That did get the bike going again. However while riding it home from the shop today I noticed when I come to red lights & sit at idle the lights dim a little (it idles at 1400-1500 RPM's), and as soon as it gets about 1700 RPM's the lights brighten up. Is this a sign theres still something wrong with the charging system or is this because of it running off the battery at idle RPM's & not charging the bike until it gets above 1500RPM's? I never owned a bike before & am not sure how this bike or any other bike is. The bike has a new stator & battery (replaced it myself). Does anyone if this is proper, please let me know.

Thank you for the reply. It definately helps reassure me that there probably is nothing else wrong with the charging system than. I figured it may be, but at the same time had doubts, so it helps calm those. Thanks again.

Just To Let Anyone Know Who Reads This Post, I Talked To 2 Other People That Own The Exact Same Bike.....1983 Honda Cb550sc Nighthawk & They Said It Was Not Normal. I Also Talked With The Dealer & They Said It Was Not Normal. Now Today My Battery Was Dead As A Door Knob, And I Just Rode It Yesterday. So My Charging System Isn't Charging The Battery Properly & the Headlight Dimming At Idle Is Not Normal!

Why not check the regulator!
 

The regulator might be faulty and if so it would not help charge the battery at all. Ask the motor dealer to check the regulator as it sounds like the problem.

I just got bike back from the shop today (they were closed for a week do to new years). They charged the battery up & checked everything out. Everything was good, except a couple connections were a little loose & corroded. They cleaned & tightened up all the connections & everything is showing good output. Hopefully that was the problem & will take care of it. The headlights & dash lights no longer dim at idle as they used to, so appearantly the reason for that was because of loose/corroded connections & of course as we all know, it is possible for loose and/or corrision on a connection, cause it not to charge properly. All I can do now is see if it acts up again, but for now its OK & they believe its all taken care of.

Tim

Glad to see you are up and running I am gonna make a run down to Phoenix this weekend myself,from Sin City, be safe out there.
Renegade