Question for the Electrical Types

[mjslim]

The new WR’s have only 25 watts charging the battery, and are the only off-road bike that if the battery fails, the bike won’t run. There is no exciter coil on the new WR’s, the ignition runs DC off the battery.

Read this in the "Baja Designs, Is it Junk????" thread. Kind of scary......... ?

Anyone know which model years this applies to?

[Thumper_Bloke]

I think if you disconnect your battery, the bike will still run on your 2003. I have a 2004 and can try that tomorrow (too late here now to start the thumper).

[WR_Dave]

Buddy's '06 450 runs fine without the battery. WR Dave ?

[PBDBLUE]

All '03 and newer WR's need 12 volts DC to run the CDI but they do not need a battery to do it. The stock DC regulator will continue to power the CDI even if the battery is removed. In the case of BD they rewire the bike so everything runs off DC. Unfortunately their regulator setup has not proven to be very robust so when/if it dies the bike will also quit running as soon as the battery is discharged. Then you are walking because neither the battery or the regulator is supplying 12 volts to the CDI.

[Morton]

hmmmmmmmmmmm...............very interesting.

[mjslim]

In the case of BD they rewire the bike so everything runs off DC. Unfortunately their regulator setup has not proven to be very robust so when/if it dies the bike will also quit running as soon as the battery is discharged.

Whew............guess your ok then as long as you don't do the infamous BD "stator mod"? I feel better now knowing that Yamaha wouldn't do that to their customers.

I hope BD has the courteousy to warn people of this liability somewhere in their "stator mod" instructions

[Beejay]

Yes, my battery died on me in a recent enduro when I nearly drowned the bike, I got her started again by kicking & she ran fine until the end.