Re: At the mechanics shop
 

Correct me if I'm wrong,but............The bike wouldn't start, but started with the car battery. This points to bike electric problem. At workshop, mechanic tested battery, & it was now fine. That means that the charging circuit charged the battery on the way home. So how could the rectifier be faulty? Also, you say he tested the battery with the engine running. That means that the battery was on the bike. From your description, it seems more likely that it's a faulty battery. You need to take the battery off the bike, fully charge it, let it sit (possibly overnight) then take it to someone who can do a proper volt drop test on it.

Even though he said the battery was fine, I bet he just used a voltmeter. This would just show that the battery had taken a charge while you were riding (and hence rectifier problem not possible) but couldn't show that the battery could hold that charge for any length of time.

Jonathan.... Over here, the bikes are all fitted with lights that are always on, but that law only came in, in Europe, in the last few years. Dunno what year exactly, but all the 9 or 10 year old bikes that I see, still have a light switch.

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

OK Alan, thank you again for your cooperation, i really appreciate it.

Tell me something: as I understood mechanic: the bike went dead in first place because the lights emptied the battery during the ride, cause rectifier wasn't functioning properly. Is this reasonable?

I was able to start the bike on its own, when going home from mechanic. Obviously the battery got charged during the 15 km ride to mechanic. Is it possible that rectifier isn't working properly (sometimes is working and sometimes is not)?

Thanks!

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

It is just possible that there may be an intermittent fault on the charging circuit, but highly unlikely. My first guess is that the battery is not holding its charge. This could be caused by a faulty battery, or an intermittent short circuit somewhere in the wiring harness. I still suggest that the first step is to charge the battery, let it sit, then get it PROPERLY drop tested. The next step is to try and visually check the wiring harness for earths (grounds, as the Americans call them). I still could be wrong, but I reckon the faulty rectifier is highly unlikely. (I've been an electrician all my working life) :)

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

Good grief thats a lot of money. Do some checking like Alantf has suggested. You may save yourself a bunch of money or confirm the need to spend that much.

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

I told you stuff's expensive in Europe, (relay) didn't I? :) I had to pay €133.16 ($167.12) for an injector for my Citroen. :cry:

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

I remember the relay story. That is outright theft in my opinion. The injector should be a common off the shelf item to my way of thinking. It isn't like a Citroen is a strange little foreign car in Spain. Or is it that the injectors are so reliable that no one stocks them and they are hard to find.

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

I checked the ebay and i could save 80 €, but having the experience of waiting shipment from US (said 5-13 working days) eventually ended with 20 days. I really have the need to experience ride to sea side in croatia, and extra 60 € means a wish come true.
My original mechanic whom i have called 1 hour ago, was assuring me, that it is the rectifier with not proper operating, without a doubt.
Mechanic who picked me up yesterday called me and said that battery is ok for sure.
Well, hope this story will have a short and quick ending.

Thank you guys!

And yeah, europe is expensive and looks like everywhere is bursting, i hope the bankers won't start another world war...

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

I am with you, isn't that what happened in Yugoslavia in the 1990's . The government nationalized (stole) everyone's bank accounts to pay off debt and forced everyone to hold checks until inflation made them worthless. The streets soon ran red with blood.

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

This was off the shelf at the Citroen dealer's, but the checking & fitting was only €35 ($43.91) including taxes. Parts are expensive, labour cheap. Had an oil & filter change, last monday. Total price €41.22 ($51.69) including €1.22 for a couple of clips that they spotted missing from the bonnet stay (I'd forgotten to mention it to them) I trust them more than the little mechanics' shops. They have the parts without having to wait for them being imported, often do little jobs they spot, for free, & are a pleasant bunch to visit.

Re: At the mechanics shop
 

Did you ask him what test he did, to be certain that the battery is o.k.? If he used a voltmeter, and not a load tester, it's just him crossing his fingers and guessing!

I did this for a living, and I wish I could be as certain that it's the rectifier. All a rectifier does is change the A.C. output of the alternator to D.C. to feed the battery. I still maintain that as the battery recharged itself, there's NO way it could do it with a faulty rectifier. Still, I hope I'm proved wrong, and you haven't wasted your money. Even if you fit the new rectifier, and the bike runs, it doesn't prove that the original rectifier was faulty. It could be any number of other things (intermittent faults). I certainly don't have the faith you have in your mechanic's electrical knowledge. :??: