[loony888]

that's not too low, just make sure your charging system is in tip top shape. firstly, check the yellow charge wires that come from the alt housing, LHS. they run up to a plug which has a habit of melting, if it looks scorched or melted replace it with a good quality plug assembly. the 888' had a single phase charging system which is not as good as later 3 phase (98 up) set ups. for this reason it's a good idea to use a battery tender to keep the battery topped up. if you let the battery run down, the amps needed to start the bike really deplete the battery, the alternator then trys to pump heaps of charge in to it and overloads the system. this causes scorched and burned plugs and ruined reg/rec units. once sorted and hooked up to a tender (if it's not ridden at least twice a week) you should have no problems at all.
p.s sorry if i oversimplified things.
paul.

 

[johnboy888]

Thanks .....

I did find a scorched connector from the alternator, so I cleaned that up and reinsulated it, that gave me just over 13V, thenn I remounted the regulator, with a better earth connection, and now I am seeing 13.7V at 5000 rpm, with 12.5 at idle, so I'd say it's as good as it gets now. I do ride it 2-3 times per week, and no your answer is no overly simplified, as I have no idea what a battery tender is !!

 

[Stick]

A battery tender is a "smart" trickle charger. It knows when the battery is fully charged, and goes into a float mode. If/when the bat. voltage gets low enough, it will turn on again, and the cycle repeats.

Sounds like you found one of the most common problems for the older bikes. Keep your eyes and fingers on those yellow wires. If they get toasty again, either upgrade the connector and wire size, or bypass the connector all together (unless you're doing frequent engine changes!).

My ST2 charges all the way up to 14.5V. Along with a tender used daily, I was able to get 7+ years out of the factory battery.

 

[bevel450]

Let me agree with this. In my 888 I bypassed the connector completely with a solder joint. Between this, on my 888, and regular use of a smart charger, I too have never had a problem with the standard battery on a Ducati until they get to the 6-7 year level.

Few problems with them all things considered, but quality connections make a huge difference.

A battery tender is a "smart" trickle charger. It knows when the battery is fully charged, and goes into a float mode. If/when the bat. voltage gets low enough, it will turn on again, and the cycle repeats.

Sounds like you found one of the most common problems for the older bikes. Keep your eyes and fingers on those yellow wires. If they get toasty again, either upgrade the connector and wire size, or bypass the connector all together (unless you're doing frequent engine changes!).

My ST2 charges all the way up to 14.5V. Along with a tender used daily, I was able to get 7+ years out of the factory battery.

 

[Buckelew]

With the older Ducs (single phase charging system - prior to 1999), keeping connectors and ground locations clean and tight (wouldn't hurt to put some dielectric grease in those areas also) and putting the bike onto a trickle charger is going to make life a lot easier.

Your regulator is most likely a factory replacement part or an Electrex replacement part. If you don't have a functional charging problem light, it's a factory replacement. If the charging light works (stays off until something's wrong), then it's probably an Electrex (www.electrex-usa.com)

Electrex also has a real good troubleshooting chart on their website.

nice bike.