I'm reviving an old Yamaha XV535 Virago. It's running and passed roadworthy inspection yesterday, but it has one remaining issue before I take it for a real ride - its not charging enough. Battery voltage increases from ~12.5V to ~12.9V when I start it. Should be ~14V.
A lot of the electrical connections were very crusty - I've cleaned them as best I can with contact cleaner and mechanical scraping. The 4 pin connector from the pickup coils to the loom was particularly nasty and has been hot and I could not clean it enough so replaced it with a (knock-off) Deutsch DT connector and that's working well. The connector from the stator to the loom has also been hot. I've replaced the plastic shells and cleaned the connectors as best I can but I feel this connector may still be the source of my low charging voltage and I plan to replace it.
My options are 3 x generic bullet connectors or a single 3 (solid) pin Deutsch DT.
I know the DT connectors are not intended for "power" applications, but I can't find anything to say if the current on each of these wires from the stator would exceed the ~7.5A they are supposed to be rated for.
Thoughts?
If your battery is at 12.4V resting, then it's no good. Charge the battery fully, then let it rest for 24 hours. The voltage should be around 12.8. The lower the resting voltage, the worse the battery's condition, and the more it will tax your charging system.
The bike hasn't been seriously ridden yet and the battery has been cranking the engine a lot while trying to diagnose issues. I'm happy that it still at 12.4 - but I understand what you're saying.