Does the hot/red wire coming from the battery also recharge it?

Xander Stephens

XS400CafeRacer
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I bought a new battery for my bike and a few questions came to mind:


Is the hot or red wire coming from the battery, also the wire that the battery is recharged through?

And if it is, how is it possible for the battery to be outputting energy, and receiving energy through the same wire?

Thanks for the help
 
Current can flow in either direction on those wires. It's one system with two possible current/voltage sources.
If the alternator output exceeds the battery charge level current flows to the battery to charge it.
If the battery is fully charged the voltage regulator drops alternator output and current flows from the battery.
 
So I’ve just rewired the charging circuit, and the red from the rectifier is connected to the red from main fuse to main switch like the wiring diagram says (400SE, 4G5) This means the the battery is always connected via the rectifier to ground even when key is out. I’m getting a 0.01 amp leakagefrom my battery +ve to earth now. That doesn’t seem right, I would think the rectifier red should go to the brown after the main switch. Any thoughts
 
Yes the red wire stays connected to the battery positive at all times.
The rectifier is a set of 6 diodes that convert the AC output of the alternator to DC the bike can use.
Diodes are a one way valve for electricity. The way the diodes are set up battery current won't flow from the battery to ground.
There may be a very small current flow through the rectifier, but it is so small as not to worry about. It would take months to drain a battery. The battery would drain as fast unhooked.
With a bit of searching you can find a more complete explanation of how this works. Your repair manual is a good place to start.
Online is another.
Leo
 
Hi Leo,
Cool thanks, I just remeasured the current drain and it’s 0.01mA I’m losing, with a 12 Ah battery it will last for 37 years.
 
.01mA is probably far less than the resolution of your meter.
It might not be leaking at all.
 
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