Motorcycle Starting & Charging Parts

You’ve packed your motorcycle for a nice trip. You’ve put on your riding gear and helmet, turned the key, hit the switch, but nothing happens. Your heart sinks. There are a few things more frustrating than that as chances are high you’re not going anywhere, at least right now. Push-starting may do the trick in some situations, but regardless of whether you have this useful skill and whether it helped, you’ll need to have your starting & charging system checked. You may own a modern bike with fully electronic ignition or an old-school carbureted motorcycle with contact points, we have the right starting and charging parts for the repair or upgrade.

In many cases when your bike doesn’t start, the battery is the culprit, especially if the headlight is dim and you don’t hear the starter turn the engine over. It may not hold a sufficient charge to start the engine. It may be weak and need a recharge, or its terminals may be loose or corroded. If voltmeter testing proves you need a new battery, we have tons of options available. Of course, you can opt for the standard lead-acid type, but there are also more advanced AGM and gel batteries which are spill-proof and much more durable. Lithium-ion batteries represent the latest tech in power sources. They are compact and lightweight while giving powerful cranks and losing juice slower.

An alternator (AC generator) is one of the main components of the charging system. Old-school bikes had the other type of current-generating device called a DC generator, but with the increased demand for electronics on a bike, AC generators became the norm. Although the designs of alternators vary, there are basically two types, a one-piece or three-piece unit. The latter consists of the stator, the rotor, and the regulator/rectifier. The stator is a stationary part that consists of up to eighteen spokes with copper magnet wire wound around each. The rotor is a moving part that contains permanent magnets in its walls, and these two pieces packaged together – stationary and moving – are what an alternator is actually made up of.

The magnets spinning around the stator or rotating inside it generate the additional power that keeps the battery properly charged during operation. The stator is a weak point on many motorcycles and it’s not uncommon for it to burn up. As it’s only DC current that a battery can store, there’s the need for some type of device that would convert AC power into DC power. This job is done by the rectifier, while the regulator keeps it within certain limits (13.5 - 14.5 volts). Too little charge can shorten the service life of your battery and make it unable to hold the charge causing starting and running problems. Too much of it can cause overheating and meltdown. On modern bikes, rec and reg are packaged as one unit. It’s sealed and non-serviceable, so it is replaced as one in case of failure. However, those installed on older motorcycles are separate parts and can be replaced separately.

Whether the source of the electrical problem on your machine is one of these major parts, or these are some faulty wires or fuses giving you trouble, in our store you’ll find all of the necessary components for the repair job. We also have all that you may need to increase the power supply if you want to run more electronics. For motorcycles equipped with a kickstarter, we have replacement shafts, arms, pedals, and anything you may need to repair or modify this mechanism. The parts we carry are sourced from renowned aftermarket brands, including Accutronix, Twin Power, and Cycle Electric, so you can shop with confidence!