Generator light on the R65....

I have been meaning to ask this question to the more technically advanced airhead owners out there.... On my '84 R65, the red light for the generator comes on when the idle rate drops below what is about 1,000 rpm. If I gently roll the throttle up a bit, the light goes back out, until the idle drops below the 1,000 mark. Does this mean the idle speed shoud be adjusted higher so the light does not come on? I had a 1981 R65 and do not remember the generator light coming on as much. The bike runs OK otherwise. I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice! John

Per Clymer, the idle speed for your R65 should be between 800 and 1100 rpm. I've always aimed for the lowest smooth idle I could get and haven't been bothered by the light. The circuit is sensitive to the amount of current it "sees" you might consider cleaning the electrical contacts to make sure all the electrons have a clean path to their destinations.

John, my '81 does the same thing. It used to go off when I upped the RPMs to around 1150. After cleaning most of the connectors under the tank and around the diode board (they looked okay but I did it anyway) the light now seems to go off around 1050 to 1100 - minor improvement. As long as it doesn't glow dimly at higher RPMs, you should be okay.

Thanks, R65guy! Appreciate the feedback! (Say, you wouldn't know where I could pick up a chrome headlight ring for my bike, would you?)

Sorry, not for sale I feel your pain.

Pull the timing cover and take a pencil eraser and clean the alternator slip rings. You can clean them while idling the bike AFTER you get the timing cover off. (It is good practice to pull the ground cable before removing the timing cover so as to avoid a nasty short on your diode board.)