Lifan Xpect 200 charging issues
 

Hey guys new poster and relatively new member here. I need some help and collective brainstorming to figure out the charging issue I am having with my Lifan Xpect as my technical expertise has reached its limit and I cannot find any solutions with searches here. So first off, I got the bike in June and did all the assembly and pre run checks with a buddy of mine that has an Xpect as well, i then took it for a ride and it did awesome! Ran like a new bike should. After about 10 minutes of riding it started stuttering and then died on me. After some checks turns out the battery died. Trickle charged it for a few days and put it back in. Again it ran like a top but after about 25-30 mins it started stuttering and died, again dead battery. So I did some checks.

I first recharged the battery and let the bike run and checked the voltage, it started at 12.8 but began dropping so I revved it to see if it'll charge and it did not. I checked all fuses to make sure they were good and they were so I went ahead and did some tests on the stator. I checked continuity, resistance, and short to grounds and the tests all came back good. I then tested the output, the stator was putting out 5vAC at idle and 9-10 vAC at 3000,5000 rpms. Assuming the stator was the issue I contacted the seller and got a new stator sent in. After installing the new stator it still refused to charge the battery. I charged and load tested the battery and determined that it was good and did not have a dead cell so I assumed the rectifier was the issue.

I ordered a new rectifier that was the same unit as the factory one and installed it, and again, it refused to charge. So after racking my brain for a while I went and checked all grounds on the bike, cleaned them up and made sure they had a good connection. But alas, that was not the issue. So I got with my buddy and we swapped a rectifier and battery from his bike onto mine to see if known good parts would narrow down or fix the charging issue. Unfortunately it did not, and now I am here. So any advice, tips, things to check, or solutions would be greatly appreciated! I will also put a video of a multimeter reading the battery as it runs and a video of me explaining what I've done to chase this electrical gremlin down below.

https://youtu.be/DuiWoHmBuhA

https://youtu.be/JQ1WPS4f_jA

Have you verified that there's a connection between the wiring from the RR and the battery? Same for the RR to the stator? It should be pretty easy to back probe the pins from the RR.

I have, the RR would read battery voltage when I checked the pins (both running and off) and the stator to RR connection is where I took the Voltage output from the stator while running. So it seems that all of the charging components are atleast connected.

Continuity or battery voltage at a wire aren't necessarily proof that the wiring is fine. Was it producing charging level voltage at the RR?

You might need to load test the circuits. Get a 12v (at least 15w) lightbulb, unplug the wires, and use them to complete a circuit for the wires (it's easier if you have a powerprobe or something like that). If you find voltage drop, you've found the bad wire. It doesn't take much, unfortunately.

I had a friend who had a bike that was running funny because someone had clamped a tuner onto the wires instead of soldering it in. When they did the clamping, it cut a couple of stands in the wire, just enough that it would get a voltage drop, and throw the sensor reading off. I'd visually inspect all of the wiring, and be absolutely certain all of the connectors are properly connected.

[QUOTE=franque;345056]Continuity or battery voltage at a wire aren't necessarily proof that the wiring is fine. Was it producing charging level voltage at the RR?

You might need to load test the circuits. Get a 12v (at least 15w) lightbulb, unplug the wires, and use them to complete a circuit for the wires (it's easier if you have a powerprobe or something like that). If you find voltage drop, you've found the bad wire. It doesn't take much, unfortunately.


Good idea, I'll have to do that and make sure it tests fine

it's possible, but it is a new bike so it seems unlikely. it also feels magnetically strong

I would contact American Lifan as I am assuming the bike is still under warranty. They have worked very well with one of our members here who had a couple problems. They are trying to be a 'maintream' brand here and have been doing people right with their customer service.

I initially tried contacting them via the info in the back of the user manual, but I was told they do not deal with the general public and to contact the dealer. I will try reaching out again to see if i get a different response.

I feel bad because I forgot the member, but he had some issues with the engine and got numerous suggestions from us. He reached out to American Lifan and they responded directly to him, and gave him the valve clearance measurements which he followed and it fixed the issue. Lifan's ultimate goal is to have a brick and mortar dealer network, hence what is printed on their manual, but it seems like they have relented and are allowing more and more dealers to mail order their bikes, so there is less chance of getting any real-world answers out of these dealers. That is why I would contact them from the phone number and email from the website (probably the same as the manual), unless you purchased from a brick and mortar dealer? I am sure you will have something this week :tup:

are you still only seeing 5-10vac from the stator?

I missed that! Yeah, you should have a minimum of 30 v ac from the stator.

The last reading I got yes. I have not tested it recently as I contacted the dealer after I got the battery tested by autozone because their tester said it was bad, the dealer is shipping in a new battery and I'll go through all the tests again once it comes in.

was that with the new stator? that's way to low, is it the same between all the windings? Could be a flywheel issue, weak or misplaced magnets.

Check the stator of your friend's bike, verify it isn't running that low a voltage, but generally 30vdc is the standard at around 3-5k rpm. Most won't charge at idle.

We checked his and it puts out about 14 vAC at idle and 28+ vAC between 3-5,000 rpms