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FXDX is killing batteries

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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 06:08 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by E-clip
Ride more often and longer. That is the only thing I’ve found that makes motorcycle batteries last longer.
I ride every day. I have not owned a four wheel vehicle in years. I do not believe anyone here seems to understand the situation, despite how far into detail I described the problem in my first posts. This is not an "I go to start my bike and my battery is dead" situation.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 07:35 AM
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Originally Posted by DSM11
I ride every day. I have not owned a four wheel vehicle in years. I do not believe anyone here seems to understand the situation, despite how far into detail I described the problem in my first posts. This is not an "I go to start my bike and my battery is dead" situation.
That sounds different. Put your meter on DC amp connection and see what's going on with negative terminal off and wired thru meter back to battery with key off on bike.

Most of us know what you meant by fragged. We all know a maintenance charger or charger defraggs the battery unless it's worn out and I think the term is sulfated.

But we tend to have the grammar and spell checkers who still live with their mommie.
 

Last edited by Jackie Paper; Oct 4, 2021 at 07:43 AM.
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by DSM11
This is not an "I go to start my bike and my battery is dead" situation.
So, what is it? Are you saying you start the bike normally, and then, while riding, it goes dead, and from that point on the battery won't take a charge or start the bike again?

Other than severe overcharging, I can't imagine how that could happen unless maybe someone put a bullet in it.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 08:19 AM
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I get it spell checker and grammar checkers, most of them never accomplished anything in life so they pick on what they know. They do it all of the time to me. Electrical problem drive me nutz. So what I do is trace everything that connects to something with a wire. It almost seems like something is rubbing and making a short.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by John CC
So, what is it? Are you saying you start the bike normally, and then, while riding, it goes dead, and from that point on the battery won't take a charge or start the bike again?

Other than severe overcharging, I can't imagine how that could happen unless maybe someone put a bullet in it.
You, sir have nailed it! Riding, the lights and gauges go apeshit, bike shuts off. Lights will slowly come back up, like something had drained the life out of the battery.
I have tested the stator and reg per manual specifications. Here is a link to basic instructions for how I performed my tests, however, I used the real service manual for the info, not that it differs much. https://www.jpcycles.com/counterstee...harging-system
I also rode around with a multimeter monitoring my voltage off the tender plug after replacing the battery the first time, though nothing happened during that time, so I did not catch the intermittent, regulator voltage spike that I hoped I would catch.
I have since borrowed a reg from a brother, and the bike has not acted up since. Ive been through the wiring in the bars, in the frame, every ground and positive connection, all the fuse plugs (cleaned and inspected for snugness) and checked for shorts where I could. I even checked the ignition switch harness, which I had trouble with on another bike where the female spades in the plug had become loose and I had to de pin them and bend the spring tension back into the spades and reassemble and never had another issue again.
One thing I will say is that when I put the loaner regulator on, the plug from the regulator dc output to the bike did not want to lock, and I had to fiddle **** with it to get it to lock, so perhaps this may have been an issue?
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by John CC
So, what is it? Are you saying you start the bike normally, and then, while riding, it goes dead, and from that point on the battery won't take a charge or start the bike again?

Other than severe overcharging, I can't imagine how that could happen unless maybe someone put a bullet in it.
You, sir have nailed it! Riding, the lights and gauges go apeshit, bike shuts off. Lights will slowly come back up, like something had drained the life out of the battery.
I have tested the stator and reg per manual specifications. Here is a link to basic instructions for how I performed my tests, however, I used the real service manual for the info, not that it differs much. https://www.jpcycles.com/counterstee...harging-system
My stator outputs 24V AC just at idle- I did not rev the motor to see how high the voltage would go at higher RPM-, and my battery reads 14.3 volts all day long wit the bike running at any RPM.
I also rode around with a multimeter monitoring my voltage off the tender plug after replacing the battery the first time, though nothing happened during that time, so I did not catch the intermittent, regulator voltage spike that I hoped I would catch.
I have since borrowed a reg from a brother, and the bike has not acted up since. Ive been through the wiring in the bars, in the frame, every ground and positive connection, all the fuse plugs (cleaned and inspected for snugness) and checked for shorts where I could. I even checked the ignition switch harness, which I had trouble with on another bike where the female spades in the plug had become loose and I had to de pin them and bend the spring tension back into the spades and reassemble and never had another issue again.
One thing I will say is that when I put the loaner regulator on, the plug from the regulator dc output to the bike did not want to lock, and I had to fiddle **** with it to get it to lock, so perhaps this may have been an issue?
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by DSM11
Riding, the lights and gauges go apeshit,
See, that is open to interpretation. I used to teach electrical courses, and that word never came up. Are you talking about the running lights or the indicator lights, or both? Do the lights flash on and off? How rapidly? All together or individually? Get dim? Get real bright? Shut off all together? What gauges? What exactly are they doing? The answer to your problem depends on what is actually happening.
bike shuts off. Lights will slowly come back up, like something had drained the life out of the battery.
Much more informative. I assume "shuts off" means the engine dies. How long does it take for the lights to come back? Can you restart after this happens? If not, how about with a jump?
I have since borrowed a reg from a brother, and the bike has not acted up since.
That is very telling.
One thing I will say is that when I put the loaner regulator on, the plug from the regulator dc output to the bike did not want to lock, and I had to fiddle **** with it
"fiddle ****" ??? OK, I guess I can figure that one out, but a concise description of what you did would be a whole lot more informative.
to get it to lock, so perhaps this may have been an issue?
Either that, or the regulator is bad. Regulators can test OK and still fail under load.

Is the battery fine until this happens? Does the battery survive any of these episodes, or is it one and done? If so, then since you've had two battery failures, that would imply this has only happened two times. That weakens the statement "I have since borrowed a reg from a brother, and the bike has not acted up since."

Grammar aside, words have meaning, and the more factual information you can provide the easier it is for those who could help you to do so, and the more likely they are to take the time to respond.
 

Last edited by John CC; Oct 4, 2021 at 09:23 AM.
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 09:30 AM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by DSM11
Under my seat, I found that the previous owner had some damage to the tender wires, so I cut em and soldered and put heat shrink over that
Did you do this at the same time as changing the regulator? Was there any evidence (burnt or melted insulation) that they had shorted to ground, or to each other? I would think the damage would be severe, however, battery tender harnesses should be fused, so it's more likely this has nothing to do with your problem.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 09:34 AM
  #19  
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Does "fiddle ****" have anything to do with melted connectors? If so, you might have been getting AC into the bike's electrical system, and that would explain the sudden demise of the battery.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 09:53 AM
  #20  
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So what are you charging the battery with?

Are you sure the battery is getting charged?

If you are letting the battery sit dead for a few days, it will die.

If the different regulator fixes the problem, go for it..
 

Last edited by Max Headflow; Oct 4, 2021 at 09:56 AM.
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