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battery, charging, draw???

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Old Mar 24, 2017 | 02:11 PM
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Default battery, charging, draw???

Hi guys. I have the manual and going to diagnose this weekend, but wanted to put this out here in case someone can save me some time.

Yesterday bike shut down while riding. Not an immediate shut down, just limped to side of the road. Then shut off completely. Hit the start button and nothing. Turned everything off and tried to start again. No fuel pump sound. The neutral and oil light do turn on. LED headlight won't turn on and LED tail light is a weak flicker. Tried to attached my FP3 to run a diagnostic but it's only getting intermittent power and won't connect.

Tried to bump start, sounded like it tried to fire but nothing. 2nd bump start,..nothing at all.

Today I tried to start and heard a weak fuel pump sound,..kinda like a clicking. Like it was trying to work. Would not start tho.

Typically when I hit the start button the bike lazily starts but starts every time. Doesn't jump to life like other bikes. Not sure this means the battery is on last leg? It's a lead acid,..probably the original from 2012. 10k miles on the clock.

If a battery dies,..would it die while riding? I figure the charging system would keep it on life support until you shut bike off....no?

Obviously I'll be checking the voltage, connections, fuses. Hoping it's a loose connections somewhere.

Thanks all!
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017 | 02:17 PM
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Battery wouldn't die riding unless your charging system was failing; probably the stator. You'll be able to diagnose it easily enough though, there's a sticky on this board for that.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017 | 02:26 PM
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If it were me, I would just change the battery which is typically the source of many issues and a good start in your process of elimination.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017 | 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by hscic
If it were me, I would just change the battery which is typically the source of many issues and a good start in your process of elimination.
It's on the trickle now. Don't have time to work on it yet so we'll see what happens.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017 | 02:36 PM
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I changed my battery from an acid to a lithium ion just because I did not like the way it hesitated on start so it may just be me....good luck.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017 | 02:10 PM
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Hi guys. Here's where I'm at...

Battery shows about 12.45 just sitting.
Drops to about 12.25 with key to ignition position.
Drops to 12.15 when I hit the run button to activate fuel pump.
(LED lighting all the way around)

All connections tight and corrosion free.

After leaving bike on the trickle all night, the fuel pump did come on. I did not start bike tho. Rolled to end of my driveway (so as not to wake the baby), tried to start but fuel pump would not come on. Meter saying battery still at 12.45 just sitting.....

Stator
I have continuity and resistance BUT only if leads are connected one way,..not both. I thought you were supposed to get a reading regardless of which position leads were?????

Can't check regulator cause bike won't start.

Before I go much further,.....I'm wondering if the battery is the culprit? If it was a fuel pump problem I assume it would not have come on today fresh off the trickle. If it was the fuel pump,...that would have nothing to do with my LED lights being real dim with ignition on.

Thoughts? Thanks!
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017 | 02:18 PM
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Bike just started. Ran well for about 5-10 seconds then shut down. Gauge was a bit finicky...not sure why. Connected my FP3 and it did not read any trouble codes....
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017 | 02:19 PM
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I had this before on another bike. It was a dead cell in the battery. Acted exactly the same way. Changed battery and all is well. Can't really check with a volt meter as it was showing readings like yours but when load tested it went to 9 volts. Your battery is old anyway. Would be money well spent to get a new one and it will most probably fix the problem.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017 | 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted by mrhammer2u
Bike just started. Ran well for about 5-10 seconds then shut down. Gauge was a bit finicky...not sure why. Connected my FP3 and it did not read any trouble codes....
Before you follow the Buy a Battery advice:

Charge your battery overnight and check the voltage.

Have your meter ready and start the bike if you can.
With the bike at a fast idle, measure your battery voltage.

If your charging system is working, you should measure 13.8 - 14.8 VDC.

You don't want to kill a new battery if the charging system isn't working.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017 | 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted by mrhammer2u
Hi guys. Here's where I'm at...

Battery shows about 12.45 just sitting.,,,
Well thats certainly not good !

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Last edited by HKMark23; Mar 25, 2017 at 06:39 PM.
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