So it just started working better after being left alone for two days? That doesn't make any sense but it's good news for you. If the battery was just low on charge but still chemically viable, that particular charger will help restore it somewhat, charge it appropriately for any given level of charge, and test it afterwards to make sure. It then automatically rolls over to a float charge.

Just noticed my link is a .ca link by the way. Optimate 3+ is the one that I have, but there may be new models since I got mine 8 years ago.

You should be able to upload pictures here now that you have five posts.

 

Thanks, I'll be sure to get some of that when I order the new wire. Yeah, I'm pretty happy so far. I wasn't really gonna take it any farther myself, was just gonna drop it off at a shop and bite the bullet (still will if the issue creeps back up). I don't mind too much getting into the mechanical bits but electric stuff I don't like lol. Thanks again for the help. I'll check all the connections around the headlight tomorrow. I really should just grab me as continuity tester sometime.

 

Well, I think the negative was just shorting out making starting it up kind of a dice roll. Sometimes I'd hit the starter and it would just make the whole thing turn off and I'd have to turn the key off and on again.

 

Ah, so in between you first trying it, and when you said it's fine is when you did all that cleaning? That makes sense. To be honest I probably should have assumed that, lol. In any case, that does make sense now.

Get a cheap multi-meter and start in on it, it sounds like you'll do fine. I had a lot of battery problems when I first started because I was trying to use an old battery that was kinda okay but not really. Trying to fix and deal with all that lead me to looking into how batteries actually work, and then on into electricity and a renewed interest in some basic science that I was lacking on. It lead to a lot of interesting stuff and new skills - I fixed all sorts of things over the years that I had no idea about at first. This is one of those videos I remember from when I was trying to understand batteries.

Sounds like you've got some corrosion going on in a few places, but if you keep taking care of that, and charge up the battery it should be a big chunk of it. Post pictures and videos of how it turns out, too if you can.

 

Haha yeah, I could share it with you guys since you've been so nice to help me. I'll get some better pictures at some point, but for now this is what I got on my phone. Ignore my messy work area :P. It actually had a "trike conversion kit" on it when I got it. The lady dropped it once, fortunately only damaging the brake lever (which will be fixed posthaste) and the plastic bit under the throttle handgrip before putting them on. I took the darn things off and it's pretty nice. They seemed rather unsafe to me haha. Mid controls with drag bars and straight pipes is pretty sporty feeling, but I kinda think I'm gonna change the handlebars at least. It's a fun ride but I can't do it too long leaning over like that. The main reason I haven't put a bunch of miles on it to test how it is at the moment is because the front tire is dry rotting a bit and I'm not sure how safe that is. It's held air fine so far but still worries me haha. Just another victim of sitting for 2 years lol. I might take a video riding it around town if my cellphone video stabilizes well enough.

 

@solesoul ,thats a lovely looking sportster.
,and that front tyre. needs changing
bet its the original tyre my. my front tire went like that ,i had to to put new tyre
fot bike M O T bike inspection every three years ,here in UK

 

Thank you! It's actually in really good shape for a 2003, so I'm happy to have to do a little TLC here and there to get er reliable. The tire is pretty old but according to the time stamp on it it's from 2011. Definitely gonna get it switched out for some new rubber asap. Also, update on the headlight. I took it off and looked inside and the rubber bit behind the light melted at one point, and someone has done some real Frankenstein wiring in here. The original plug is melted shut and was covered by electrical tape and hanging there, and something I can only refer to as hackjob-splicing went to a new plug with all black wires into the headlight that gives me that dim-at-best glow. Lol I'm not even sure what to make of this, but it's pretty funny. I'm thinking I'm going to end up having to buy a whole new... something. I'm not sure what that something is, but it'll probably have to have a lot of wires.

 

Took it out for a bit of a spin and it ran like new. I even adjusted the clutch a bit and made it feel so much nicer to ride. The headlights are all sorts of messed up but they work in a pinch and I don't smell any smoke, so I think I'm just gonna leave it as it is lol. Thanks for the help, everyone. You guys are awesome.

 

Thanks for letting us know, and glad you got it going okay.