Starting and possible charging issue
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Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,948
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Starting and possible charging issue
Bike sat for a biit (as you can tell from the sig pic).
Bought a new battery anticipating issues. Put the new one in, flipped it to run, held the start button and nothing. I assumed the battery was junk so I threw it on the tender. Once I was sure it was charged, I installed it and tried again. Still had lights and odometer, but it wouldn't turn over. Then on a whim I held down the run button for a good 6-8 seconds (seemed well past reasonable) and it fired up and stumbled a little, but it ran pretty good.
But after taking it for a ride and parking it, later the same day the battery had little to no power. This has happened consistently 3-4 times (it dies, I charge it, dies, I charge it, etc). I've never been able to get it to start twice on the same battery.
So...I have a feeling my bike is drawing power while it's off, or that my charging system is damaged, but is it also possible that I have a problem with my starter?
What's the first step in diagnosing all this? (I checked both ends of either connection).
Bought a new battery anticipating issues. Put the new one in, flipped it to run, held the start button and nothing. I assumed the battery was junk so I threw it on the tender. Once I was sure it was charged, I installed it and tried again. Still had lights and odometer, but it wouldn't turn over. Then on a whim I held down the run button for a good 6-8 seconds (seemed well past reasonable) and it fired up and stumbled a little, but it ran pretty good.
But after taking it for a ride and parking it, later the same day the battery had little to no power. This has happened consistently 3-4 times (it dies, I charge it, dies, I charge it, etc). I've never been able to get it to start twice on the same battery.
So...I have a feeling my bike is drawing power while it's off, or that my charging system is damaged, but is it also possible that I have a problem with my starter?
What's the first step in diagnosing all this? (I checked both ends of either connection).
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Start by getting a volt meter and check the battery voltage. A fully charged battery should measure 12.8 volts, NOT 12 volts.
Fully charge the battery and start the motor. If the charging circuit is working properly, you should read between 13.5 - 14.8 volts DC across the battery terminals, with the motor running at a Fast idle (~2,000 rpm).
Let us know the results.
Fully charge the battery and start the motor. If the charging circuit is working properly, you should read between 13.5 - 14.8 volts DC across the battery terminals, with the motor running at a Fast idle (~2,000 rpm).
Let us know the results.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Yes, at ~2000 rpm and above you should be charging. At normal idle, with the electrical load of the bikes lights, the battery is normally discharging because the charging system at idle is putting out less than is being drawn.
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