Electrics

[Schnorbitz]

Hi all,

Haven't posted in a while; hectic travel schedule. That same schedule has caused my bike to lay idle for a couple of months. Went to start it and the (new recently fitted) battery was flat. No biggie, put it on charge overnight but still wouldn't start after 24 hours. Lights came on and fuel injected but no start. So I jumped it from my car, ran it and rode it for 10 mins. The clocks keep reseting and the rev counter is cycling. Prognosis - alternator? Is this a huge $$ and pain in the ass to get fixed?

Thanks

[albinohickey]

I'm honestly kind of lost. Almost replied yesterday, but I'm not sure. Is the new battery brand new, or has it sat as well? Guess it could be the strator? Hard to say, any other info you could give us?

[Volition]

Sounds more like the battery, Bike batteries are really fickle, once they go "dead" they never really recover. Get a new battery first.

[Schnorbitz]

The battery was new a couple of months ago and I fitted it to the bike. I charged it up and all was good. I don't think it's the starter as the bike started first time when I used the booster leads from my car. The clocks kept resetting as I was riding like it was going through the start up sequence when you first turn the key.

[Volition]

Oh see now that's just plain fucked up... .

btw I think Nick meant the "stator" not starter. The stator on a bike is the alternator.

[EliR6]

^^ still, what Volition said is true (I know, weird, huh? ). Your battery is dead dead dead. It doesn't take long. When you got the battery, did you actually charge it to full capacity using a trickle charger? Just curious.

Really though. All the symptoms you describe is just because your battery is toast. The reason you're able to turn the lights on and it goes through the startup sequence is because the battery is holding a SMALL charge, but not enough to turn the motor in the starter. When riding the bike, the stator (alternator) doesn't provide enough juice to run everything AND charge a dead battery by itself, so it's not able to keep the voltage up high enough to run the headlights, instrument cluster, etc.

A new battery will do wonders. May as well get a battery tender and hook it up to that. If you do that, the battery will last for years.

[Volition]

I have been right in the past! Don't sound so surprised.

I have NEVER had any luck charging the battery with a trickle charger... they just don't seem to like it. They'll charge but wont hold it, and then they start to hold less and less.

[EliR6]

^ that happens if you let the battery go all the way dead, then try to bring it back to life with a trickle charger. But to keep a charge in a battery during prolonged times of non-use (like winter) they work wonders. maybe you were using a different brand of trickle charger than me. My battery tender is perfect every time.

[Volition]

Oh, see I don't use them as "keep alive" devices. I ride enough in the winter to keep it up.

But they have never worked to restore a battery for me like what Schnorbitz tried.

[EliR6]

Yeah, they suck for that, especially motorcycle batteries. The cells are just too small to come back to life.