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battery / charging system problem

Started by briandneville, June 25, 2022, 02:08:42 PM

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briandneville

I've had my battery become too weak to start or restart my bike three times in the last month or so.  I took the battery to a shop to have it tested and was told it is OK.  it's 2 years old, I've kept it generally on a tender in the winter, but have not been fanatic about that.  This morning I started the bike up, rode it 20 minutes, parked it for an errand, got back on started it up, and rode 15 minutes to home, mostly on the highway at 50-60mph.  When I got back to my driveway I turned the bike off and tried to re-start it.  It did not fire and the battery died.  Used my car to jump it and got it going.  Turned it off after disconnecting the cables, and it had no juice and would not start (not surprising).  Jumped it again and rode it into the garage.

The battery charges on the charger, and I get 12.5-12.8 volts on my multimeter with the ignition turned off.  With the bike running, I get a pretty constant 14.25 volts regardless of the engine speed.  These readings are taken at the battery.

Seems like the charging system is working, and the battery is not.  Am I right?  Need a new battery?  Or is this a charging system issue, maybe combined with a starter issue?

Thanks!
How did it come to this?

George R. Young

A couple more tests you can try. After fully charging, battery voltage reading with ignition on (should be around 12V) and while starting (should be over 10V).

From what you say, I'd say it's more likely a battery problem than a charging system problem.

briandneville

thx George...I appreciate the feedback
How did it come to this?

pullshocks

Hi Brian.

I had some issues with battery voltage dropping after riding a while.

Replacing the R/R solved it.  voltage steady

In my case, this also solved a slow-return-to idle problem I was having

See http://ridersofvision.net/rovforum/index.php?topic=15265.msg139859#msg139859

Mark
Seattle

briandneville

Took the battery to batteries plus and had it tested.  Passed the first test but it did not perform well on a different machine that was older and more analog and supposedly better.  So I bought a new duracell battery.  The bike started up, but I did not ride it anywhere to fully test.  Will follow up when I think I have something definitive to report.
How did it come to this?

fret not

Brian, what voltage regulator/ rectifier are you using?  And one other possible issue is any 'dirty' connections.  A vehicle this old is no longer 'new', and  needs periodic TLC here and there.  All electrical connections need to be clean.  Another possibility is a wire "rub through" where the insulation has been abraded a bit and can allow grounding contact with the frame.  I never heard of this until I got my KLR650. 

One thing about batteries is they tend to perform better if they are used regularly (sitting quietly for weeks and months is bad).
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!

briandneville

Fiat Doctor did the R/R modification, so I don't know what is being used there, although I can see it.  And i agree that there is the possibility of a grounding somewhere in the wiring.  Starting with the most obvious and easiest to fix (battery).  I will take the starter apart at some point and see what is going on there.  Chasing a bad wire is much more nebulous so will probably only do that if I have to.  Thanks for your inout.
How did it come to this?