I'm feeling dumb - battery question

[BuckeyeInColorado]

Hello again boys and girls! I've had sooo much going on, but will have to catch up in another post. But I do have a problem.

I'm wondering if my battery is probably just dead and needs to go bye bye. Most of you know I was in a wreck over the summer, so the bike sat for quite some time before I had access to the battery to put it on a trickle charger. Well I tried to go for my first ride last night, and the battery kept dying on me. I jumped it and let it run to check it, and it died again. So after walking forever, I managed to get myself and my battery home and trickle charged it over night. I got it back on the bike this AM and everything seemed good. Ran fine, and I even stopped at the bike shop for a bit. It restarted w/out issue. I get back on and pull into my apt complex and it just died on me. Praying that I had just stalled it, I shut everything off and tried to restart to no avail. It won't even turn now, but kinda clicks a bit. Is this sounding like a dead battery that just won't hold its charge??? HELP!!
Jessie

[Unforgiven]

Normally a battery will not fail while the bike is running as it is being charged. I would be looking at the charging system instead. Get it tested. Good luck!

[Lucky_Devil]

I would double check that the battery cables are tightly connected to the terminals. I know that my bike will cut out and die if a battery cable is even a little loose.

Normally a battery will not fail while the bike is running as it is being charged.

I could be wrong, but I don't think this is entirely true. I don't think a bike's charging system kicks in until a certain RPM is reached. So, for instance, if you start your bike and let it idle thinking that it's charging the battery, you're wrong... it's actually draining the battery because the charging system isn't active (low RPM) and the battery is powering all the lights and the bike on stored power.

Theoretically, if she was putting around town at low speeds, sitting at lights a lot, etc... she didn't charge her battery at all (at least via the bike's electrical system) and may have strained it further.

I don't think the charging system on my bike kicks in until >3,000 RPM

That being said... how old was the battery before it sat for a long time? It may have just reached the end of its serviceable life. Where was the bike stored? Heat is especially hard on a battery, and you mentioned that you had your accident in the summer.... so if your bike sat in a hot garage all summer, that would have sapped it even more. And of course overall battery life depends heavily on how the battery was set-up and charged originally before it was put into use.

[Unforgiven]

I agree but was going on her saying she pulled in somewhere and assumming it would have been charging the battery. You are right. A battery will not charge while the bike is idling.

[BuckeyeInColorado]

Well I just got back from the bike shop and the battery was bad. Had a dead cell in it. We aren't sure if it was from sitting for a few months after the drunk hit me or came like that (the wreck was only 5 days after buying the bike brand new). Regardless, Kawi actually covered the battery.. I'm stoked! LOL This still leaves me with a free battery with my maintenance thing.

In addition to what you two were saying (thanks by the way!), the guy at the shop was saying that the bike doesn't charge the battery at all! That really confuses me, if it doesn't charge at all, how do city commuters keep a battery going for more than a week or so? He may have been just referring to the idle thing as I was under the impression that bikes had alternators too.. lol - thus my confusion with the issue.

So yah, the terminals were making good contact, I redid them a million times praying that was the problem. haha Moot point now, I've got the new battery on the trickle charger and it will be going all night. Here's to praying that this nice weather extends into tomorrow and that I can ride it yet! Otherwise, back to storage (sans battery, it stays at home on the maintainer.)

[Lucky_Devil]

the guy at the shop was saying that the bike doesn't charge the battery at all!

That's just crazy talk http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/smilies/loco.gif

[Unforgiven]

:iagree:

[KansasKawboy]

I agree also. I have a digital voltmeter on my bike and I can watch the bike charging at idle. The voltage is climbing slowly not dropping. That is with the headlight turned off and no load on the charging system. Heres LD's voltmeter install, I have the same one.

http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/showthread.php?t=936

[Astir]

Now that your problem is solved, I am crossing my fingers you can get out and ride soon!

[KansasKawboy]

Now that your problem is solved, I am crossing my fingers you can get out and ride soon!


+1000

[BuckeyeInColorado]

Well thanks all! I was able to ride to my Toastmasters meeting the next day and ALMOST made it all the way home before..yes... it died again! I just can't believe how lucky I've been that it has chosen to die as I was riding into a parking lot all 3 times! This time the shop towed the bike in and found out that there was a bolt loose on the regulator rectifier and they tightened it down then tested the rest of the electrical system. They re-tested and recharged my new battery and everything is now good to go! I got to pick it up today just to put it back into storage... it was snowing like a sonu*********un..grrr! Next weekend is supposed to maybe hit the 50's, so we'll see how much sand and grit is on the roads after this storm..

[KansasKawboy]

Dang talk about a roller coaster, you must be worn out from the emotional swings. The trill of riding and the let down when it died. I hope they have it fixed now. Bummer about the snow, it's supposed to come here next.

[KCDakar]

Dang talk about a roller coaster, you must be worn out from the emotional swings. The trill of riding and the let down when it died. I hope they have it fixed now. Bummer about the snow, it's supposed to come here next.

+1 :thumbup: