Topic: Bad battery or something else?

[Dos]

Over the last couple of seasons I’ve noticed some wonky things with my 350f.

If the bike is in neutral with lights on, the lights will get dimmer unless I rev. If I don’t rev the lights will get so dim the entire bike will just shut off. More recently now even without the lights, if I don’t rev in neutral it sometimes can idle poorly.

My fuse used to blow all the time however one day I decided to go up an amp and then I never had any problems.

Lastly the electric start just doesn’t have enough juice to kick over anymore.
Is my batter dead or something on my electric system messed up? Maybe the fuse I got is messing things up? My fuses used to go all the time but it hasn’t gone once since I went up a size .

Thank you

[minimo]

Check and clean your wires. Check your ignition and its wires too. Corrosion and oxidation can create resistance and may result in your regulator overcharging or negatively impacting your battery.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[754]

Check your grounds, the one by the seat lock on some models us often overlooked.  As is  the wire from battery into harness connection.. red/White wire I believe..

[Deltarider]

If the bike is in neutral with lights on, the lights will get dimmer unless I rev.

This ^, in itself is normal... 

If I don’t rev the lights will get so dim the entire bike will just shut off. More recently now even without the lights, if I don’t rev in neutral it sometimes can idle poorly.

... but^ this is not.

My fuse used to blow all the time however one day I decided to go up an amp and then I never had any problems.

Check wiring.

Lastly the electric start just doesn’t have enough juice to kick over anymore.
Is my batter dead or something on my electric system messed up?

Test is simple: charge battery, leave the battery alone for a couple of hours, read voltage. Less than 12,6 V means battery has reached the end of its lifetime. CB350F models can benefit enormously from replacing indicator- and brake bulbs by European style bulbs. In practically all European countries a standard brake/taillight is 21/5W, indicator bulbs were 18W. France had even 10W for indicator bulbs. Choice of wattage in US is a waste of energy and does NOT necessarily mean better performance...

[newday777]

Over the last couple of seasons I’ve noticed some wonky things with my 350f.

If the bike is in neutral with lights on, the lights will get dimmer unless I rev. If I don’t rev the lights will get so dim the entire bike will just shut off. More recently now even without the lights, if I don’t rev in neutral it sometimes can idle poorly.

My fuse used to blow all the time however one day I decided to go up an amp and then I never had any problems.

Lastly the electric start just doesn’t have enough juice to kick over anymore.
Is my batter dead or something on my electric system messed up? Maybe the fuse I got is messing things up? My fuses used to go all the time but it hasn’t gone once since I went up a size .

Thank you

You need to do the tests and inspection of you battery and charging system.
Start with testing the battery with a load test and verify voltage.
Then inspect the connectors in the charging harness for dirty and burnt pins and wires as that is a huge problem most fail to keep clean and the results are burnt pins and loss of connection, which when left long enough can burn out a stator leg(stators are 3 phase and requires all 3 phases to operate).

This will school you on charging system testing and how they work if you do diligent study.(if you are unwilling to learn... Take it to a professional that knows how to test and repair it)

http://motorcyclemd.com/how-to-fully-troubleshoot-your-motorcycles-charging-system/


Your starter not spinning over the motor can be a dirty starter needing to be cleaned and freshened up(most likely) or possibly a dirty start switch or a failing starter solenoid(least likely in your case).

[Deltarider]

I'd start simple. Check fuse connectors are clean and make good contact. Dito for both ends of main fuse. You could do a voltage drop measurement over the fuse holder. Dead simple.

[Dos]

Awesome thank you for all the help I appreciate it. One thing to note is that with the old fuses they would melt that plastic casing that holds it in place

[minimo]

Awesome thank you for all the help I appreciate it. One thing to note is that with the old fuses they would melt that plastic casing that holds it in place

Sounds like you might have one of your charging wires from the reg/rect connected wrong, shorted, or touching ground. I remember encountering something like this on a 360T where one of the Green wires had a faint yellow stripe and I had it connected to GND. The result was that at high revs I was blowing out the running light at the brake and also blowing out fuses. Turns out, it was a charging wire connected to ground. I switched the wires, after wasting a bunch of fuses and brake lights, and charging was back to normal and no more burning out bulbs and fuses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dos]

Hey everyone here is an update :

The fuse connections were definitely dirty so I fixed that and I have a 5amp fuse in there.

The battery disconnected from the bike reads: 12.6 volts

At idle with no lights reads: 14.5 volts

With lights on it immediately drops to 8volts and the bike turns off.

If I rev the bike while lights on the volts go up and sit for a minute and then drop down and die again.

Perhaps I have the wrong amp fuse?

[Dos]

Does anyone know what the proper amp is for a Cb350f?

[minimo]

Perhaps you have a short somewhere in your lights? Take a systematic approach and at this point, disconnect the lights, one at a time to figure out which ones are the culprit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dos]

Yeah I’m thinking it’s in the headlamp.

No matter what though the electric start doesn’t work even after riding around for a good couple of hours. The lights work no matter what even when revving

[minimo]

Then while you have the battery charging, pop open the bucket and start pulling the following, systematically:

Left = Orange, Orange/White
Right = Light Blue, Light Blue/White


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bryanj]

15 amp fuse is standard and it sounds to me like your battery is bad but check all generator connectors

[Bodi]

Voltage says almost zero about a battery's clndition.
Your symptoms say your battery is bad. I suspect it can't manage an electric start right after charging.
A decent 350 Four size battery will power a 15A load (with a 15A fuse that's your maximum draw) for several minutes before its voltage falls off a cliff.
These small batteries with the weak 350 charging system tend to fail just like this, capacity falls off dramatcally at around 3 years of use.

[Dos]

I do remember going into the bucket awhile ago and perhaps I didn’t connect everything appropriately..
I was getting a new battery every season so I’ll get a new one I guess... if my charging system does suck what can I do to make it charge my battery better?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

+1

Fully charge your battery and TAKE it, not ride it, for a load test. I use Advance Auto. You will probably/maybe need to replace it. If so fully charge the new battery and install it then do a voltage test throughout the rpm range and watch for rising voltage to say 14.5V. Not sure with the little bikes. That tests your charging output. If you're not getting rising voltage according to the charts then start cleaning/tightening connectors and go from there.

EVERY SEASON?! Get an inexpensive battery MAINTAINER. Cheaper and much more convenient than buying batteries and not being able to go for a ride.

[Bodi]

A few things:
Do you have electrical mods? The 350 has very little extra alternator capacity with all stock parts.
- high wattage headlight? A standard aftermarket H4 55/65W headlight will most likely cause charging issues. You can get 35/35W H4 bulbs (used in a lot of scooters) which will be better for charging but obviously put out less light... still better than the OEM Stanley sealed beam though.
- Electronic ignition? Some, particularly the Dyna S, draw around double the power of the OEM points ignition. The Hondaman system does not draw much extra power and I would recommend it. It uses the original points as a trigger but with a very low switched current those points last pretty much forever and rarely need adjustment, just a dab of grease on the cam once a year or so.
- This engine has a set of bullet connectors (5) for the alternator wires, under the left side cover. These are somewhat open to weather and definitely get heat cycled every time you ride. They are very prone to corrosion and poor connections, if the clear sleeves are burnt dark brown or black that's been a problem for a while. This reduces alternator output considerably when the field coil or stator wire connections are compromised.

[Dos]

The bike used to charge the battery fine that’s why I feel it’s in the headlamp. Next time I ride I’ll pick up a new battery and do some tests

[bryanj]

The ONLY way to improve charging is reduce the electrical load

[enwri]

Did a good battery fix this?
There is a way to mess up the headlamp wiring to get both filaments powered at the same time  (both the high and low beam in series) by swapping the earth and high beam wires to the bulb holder. Double load.
It wont like powering that for long.   

[Bodi]

In 50 years riding bikes with, well... faith based charging systems... I have replaced a lot of batteries.
This summer on my CB77 after a ride with no issues, electric start used several times, a few days later the battery could not hold a charge. Acting just like yours is.
This isn't the first battery to do that to me.
It's just what they do sometimes.
Stop chasing phantom problems and get a new battery.
Have it tested if you want, but your reported symptoms lead me to a rather certain diagnosis - substitute "battery" for "parrot" in the Monty Python sketch, that's your situation.

[robvangulik]

If it looks like a parrot, sounds like a parrot and tastes like chicken, it is a parrot?

[bryanj]

No its a charrot

[Kevnz]

Possibly an EX-charrot, bereft of life!

[Deltarider]

The charrot has gone to see its breaker.