Author Topic: Headlight Kills bike?  (Read 406 times)

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Offline M_Stone76?

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Headlight Kills bike?
« on: March 02, 2024, 07:47:18 PM »
Hello,
So I’m having a dilemma with the headlight on my bike , a truly weird one
The issue is, whenever I go to cold start my bike with the headlight on, it will drain the battery within 30 seconds,
No matter how much I rev the bike to get the stator going I kills it
BUT, when the bike is warmed up without the headlight on and riden for a good while, the headlight stays on once turned and no issues are had.
Check everything with the battery, stator, field coil, reg/rec, wiring. It is perfect working order.
It is strange and I don’t understand it.
any advice would be much appreciated, thanks

Offline CycleRanger

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2024, 08:38:10 PM »
How old is the battery? Have you tested it by itself under a load?
Do you have a copy of the Honda Shop Manual or Parts List for your bike? Get one here:
https://www.honda4fun.com/materiale/documentazione-tecnica
CB750K5        '79 XL250s     CL350K3
CB750K3        '76 XS650      '76 CJ360T

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2024, 05:27:58 AM »
How old is the battery? Have you tested it by itself under a load?

+1. All the signs of a battery on it’s way out.

Offline M_Stone76?

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2024, 10:31:01 AM »
Battery is a brand new Antigravity.

Offline HondaMan

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2024, 10:38:37 AM »
Those batteries scare me....they have a limited temperature range in which they work right.
They can burn, too. :(
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

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Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
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Offline CycleRanger

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2024, 11:12:10 AM »
Battery is a brand new Antigravity.

Hmm, need more info about your charging setup. Are you using a modern reg/rec combo?
When the battery dies how are you recharging it?

Also, being a brand new battery there is a possibility that it is defective in some way.
Do you have a copy of the Honda Shop Manual or Parts List for your bike? Get one here:
https://www.honda4fun.com/materiale/documentazione-tecnica
CB750K5        '79 XL250s     CL350K3
CB750K3        '76 XS650      '76 CJ360T

Offline rotortiller

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2024, 11:49:44 AM »
Any battery that drains in 30 seconds is bad, if it wasn't bad you'd need a lot of drain to do that. A good 10-15 amp/hr battery would need 90 amps or more to do that in 30 seconds. I would charge the battery and then discharge at a known rate with a timer. When it goes dark I would have a meter on the battery to make sure it is not a connection.

rt

Offline M_Stone76?

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2024, 12:26:30 PM »
I did some trouble shooting with a multi-meter while cold starting the bike.
Over night the battery stayed at 12.94 volts. Good battery.
Plugged in the headlight n started the bike. Charging as normal , but stays charging with some throttle, if I let it idle cold , it gets low enough to kill the bike.
I’ve heard these bikes don’t like to charge the battery much cold nor while it’s idling , I’m guessing this is the issue.

Offline bryanj

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2024, 12:49:34 PM »
Cold to hot shouldnt make any difference usless a high resistance joint is in circuit, revs do make a big difference
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Offline HondaMan

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2024, 01:34:37 PM »
There are certain lithium mixtures that will not let a 'cold' battery release very much power. The chemical reaction of the lithium cell happens at temperature (remember all the 'stuck' Tesla's last January?) and a cold battery has little power. "Cold" is a relative term, determined by the individual battery's design (or construction, or lithium chemistry used).

Here's something you might try, which comes from old oilfield experience:
When coming to the bike, turn the key on and turn on the headlight for 3-5 seconds (maybe 10) before trying to start it. The discharge, if it have enough surface electrons available, will warm the individual cells very quickly. Then the chemistry will start, bringing up the free electrons you need.

In the oilfield, when our trucks would be in sub-zero (WAY sub, like -30 degrees F or more) for the night before, we would climb into the cabs and turn on all the lights on the truck, marker lights, spotlights, etc. Then about 45-60 seconds later the engines could turn over fast enough to start. If we just tried to jump in the cabs and start them, they turned over too slowly and flooded the engines with diesel, making them REAL hard to start, if at all. The discharge will fire up the chemistry in the lithium battery: you might have to experiment with the 'start delay' time to make it optimum.
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline M_Stone76?

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2024, 01:40:01 PM »
Interesting, ok I will try that, thanks  !

Offline newday777

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Re: Headlight Kills bike?
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2024, 03:23:21 PM »
Interesting, ok I will try that, thanks  !
So where are you and what is the temperatures??
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 2 K4, 2 K6, 1 K8
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A