Topic: Battery wont stay charged?

[Boogerbandit04]

This is on a 76 CB550, so I had the battery on a trickle charger for 3hours and it started fine with both electric starting and kick starting. After riding about 10miles, and stopping the electric starter wouldnt crank over to start the bike. I kicked it, then off i went. After taking a break after another 20miles, it died. No kickstarting would start it, no lights (or VERY dim). I let it sit all night and it fired up in the morning. Electric start still doesnt want to work, but I can kick start it (until it dies again), any tips on what could be draining the battery? I had the system checked and it makes about 14v @ 3,000rpm.

[nickjtc]

How old is the battery? Lots of electrolyte in the cells? It might be time to put it out to pasture and get another one.....

[Boogerbandit04]

I dont think its that old. It looks practically brand new. I noticed the electrolyte is a little low in cell 3 and 5, could that be it?

[TwoTired]

Have there been any electrical mods made to the bike?  Coils, headlight, etc

Was your bike operation all above 3000RPM.  Or, lots of stop lights and near idle operation where the alternator puts out very little power.?

Also, you can't simply look at a battery to determine function.  It has to be load tested after being fully charged to make that determination. 

Low electrolyte can certainly weaken a battery, as can impurities in the electrolyte, such as tap water.

Cheers,

[Boogerbandit04]

True, I only have a permit for now so its alot of stop and go traffic. Im going to stop using the electric starter to start the bike and just use the kicker all the time. Im going to fill up the electrolyte level and fully charge this puppy. Alot of places I have been wont load test a low voltage battery in fear they will ruin what may be a good battery.

[the godfather]

I had something like this happen on a cb500 I once owned. It was the regulator/rectifier, cant remember which. Couldn't afford a new one at the time so used the kick start and not use the lights,charge the battery every to days. I did this for four months. Maybe worth getting them tested.

[TwoTired]

Alot of places I have been wont load test a low voltage battery in fear they will ruin what may be a good battery.

And rightly so...   Would you like to be tested for strength when you are at your weakest?   Like... hanging off a cliff?


If you are doing mostly low speed riding, use low beam, on your headlight, which is hopefully only 40 watts.

At idle, your alternator only makes 30-50 watts,  Coils take 30W, the alternator uses 30 Watts, instrument lights take 10 watts, tail light takes 7-8 watts, stop light takes 23 or 32 watts (the lesser if it has a stock bulb).

What the alternator doesn't provide, the battery does...until it can't.  When the coils don't get enough to make spark, the motor stops.

If you are going to do a lot of low RPM operation, and can operate without a headlight safely, then pull the headlight fuse.

The electric starter draws 150 Amps (about 1800 watts), FYI.

Cheers,

[nickjtc]

If you are going to do a lot of low RPM operation, and can operate without a headlight safely, then pull the headlight fuse.

Good tip. We pull the headlight fuses on all our training bikes when they are just being used on the range.

[Boogerbandit04]

I really hadnt thought about pulling the headlight fuse. I cant ride around at night. I know it does take alot of wattage when its just on with no motor on. I am going to have the whole system checked eventually. It ran alright today.

[tbpmusic]

Even brand new batteries can be bad - just happened to me.
Also be advised that running these batteries dead more times than you can count on your fingers will hurt them bad. They just won't take a charge after a while.
They're marginal for the task in the first place, and the charging systems are also marginal.

At least try a battery you know is good.

bill

[nickjtc]

And use a proper motorcycle battery specific charger, like a Battery Tender.

[cleveland]

I use 2 batteries because I put in a brighter (takes more juice) headlight.  Once a week I swap batteries and put the old one on the battery tender. 

If I forget to swap batteries and the one in the bike is low, I turn the headlight off to start it.  Once running, I jam on the throttle and pumps enough just to turn the headlight on.  That will usually do the trick to me home.   

[tbpmusic]

Frankly, I'd GLADLY give up 10 pounds for a more Manly battery, if there was just room for it.

bill

[Chad]

I've been dealing with charging issues for a while, but the bike always run. I kickstart most days, though. If I leave the battery on a charger all night, the starter will work in the morning and the rest of the day. After that it's slowly losing charge.  I finally looked for a date on the battery (my first bike, and it's only been a few weeks.) I see 02 07 01 stamped right on top (it's a Champion battery for my CB360T.) Could this battery reall be from 2001? I didn't think they lasted that long at all. 

Where is the date stamped on Champion battery? Is it on top or somewhere else I haven't found?

Either way, I guess I need to get a new one.

[tom8Toe]

I had something like this happen on a cb500 I once owned. It was the regulator/rectifier, cant remember which. Couldn't afford a new one at the time so used the kick start and not use the lights,charge the battery every to days. I did this for four months. Maybe worth getting them tested.

This sounds like the same issue I've been having with my '75 CB400F. After "upgrading" the regulator/rectifier I was still having the same issue. I went thru 3 batteries in just as many months before I settled on a sealed gel battery. Battery was still losing a charge. The shop hooked up an additional kill switch off the positive post of the battery thinking "I'll just kill all the electricity coming from the battery while the bikes sleeping". Yeah, this didn't work either. Finally, I find out that the "Upgrade" on the rectifier wasn't such an upgrade. Replaced it with OEM Honda rectifier for a CB400F, Tested, battery taking a charge, put 50+ miles on the bike, let it sit for 3 days and tried to start.... What do you know, it started right up and still seems to be holding a charge. Only time will tell.