Topic: This Sucks! My battery not holding a charge.

[bluezboy]

 My battery is not holding a charge, I took a ride today for about a total of an hour with a few stops here and there and by the time I got home I could restart it with the electric starter.   I did notice about 40 after I started, that the turn signal sounded weaker, the horn stopped working and the light was dimmer. the bike is kept on a trickle charger when I'm not riding, so it was fully charged this morning.
    I just read on the forum that maybe I'm not keeping my rpm's up high enough to keep it  fully charged, I'm new to riding, so I'm not exactly burning rubber around town! I'm not doing too much idiling. The PO said this gel battery is new, not sure how new though. So my question is,  where should  I keep my rpm's to keep that thing charged?   Should I just use my kick as much at all times? I read the electric drains the battery faster. It does kick with no problem. I  haven't tested  the voltage yet since I'm leaving for vacation in the a.m. so there's no time now. Any insights will be welcome.

[Gordon]

Normal riding, even just around town, shouldn't discharge the battery unless you're stuck in traffic the majority of the time.  When you get back in town and have time you'll need to test the charging system with a known good battery attached. 

[bluezboy]

Thanks Gordon. I'll buy a new battery when I get back and see how that work before I start panicking about my electrical system.

[Gordon]

I wouldn't spend the money on a new battery just yet.  Give it a full charge and then check it to see if it will hold that charge when a load is applied. 

[Inigo Montoya]

Yeah what gordon said! Charge the batt fully and then take it off the charger and take a volt reading. Leave it for a few hours or overnight and then check voltage. A fully charged battery should be 12.5 - 12.8 or so. If it is down lower than that, the battery might be going, if it is below 12, then it is sulfated. You can either replace it or you can get a battery charger with a pulse charge that will desulfinate the lead plates. A battery will be about 50ish and a charger would be about 100 but would be usable on other batteries too.

[Frostyboy]

Take care with what charger you use if in fact you do have a gel battery. There's some interesting reading if you follow this link.
http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_chargers.html

[Gordon]

Chances are it's not actually a "Gel" battery, but an AGM.  Many people just call any sealed battery a Gel.

[asom]

not an expert.  I've been fighting this fight for a bit...

might want to see if your volts raise with the RPM's at the battery when at revs.  also check you rectifier for continuity.  You should be able to search out those checks.  If you have a manual they're in there too.  YOU SHOULD HAVE A MANUAL!

[Griz]

A pretty standard procedure for checking charging system goes like this:

1. start your bike
2. set multimeter to DC Voltage and place probes on appropriate batt terminals
3. rev motor to approximately 2500 rpm
4. multimeter should read approximately 14.5V
5. if this reading is correct, remove batt and take to autoparts store for a deep cycle test. they do this for free.
6. if this reading is not correct,
    a: buy a manual and follow the instructions for troubleshooting charging system or
    b: take your bike to your local motorcycle mechanic

good luck

[Inigo Montoya]

you may not get 14.5 if the battery is toast though. A cooked battery will soak some of that voltage.

[Spanner 1]

6b....not! Your local bike mechanic resides on this Forum.... 5,000 brains are better than one.!

And what's your bike ?     Put it under your avatar, por favor.

[bluezboy]

Okay guys and gals, I'm back from our 3 week vacation in Honduras, where I spent a good part of my nights and early morning fretting about my bike electrical system instead of appreciating the gorgeous view of the Carribean we have we have from our front door!
   So when I got back I made up my mind to change up how I rode, see my previous posts and to really wind up those rpms, but first this is what I did differently today:
             

  Forgot to mention that the battery is fairly new, just got the bike in late May

  1. I took just the battery in to have it tested after I had trickled it all night. It tested fine (See PDF)
  2. I disconnected the " easy charge" clip from the battery  when I reinstalled it and then charged it
     again last night 
  3.  I did not use the starter at all, only kicked it the at the one stop  i did make. I did use the starter
       once at the auto store after my second test.
  4.   I left the headlight off and used the turn signals only when I knew I had to!
  5.   I took her out in the country where I was able to ride the crap our of her finally with hardly any
        stops. I maintained a steady rpm of at least 4300 up to 5200 before I shifted. I did most of the ride
        in 3rd gear, but did jumped up to 4th for short spurts, but I never dropped below 4000.
  6.   Took her back to Advanced Auto after 75 miles of riding like this and had it tested while on the bike.

   So it seem like it is being charged by the bike as long as I only kick and leave that light off. I've ordered a Scorpion battery to see if that will make a difference in stop in go traffic, since I will be stuck doing that kind of riding during the work week. Stay tuned!

[Gordon]

Thanks for the update.

Seems like your battery is in good shape, but we still don't know the state of your charging system.  If the only way for your bike to keep a good battery fully charged is to ride the way you said you rode before the previous test, then there may be something wrong with it.  Normal riding, without consideration for keeping the bike at high revs or turning lights off/ not using specific lights at certain times, should keep the battery pretty much fully charged.  If you have to take specific actions to keep your bike from draining a good battery under normal operating conditions, then something is wrong with the bike's electrical system. 

Check the battery voltage at various rpm's and see what it shows.   

[bluezboy]

 Gordon, I plan on getting  meter this week to check it out. I'll let you know what happens.

[bluezboy]

  Well folks, my bike died on me today. I checked the main fuse and even put in a new one and still got zero response, no lights. Looks like my charging system is officially screwed up, I charged the battery again tonight and still nothing. So where do I start since I can't get it started to test anything? Sheeeeesh, the joys of owning an old bike.....

[Spanner 1]

The battery in your bike is directly connected to the rectifier, so even in the garage in the dead of night or while your in the house  looking at the 10 o'clock news or in bed and asleep... your battery is connected to the rect.. SO, if 1 or more diodes are shorted in your bikes rectifier then the battery will drain overnight and the battery won't charge when the bike is running... I'd be checking-out the rectifier....