Topic: Battery ground location

[Doogs]

Hello all,

Recently got back to working on my 82 650. I wanted to check where the battery ground is meant to be mounted. The first picture is where I have it by the foot brake switch, but I have an old memory that it used to be on the bolt by the starter motor cover in the second photo. Having issues testing electrical since I'm replacing the solenoid and need a new core.

Thanks for the help in advance.

[calj737]

In your first picture, you need to move the ground behind the brake switch so it’s sandwiched between the frame and motor. Having it in contact with painted metal is not allowing an uninterrupted contact.

[Doogs]

Thanks for checking my stupid mistake!   

[Doogs]

Note for anyone going through this.

My engine had not been turned over after an oil change 7 months prior. The ground was not the issue. I had a bad core that was rated to 200 CCA. Got a new AGM battery (170 CCA) and still had the same issue.

Its is probably poor practice. My solution: I knew that the starter motor was good (powered off the bike) and the turned the engine over. It was stiff but moving. Decided to hook up a spare battery from my 93 suburban (800 CCA) and it was able to turn over, although it still struggled.

Sprayed starter fluid and it fired up. After running it for a short while the engine freed itself up and it now works on the 170 CCA battery.

What's the old saying? Bigger battery, more chooch?

[HondaMan]

Yep, when they sit for a long time with old oil in the crank & rod bearings, they absorb moisture slowly thru the air itself. This turns the oil into a mild pasty solution that doesn't lube anything, let alone bearings. Even in the old H-D Sportster 883cc engines with roller bearing cranks, those 2 pistons would not let me kick the engine over when someone did just that: my shop (sadly) sold H-D, too, and this was an every-Spring issue with H-D bikes being trucked in by frustrated owners (until the electric-start Sportsters changed all that). I had a mechanic who worked for me who was 200+ lbs (I am, still, 135 lbs) and he had to be the mad monkey to wrestle those back to life. SO stiff...