Help me figure out my electrical issues!

[Emillard]

OK,

So here's the situation.

-Bike won't start without a jump

-All fuses look to be OK

-When the bike is jumped it will not stay running without the jumper cables plugged into my truck

-The headlight does not work when the bike is running

Here's what I've checked so far

-At rest the battery is reading 12.69V

-When I turn the key to the "on" position it reads 0.20V

-While running the battery reads 13.9V

-The bike dies when I rev it.

-Testing the Stator revealed a consistent 14.5V at idle accross all wire combinations checked

-I followed some flow sheet that was posted here that stated that if the battery was >13.5 and <14.5V at idle then there was not a charging issue

-I don't have another motorcycle battery to test

Could it be that my battery simply can no longer carry a load? If so why would that affect the headlight when the bike is running? This came out of nowhere. I haven't ridden the bike in about 2 weeks but it did have a battery tender plugged into it.

I'm a bit lost here.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[cbrxxquad]

shorted battery, replace

[Emillard]

Well thank you very much!

I'll give it a try.

[JB4XX]

shorted battery, replace

+++1

[Zero Knievel]

+++++1

Shorted batteries test okay but aren't. Annoying.

[Emillard]

Do you guys know what causes a shorted battery, typically? Is it something I did or just some freak thing?

Thanks for all the help by the way.

[Iceman_40]

Not sure had a brand new battery this spring that did the same thing. Charge it fully and had right voltage, but wouldn't take any load fully charged it wouldn't even spin over the engine.

[mikesail]

First make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight. After that it is most likely battery as others have noted.

[redxxrdr]

I bet your battery is a standard lead acid type. They can short from heat, vibration, or being old and sulfated. The OEM style AGM batteries seem to hold up longer.

Another possibility, but just as bad a failure is a open connection in the battery near a pole. You can see full charge when using a high impedance meter, but under a load, the connection will open up.

I have always put a high quality battery in my bikes, and charged it properly before installing. 5-7 years of service is normal for me. Assuming that is that I didn't forget and leave the ignition on and drain it some time during it's life.

[Emillard]

Thanks for all your help guys. I put an AGM style battery in tonight and followed the appropriate charging procedures. She works like a charm again! I guess with all the talk about stator and R/R failure I just assumed that it couldn't be something as simple as the battery.

Oh and when I mentioned that my headlight was out while the bike was running...well...that was because the bulb was burned out. I guess it took tinkering with a dead battery to realize I had a headlight out too.

Thanks again!!!