BarryG Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 choke on.....as usual.....tries to kick over for a second or so and then just the click-click-click like there's no battery. But the lights on the dash stay on (neutral, sidestand light). I don't know if it's the original battery or not....got it used in Feb.....battery "looks" to be newer. No changes made to the bike for months.....rejetted months ago by the shop. Been riding it a decent amount too. Don't have a voltmeter...or anything like that. What next? Stick the trickle charger on the battery and see if gets a charge? Where can I get a battery for the Bird? Thanks for any feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrzxxx Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 charge and see most auto parts and sears look gor a gel type and get if you can cost more and worth it. Call a battery store like distributer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CxBXR Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 You can also test to see if it's battery related with some jumper cables & a car/motorcycle battery. (no need for the engine running) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 You can also test to see if it's battery related with some jumper cables & a car/motorcycle battery. (no need for the engine running) I have it on the trickle charger right now.......still charging. Assuming it starts up after that......I guess I should replace the battery or take it to autozone to see if it's still good? I don't think it's the OEM or if it's sealed or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CxBXR Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 You can also test to see if it's battery related with some jumper cables & a car/motorcycle battery. (no need for the engine running) I have it on the trickle charger right now.......still charging. Assuming it starts up after that......I guess I should replace the battery or take it to autozone to see if it's still good? I don't think it's the OEM or if it's sealed or not. If it has a bad cell inside the battery it wont hold a charge, jumping it with cables will determine if its the battery or something else.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 +1 on the jumper cables. I'm amazed how many people don't realize you can safely start a MC from a car battery (12v is 12v) to either overcome a battery allowed to discharge or to test if you have a bad battery or some other problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC Randy Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 First, I would invest in a multimeter. Even a cheap Harbor Freight deal, will tell you if your charging system is putting out voltage. Chances are your battery went tits up, and just needs to be replaced. You don't want to try to nurse along a bad or weak battery, or you will fry your charging system. And when it comes to batterys, you get what you pay for. Yuasa! And a lot of guys including me are replacing the 12AH with the 14AH. Just a tad taller, and a pretty good jump in cold cranking amps. No problems with fitting. Here's a thread on changing to the larger batterys http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forums/index.php?...a+battery+14+ah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 This is the battery in the bike currently....I'm going to have Autozone run a quick test on it. cheap battery I think it's a sealed type since it has a sticker on top that reads: "Make sure acid bottle type is identical with six cells. Never add water. Never remove the ceiling caps to charge the battery." Jumper cables attached to my car, and bike started right up. I've had the bike since February ('98 only had 14K orig when I got it....now almost 17K). Bike never sits more than a few days ever. I thought the sealed batteries were good to go as long as they stayed charged. Don't know how old this one is....but doesn't "look" very old. So if the battery turns out to be good then I guess it's the stator or R/R? I'm not electrical for shit so I'll probably just have the shop test that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrzxxx Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 LOAD TEST!!!!! the battery at autozone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 LOAD TEST!!!!! the battery at autozone Took it to autozone......guy there said he couldn't test it except to tell me how much voltage it puts out. WTF?? Maybe I'll call another one. Figure I'd trickle charge it fully and then let it sit for a day or two and start up the bike and see if hesitates some or not. If starts right up, then the battery is good I guess but not keeping a charge. If it doesn't start or barely does, then it's most likely the battery. Earlier today, after I started the bike with jumper cables....30 min later the bike started up again but didn't turn over easily........had to give it some throttle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CxBXR Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Take it somewhere else, O'REILEY'S or NAPA, All can load test a battery , but depends on if they want too or not. Yes if it's not the battery, R/R or Stator., but without a load test it is impossible to eliminate the battery & have them double check it, if it dosent appear to have a problem on the first test, I had a bad battery pass the 1st test & fail it the 2nd, so important Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Take it somewhere else, O'REILEY'S or NAPA, All can load test a battery , but depends on if they want too or not. Yes if it's not the battery, R/R or Stator., but without a load test it is impossible to eliminate the battery & have them double check it, if it dosent appear to have a problem on the first test, I had a bad battery pass the 1st test & fail it the 2nd, so important Thanks.....Called another Autozone....no load test. But called NAPA and he said they will so I'll do that tomorrow. I have it back on the trickle charger. Does it matter if the battery is fully charged from the trickle charger before I do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CxBXR Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Take it somewhere else, O'REILEY'S or NAPA, All can load test a battery , but depends on if they want too or not. Yes if it's not the battery, R/R or Stator., but without a load test it is impossible to eliminate the battery & have them double check it, if it dosent appear to have a problem on the first test, I had a bad battery pass the 1st test & fail it the 2nd, so important Thanks.....Called another Autozone....no load test. But called NAPA and he said they will so I'll do that tomorrow. I have it back on the trickle charger. Does it matter if the battery is fully charged from the trickle charger before I do this? If it is "fully charged" it could give a false test reading, so on the first test (see above) if it passes have them check it again to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Take it somewhere else, O'REILEY'S or NAPA, All can load test a battery , but depends on if they want too or not. Yes if it's not the battery, R/R or Stator., but without a load test it is impossible to eliminate the battery & have them double check it, if it dosent appear to have a problem on the first test, I had a bad battery pass the 1st test & fail it the 2nd, so important Thanks.....Called another Autozone....no load test. But called NAPA and he said they will so I'll do that tomorrow. I have it back on the trickle charger. Does it matter if the battery is fully charged from the trickle charger before I do this? If it is "fully charged" it could give a false test reading, so on the first test (see above) if it passes have them check it again to be sure. Or I could just take it off the charger for now? Autozone gave it a volt test and said it was putting out normal voltage only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC Randy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 You will definitely want it charged if you want a load test. I would think that one of the auto parts houses could tell you if you are putting out voltage if you think you can make the ride. My XX is putting out about 14.4 volts according to my on board voltmeter when RPMs are above 2500. Problem with the auto parts guys they are used to working with car batterys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackStreet Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? I guess the other guys left but yes, just take the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrzxxx Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 sears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC Randy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? You would need to ride the bike to the store. If you want to have them check for charging voltage. When you have it running, and have the headlight pointing at the garage wall, can you see it get brighter when you rev it off idle. This will tell you that your charging system is at least putting out some voltage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CxBXR Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? You would need to ride the bike to the store. If you want to have them check for charging voltage. When you have it running, and have the headlight pointing at the garage wall, can you see it get brighter when you rev it off idle. This will tell you that your charging system is at least putting out some voltage. No, just take the battery no need to take the bike, do not trust their peception of an "OK" charging system, just have them check the battery & nothing else. Motorcycle's & cars are 2 different things, a diganostics test for a car may not work for the bike. Here is what to do since you sound unsure : 1) Charge battery 2) Remove battery 3) Take to auto parts 4) Have them load check it, twice to be 100% sure (have had a bad battery past 1st test before but not the 2nd) 5) If it fails, buy a new battery, but keep in mind that they probably dont sell gel or sealed battery's there & if you purchase the liquid acid type it should only be used to get you out of a pinch or Temp. use. 6) IF its good, trouble shoot the R/R & stator when you get home, there is a procedure in the manual on chapter 16 section 7 (16-7) to do this. Clear ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? You would need to ride the bike to the store. If you want to have them check for charging voltage. When you have it running, and have the headlight pointing at the garage wall, can you see it get brighter when you rev it off idle. This will tell you that your charging system is at least putting out some voltage. No, just take the battery no need to take the bike, do not trust their peception of an "OK" charging system, just have them check the battery & nothing else. Motorcycle's & cars are 2 different things, a diganostics test for a car may not work for the bike. Here is what to do since you sound unsure : 1) Charge battery 2) Remove battery 3) Take to auto parts 4) Have them load check it, twice to be 100% sure (have had a bad battery past 1st test before but not the 2nd) 5) If it fails, buy a new battery, but keep in mind that they probably dont sell gel or sealed battery's there & if you purchase the liquid acid type it should only be used to get you out of a pinch or Temp. use. 6) IF its good, trouble shoot the R/R & stator when you get home, there is a procedure in the manual on chapter 16 section 7 (16-7) to do this. Clear ? Yup thanks. If the battery is bad, I'll order one online..I've been pointed to some good sites. I don't really trust myself with stator/R/R stuff....I tend to make things worse and get in over my head. I might take it to the speed shop who does most of the major stuff for me. I completely trust them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Dumb question but I assume I don't need to ride the bike to NAPA right? I can just take the battery in hand correct? You would need to ride the bike to the store. If you want to have them check for charging voltage. When you have it running, and have the headlight pointing at the garage wall, can you see it get brighter when you rev it off idle. This will tell you that your charging system is at least putting out some voltage. No, just take the battery no need to take the bike, do not trust their peception of an "OK" charging system, just have them check the battery & nothing else. Motorcycle's & cars are 2 different things, a diganostics test for a car may not work for the bike. Here is what to do since you sound unsure : 1) Charge battery 2) Remove battery 3) Take to auto parts 4) Have them load check it, twice to be 100% sure (have had a bad battery past 1st test before but not the 2nd) 5) If it fails, buy a new battery, but keep in mind that they probably dont sell gel or sealed battery's there & if you purchase the liquid acid type it should only be used to get you out of a pinch or Temp. use. 6) IF its good, trouble shoot the R/R & stator when you get home, there is a procedure in the manual on chapter 16 section 7 (16-7) to do this. Clear ? Yup thanks. If the battery is bad, I'll order one online..I've been pointed to some good sites. I don't really trust myself with stator/R/R stuff....I tend to make things worse and get in over my head. I might take it to the speed shop who does most of the major stuff for me. I completely trust them. Really sounds like it's the battery from the symptoms.... if not the RR and stator are so easy to test and/or replace, even a caveman could do it. And if you do wind up getting a new stator, get one from electrosport, more power than oem, and very well built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrzxxx Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 One thing that should be said, a voltmeter tells a lot. voltage before starting voltage during starting voltage after starting voltage at higher RPM These voltages are going to tell you almost everything you need to know to diagonse the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busabuddy Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 One thing that should be said, a voltmeter tells a lot. voltage before starting voltage during starting voltage after starting voltage at higher RPM These voltages are going to tell you almost everything you need to know to diagonse the system. yup - keep in mind all systems checks must be done with a known good battery so, i'd bite the bullet and get a new one if there is any doubt -- rotor and stator failures are fairly rare -- but rectifier/regulator failures are not -- plus all wiring from the stator to the r/r needs to be checked -- burnt connectors are a big problem on "classic " bikes The busa was having issues, but a new battery and battery tender fixed that right up -- keep in mind superbikes don't charge well at cruising speeds -- usually need at least 4k rpm to get decent amperage feel free to call me -- you can fly down and feed me or chili's gift cards are accepted There is no red trolley on draft here tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrzxxx Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I will say even if the battery is bad, the starting numbers of voltage will tell you it is bad. it should not drop below 12 volts. if it does you have done a load test. Cells on a new battery will short also, right Phillip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.