fredx Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 So I'm at bike week yesterday. Starting the bird up, shutting it off repeatedly. As always, no problems. I pull up to the hotel and park it out front while I check in. I come back outside to pull the bike into the garage and watch the normal pre-start countdown, lights are all on, etc. But when I go to start it I get the dreaded clicking sound. And the bike will not turn over at all. Sounds like another dead battery. Now I have 2 external devices wired on my battery (the bigger 14S Yuasa). My Zumo (with included inline fuse) and the plug off my battery tender. I remove both of the devices off the battery and still no joy. I push the thing into the gargage as the Harley guys all laugh and give me a hard time (Did I mention Harley puts all of their show workers up at the Hilton...). This morning I jump it off my wife's car and blammo, starts right up. As I'm riding in to work I realize I'm low on gas. Worrying I will have to jump it or find some kind souls willing to help me bump start it. But the red flashy thing has been flashing for about 20 miles. So I stop for gas and..shut it off. Here's where it get werd. After I fill 'er up, I figger I'll give it a shot to see if it'll start up. Blammo! It starts up without a hiccup. I've since turned it off and restarted it multiple times with no drama. What gives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 ALL vehicle batteries self-charge to some extent because of how the chemicals inside the cells create power. If you run down a motorcycle battery and let it sit a few hours, it should have enough juice to start and then it'll start recharging from the system if you leave it running at decent RPMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biometrix Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 This may be too simple but did you check that both battery cables were good and tight? Also might want to check the ground cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredx Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thx guys. Yes, I checked all of the +, - and ground wires. I also went through all of the fuses to be sure I didn't miss anything. The thing that is weird is that with previous dead battery situations the lights often would not even come on. This time everything appeared A-Ok but the dreaded clicking sound ensued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 A good battery can produce 12v with good cells, but not enough CCA because it is run down. That SHOULD be possible. A chemist can better answer this. 12v at 1 amp is 12v at 500 amps. The cells don't just create voltage (x volts per cell) but the chemical process created the amperage stored in the battery. When you charge a battery, you aren't replenishing voltage, you're replenishing the ability to hold/store/create amperage. A bad battery typically has shorted cells, so you don't even get 12v out of it. Even a faulty charging system should show around 12v because that's what the battery generates in voltage by itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_40 Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Most likely you killed the battery from starting it and shutting it off. If you aren't driving far between starting it you keep taking power from the battery but never put enough back in to charge it back to where it was. If your fan is running and you are under 2000RPM the XX's fan and electronics are probably taking up almost all the RR's output and not charging the battery at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Last time I ran down a good battery (pushing a Kawi down the highway when it ran out of gas...at night) the headlight was the last thing to go out when I sucked the life out of the battery. Lamps take only a few amps to burn. Nothing compared to firing a plug or cranking the motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredx Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like I am due for battery #3. Has anyone else had to replace their battery every 2 years? Yes, I know I live in FL but still, that seems like a pretty short life for a battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuffguyF4i Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Starting and stopping enough times, will kill any battery. I'd run the battery around under normal conditions and see if you have any issues. Could it be that you started the starting and stopping and the batt was already weak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A lot of short-trip driving would kill a battery. If you aren't spending enough "quality time" over 3,000 RPM when the bike runs, you aren't giving it a good charging. Consider a trickle charger for the bike overnight to compensate for the stop and go day driving? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A lot of short-trip driving would kill a battery. If you aren't spending enough "quality time" over 3,000 RPM when the bike runs, you aren't giving it a good charging. Consider a trickle charger for the bike overnight to compensate for the stop and go day driving? So I'm at bike week yesterday. Starting the bird up, shutting it off repeatedly. As always, no problems. I pull up to the hotel and park it out front while I check in. I come back outside to pull the bike into the garage and watch the normal pre-start countdown, lights are all on, etc. But when I go to start it I get the dreaded clicking sound. And the bike will not turn over at all. Sounds like another dead battery. Now I have 2 external devices wired on my battery (the bigger 14S Yuasa). My Zumo (with included inline fuse) and the plug off my battery tender. I remove both of the devices off the battery and still no joy. I push the thing into the gargage as the Harley guys all laugh and give me a hard time (Did I mention Harley puts all of their show workers up at the Hilton...). This morning I jump it off my wife's car and blammo, starts right up. As I'm riding in to work I realize I'm low on gas. Worrying I will have to jump it or find some kind souls willing to help me bump start it. But the red flashy thing has been flashing for about 20 miles. So I stop for gas and..shut it off. Here's where it get werd. After I fill 'er up, I figger I'll give it a shot to see if it'll start up. Blammo! It starts up without a hiccup. I've since turned it off and restarted it multiple times with no drama. What gives? Looks like it has been considered....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A lot of short-trip driving would kill a battery. If you aren't spending enough "quality time" over 3,000 RPM when the bike runs, you aren't giving it a good charging. Consider a trickle charger for the bike overnight to compensate for the stop and go day driving? So I'm at bike week yesterday. Starting the bird up, shutting it off repeatedly. As always, no problems. I pull up to the hotel and park it out front while I check in. I come back outside to pull the bike into the garage and watch the normal pre-start countdown, lights are all on, etc. But when I go to start it I get the dreaded clicking sound. And the bike will not turn over at all. Sounds like another dead battery. Now I have 2 external devices wired on my battery (the bigger 14S Yuasa). My Zumo (with included inline fuse) and the plug off my battery tender. I remove both of the devices off the battery and still no joy. I push the thing into the gargage as the Harley guys all laugh and give me a hard time (Did I mention Harley puts all of their show workers up at the Hilton...). This morning I jump it off my wife's car and blammo, starts right up. As I'm riding in to work I realize I'm low on gas. Worrying I will have to jump it or find some kind souls willing to help me bump start it. But the red flashy thing has been flashing for about 20 miles. So I stop for gas and..shut it off. Here's where it get werd. After I fill 'er up, I figger I'll give it a shot to see if it'll start up. Blammo! It starts up without a hiccup. I've since turned it off and restarted it multiple times with no drama. What gives? Looks like it has been considered....... Don't make fun of me....I'm tired and could only think back about 3 posts. :icon_doh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willxx23 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Looks like I am due for battery #3. Has anyone else had to replace their battery every 2 years? Yes, I know I live in FL but still, that seems like a pretty short life for a battery. Something more has to be wrong, I'm still on my oem battery @65k and now 9yrs laters..... I know I should just replace it but now I'm to the point where I want to see how far I can go...kind of like the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and the car salesman go well past the "E" mark... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredx Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 I agree Will. Something else must be wrong. I have read a bunch of the R1 posts but my unit does not appear to to "bad". Being in the ignition business I kinda know my way around the electrical system. I'm just wondering if there's someone who might have a similar experience. New Yuasa 12S battery on the way from MotoX... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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