Battery

[pahako]

Should 12.5 volts be enough to start my bike? That is what it reads but its not enough to crank it over. It will kick start easy enough and stay running, but soon as I shut it off, it won't start with the button. Just want to make sure I check everything before I buy a new battery. It will turn for a second, then nothing.

Thanks

[jetmechmarty]

Load test the battery. What does the voltage drop to when you push the button?

[fredintoon]

Should 12.5 volts be enough to start my bike? That is what it reads but its not enough to crank it over. It will kick start easy enough and stay running, but soon as I shut it off, it won't start with the button. Just want to make sure I check everything before I buy a new battery. It will turn for a second, then nothing.

Thanks

Hi pahako,
what you read on the Voltmeter ain't everything.
What it reads while it's cranking is more important.
Most likely when your battery is cranking it's voltage gets sucked down to less than the TCI needs to work.
Try boosting from a car battery.
If that works your battery is hooped &/or your alternator ain't charging.

[ViperRon]

I got driven nearly nuts last year right before a meet. Cold bike hit the start button and bike cranks. Bike still cold cut off and starts no problem. Bike warm cut it off and hit the start button and bike cranks till you take finger off button. Then button will not work. Cut key of and on button works for one depression. Problem was consistant and did not change so do not let warm bike confuse the issue.

Problem ended up being a corroded conection at wire going to ignition fuse that only failed under load, the ohm meter showed good.

So I suggest checking grounds and connections with the circuit remember the start button supplies a ground threw handle bars to frame ground

[pahako]

Load test the battery. What does the voltage drop to when you push the button?

It drops to about 2 volts. Is it safe to assume it's the battery?
Also, I am new to these 1100's and was wondering, if the alternator is working correctly, will the bike run without help from the battery? I have an xs650 and if the battery is no good the bike may not get you home.

[natemoen]

The battery sounds toast.

You need a battery, you will fry the reg/rect if you remove the battery and try and run it.

[TopCatGr58]

It drops to about 2 volts. Is it safe to assume it's the battery?
Also, I am new to these 1100's and was wondering, if the alternator is working correctly, will the bike run without help from the battery? I have an xs650 and if the battery is no good the bike may not get you home.

Hey there Pahako,

What it sounds like you have is a badly sulfated battery that is only holding a surface charge. In otherwords, all of the cells are still intact, not shorted or totally dead so you can see and get 12 volts with the meter when the battery is NOT under load. But when you try to start the bike, the battery can't produce the volume(AMPS) required to power the starter motor and the voltage drops to next to nothing!

The charging systemn is powered partly by the battery...it energizes the magnetic field coil which creates the magnetic field that gets broken as the rotor spins around it, this what creates the PULSES or electrical energy = AC current in the surrounding ALT windings. With the battery disconnected, no power to the field coil and therefore no AC gets generated to be converted to DC power....and with NO DC power the bike will DIE!

So...as has been stated, you will need to get a new battery, either a regular lead acid style at Walmart for about $60.00, or a variety of AGM types both from places like Batteries Plus or ONLINE, will be more expensive ~ $110 or so, but are Maintanence free/ essentially sealed so no worries about acid leaking and such. They are also supposed to last quite a while, but there are folks on here who have had regular batteries go for 5-7 years. I've not had a regular battery last longer than 3 years, but I accidentally killed my recent one by leaving it connected to a load that fully drained it unbeknownst to me, and sat that way for about a month! Needless to say, it wasn't able to be resurrected...too badly sulfated!

T.C.

[pahako]

Thanks for the replys. T.C. I am on my fourth year with my Walmart battery in my 650, and still running strong. It's kickstart only though.

[IanDMacDonald]

The battery sounds toast.

You need a battery, you will fry the reg/rect if you remove the battery and try and run it.

Really? You'd think the removal of the battery would almost act like an on/off switch, and nothing more than a loss of power would result. I believe some on the GS & Triples forum tried using caps in-place of batteries to save weight.