diagnostics please. Flat battery?

[Keir]

I can leave my bike for days on end with the alarm on and it will start first time. If i start the bike and go for a good ride then turn it off the battery will be dead when i come to start it. lights still work but it just wont have enough power to start. Surely after a run the battery should be charged not dead?!

Options?
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Sephiroth]

Sounds like the bike's not charging itself.

I'm sure someone will come along and tell you why.


And I'm sure someone will come along and say reg/rec .


Oh and it'll help if you tell everyone what bike and what year it's from.

[finpos]

Possibly not charging, but could still be a battery problem.

Missing information:

You take the bike for a run, then it won't start. What then? do you bump start it, or charge the battery from the mains?

Need to try and determine if:
1. The bike is not charging, so constantly drains the battery.
2. The battery is stuffed, so simply never recovers from the huge demand put on it from starting the bike.

finpos.

[Keir]

its a 2001 fazer 600.

This morning i bumped it as i was on a hill.
Last time it happended, about a week ago i just bunged it on charge and it worked fine. started up 3 times in wuick succession without any problems.

I hope its not reg/rec as there was one on ebay last week for 9.99 that didnt sell! from the breakers it'll prob be £60!
____________________
Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[finpos]

Unfortunately, it could still be the battery. If it was not charging at all, I'd expect it to get deader and deader until the engine cut out and the lights went dim. In your case, it sounds more like the battery can't hold enough charge to run the starter for more than a couple of blasts , but can manage lesser things, like the alarm, lights, ignition.

I think you'll need to get the charging system tested with a multimeter to be sure.

finpos.

[Bendy]

Recently mine was doing similar:

- Fully charged on the Optimate, it would start fine 3 or 4 times.

- Bump started, it wouldn't charge as you would expect and would remain dead when it came to start again, even after a long run.

- It did have enough juice to run lights / alarm however.


It's worth prodding around with a multimeter to see what's going on - I was getting very odd values across the battery which led to the conclusion of reg/rec problems (and it's an ageing Honda!).

Replaced reg/rec first, but the battery had obviously suffered and it still wouldn't charge so I had to get a new battery too. It now appears to be fine.

[map]

A quick check to see if the alternator (charging) is the problem is one of these...
https://www.maplin.co.uk/images/133/10162i0.jpg
£4 from Maplin (click on image)
Lights to show battery voltage (12v approx) and then start engine and rev and should light the other leds if charging (14v approx).
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[Finglonga]

Check the battery terminals are tight also, if they are loose then the starter may not be able to get enough current to spin up.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Keir]

terminals are tight.

Right... thinking logically. I can charge the battery and its fine. Optimate says all ok. put battery in and use bike with the lights on for a trip or two then it wont start. Means that the bike holds a charge in the first place but loosing it once its used. Must not be being charged when riding = Must be reg/rec ?

As luck would have it the reg/rec on ebay was still on my watch list so i emailed the person and they let me have it for £9.99. Posting today so hopefully it should arrive tomorrow. I guess i'll have to charge the battery tonight for tomorrow and hope!
____________________
Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Bendy]

Note that my battery still shows fine on the optimate, but the new reg/rec won't charge it.

I stuck another battery in the bike and the new reg/rec charges that fine - optimate must have charging skills that the bike doesn't.

So you might still need a new battery.

[finpos]

If the battery is knackered and cannot hold it's charge, one or two thumps of the starter will flatten it. Then you'll need several hours of charging (on or off the bike) to get it back to a charged state.

No doubt you let the optimate charge the battery overnight (with no other draw on the battery), and just gave the bike's regulator an hour or so (while it was busy running the lights etc.). Poor the unappreciated regulator

Only way you can say for sure "must be reg/rec" is to test it properly with a meter.

[tsmith]

[quote="map"]A quick check to see if the alternator (charging) is the problem is one of these...
https://www.maplin.co.uk/images/133/10162i0.jpg
£4 from Maplin (click on image)


Nice one....just ordered one of these.

My GPZ is doing this exact same thing. Charged on the optimate and works for a day or two, then won't start. Installed a new battery and that worked for three weeks without having to use the optimate but now has started to refuse to hold its charge.

[Keir]

well i went out to the bike this evening to get home from work and it started! Was weak but got there! got the volt meter out on it wheni got home and it said 11.75v. with the engine running it went up to 14v. guess its not the rec! oh well i have a spare now! new battery time as i really cant faff around i need the bike to be reliable as its the work bike.
____________________
Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50