New Battery or a battery charger

[Abaaba]

I haven't used the bike for a month and to my surprise, it started the first time when I took it to work the other day, ..........18 miles round trip to and from work and it didnt miss a beat.

Parked up on the drive, switched the engine off, opened the garden gate and tried to start the bike again to ride it in but now it refused to start......(I have checked the engine stop/kill )

The only thing that I can think of is, I used the heated grips on my way back from work so that must have drained the battery which probably didn't have enough juice left in it.

question is, a new battery or a new charger? if a new charger, which one would you recommend?

[stinkwheel]

Battery may or may not be in good order. You can't find out without charging it and seeing if it holds a charge/testing the electrolyte/load testing it.

So charger. And multimeter.

Ideally get one with a "rescue" function for badly discharged batteries and a maintainance function so next time you park the bike up for a month or more, you can hook it up to the charger and keep it in good condition.

Any old multimeter is fine for most things you'd wat it for on a motorbike.

You may need a battery anyway but you also need a charger.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Charger is cheaper than a new battery, so get that first. If that doesn't work, new battery. If you're going any length of time without using the bike, it should be on a maintenance charger anyway so it's good to have one lying around.
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DILLIGAF

[MCN]

Heated grips don't use much energy. The alternator should be easily capable of topping up/charging the battery after starting the engine.
Running ignition and the headlamp with lots of energy to spare.
It may be a charging fault on the bike.
Enough energy to start, run 18 miles, start again for the return. But not enough left for a 3rd start.

As suggested, multimeter, charger and battery.
Colder weather is tougher on batteries too. They don't like things too cold as it upsets the chemistry.
And cold engines are not as easy to turn.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[Abaaba]

Thanks to everyone that posted a reply

a bit of update

I got a multimeter and a battery charger - checked the battery voltage and it was 12.22, put the charger on for a couple of hours and it starts the first time again..........I will keep monitoring the voltage and see if it drops now and then

[Nobby the Bastard]

Check the voltage, start it and then check the voltage whilst it's running and tell us the two values.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[doggone]

Something is probably wrong with charging system from what happened on your first ride after lay-up.
Reg/rectifier is a common fail point as due to needing cooling breeze they are exposed on bikes. But luckily not outrageous to replace and fairly easy DIY.
You can tell if it is charging without the meter.
At slow tickover hold something in front of the headlight and blip throttle gently.
If charge system is good the light will visibly increase slightly as revs go up. This is a good quick check if looking to buy a bike too.

[Abaaba]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Yes, the charging system is supposed to kick out more than 12 volts. What I asked you to do is the standard check for a charging system. It passed. Anything up to about 14.5-15 volts when revved is about right. No increase at all means there is no charging happening at all and anything above that then the regulator is probably fecked.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[MCN]

If the alternator can put 14v to the battery but the battery voltage drops when the bike is not running then the battery may be bad.
But. Check all the battery connections are clean. No corrosion and secure.
An old battery can prevent charging when the chemistry gets messed up.
It's not rocket surgery but needs a kind of systematic approach to diagnostics.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Abaaba]

[jaffa90]

"""I used the heated grips on my way back from work so that must have drained the battery""
Q, do these heated grips work with the engine switched off?

[Nobby the Bastard]

[jaffa90]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Your on 'heated grips' , which use much less power than a headlight, whilst the rest of us are checking the charging system works.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[Abaaba]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Your problem.is the battery. It.could well be.fine and it simply just isn't used enough but if its a daily driver I'd just replace it.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050