*James Hettfield voice* BATTERY!

[DRider]

Urgh, yeah, hey folks. Some "interesting(?)" developments here.

So, this morning I went to get on the bike in order to get to work, and I was going to choke it, and (this isn't my main point here) if I pull the lever anywhere between full choke and no choke, rather than leaving it at full choke or no choke, the bike will quickly die within a few seconds; is this normal? It ain't for me.

Now, the main point; AFTER work, I got on my bike, turned it on, revved it up a bit, then realised my steering lock was still on. So, I turned off the bike and unlocked it, and upon trying to turn the bike on again, I found it wouldn't. It eventually got to the point where it barely even turned over, and it also strangely reset my journey-miles counter. A biker I work with came out and said it was just the battery, and he gave me a bump start. He also said he has to bump start his bike every day because his starter motor is shit, and I was not to worry about it.

However, my dad's been saying that I'll probably need to get a new battery or a new alternator, or a new *something.* This is the first time my bike has ever had a dead battery in my one year of having it, so I'm getting confused. Is this normal, does this just *happen* occasionally, or should I be worried about it?

I'm going to ride it out for about an hour or so later, and then see if it'll start tomorrow (as it should have a full battery from the ride tonight).

And thoughts on the situation would do well to calm my worrying mind. (I also have an MOT in two days; what perfect timing...)

 

[SwearingMuffin]

I had that issue and my regulator/rectifier (both in same piece of kit) had gone which meant that battery was overcharging and had destroyed the battery! I would say test your battery and see what its charging at. Should be around 13-14 volts, anything above 14.5 and your R/R has gone

 

[DRider]

I have no clue how to test it; christ, I don't even know where the battery is on the bike. lol

 

[mrtommygunwhite]

does your bike have any keyholes near the seat because thats where it should be

 

[DRider]

Ah, yes; it's going to need something like an Allen key to get it open. I'll take it for a ride and see about checking it once I get back, I think. I'm guessing *something* in the bike has probably failed; I'm sure these things don't just happen from time to time. :-(

 

[Trinith]

Checking it is easy, all you need is a volt meter. Hook it up to the battery terminals and read the voltage as the bike is running. You're going to be looking for 13-14v while the engine is turning about halfway between idle and redline. If it's not somewhere in that range then something in the charging system is toast. Figuring out what...that's a little more involved.

 

[DRider]

Apparently we don't have a volt meter... urgh. I'll see what the bloke says when I get it MOT'd in a few days (I'll let him know about it separately, of course.)

The bike started absolutely fine after sitting for about an hour and a half, and ran without a hitch, lights going to full power, all the electronics working, etc. So, who knows? I'll see if it starts in the morning now. -.-

 

[mrtommygunwhite]

odd queston but do you ride everyday you might be draining the battery

 

[DRider]

No, I mostly just do short 5-minute rides to-and-from work, but that's only been about 4 days a week for the past few weeks due to shift changes. I'll occasionaly muster the strength to turn off my computer and go for a 100-mile ride in the Lake District though. ;-)

 

[mrtommygunwhite]

try going for a small ride everyday see if that helps

 

[DRider]

Oh well, the battery is dead again this morning, so although I can bump start it, it can't hold any of its energy for more than a few hours when off. That sucks. Looks like I'll need to have that looked at tomorrow. :/