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Buell Motorcycle Forum » XBoard » Buell XBoard Archives » Archive through March 17, 2008 » Starter or Battery? « Previous Next »

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Jaydub
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 08:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

When I start in the morning, the starter turns, then stops momentarily, the clock resets and it turns over - is this a symptom of a dying battery or something else?
Do these motors require more "cranking power" than say a Honda?
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Lllbmanlll
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 08:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'm 99% sure it's your battery. The same thing was happening to mine. Replaced it and all was good. I got about 2 and a half years out of my battery. I guess that's good for a cycle battery. I'd also recommend the HD Buell replacement battery. They may be a little more pricey but it's going to fit correctly and work. IMHO I really think they're a high quality battery anyway.
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Gentleman_jon
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 09:03 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Could be a lot of things.

1. If the battery is over 4 years old, and it's winter, it may be time for a new battery.
See recent "Reflections on a New Battery".

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/341380.html?1204826690

2. Loose battery connections, both hot, and the ground to the frame produce these symptoms. Very common. See above post.

3. Charging system could be down. Both the Stator and the voltage regulator should be tested as per Shop manual.

I forget all the voltages, (anyone?), but if I recall correctly, a fully charged battery is about 12.7 volts. The charging system should be putting out over 13.5 volts to the battery when the bike is running.

If the battery and charging system are working properly, the bike should start right up in any temperature that any semi-sane Buelligan would ride in.

That ought give you a couple of places to explore.

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Darthane
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 09:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I agree with both of those guys. It's most likely just a battery going out on you. Mine started exhibiting the exact same symptoms late last year when it started getting nice and cold in the mornings...of course, that battery's over 5 1/2 years old at this point. ; )

As a sanity check, make sure your battery connections are tight and free of corrosion, and once you get it running stick a voltmeter across the pos/neg terminals and make sure your charging system is doing it's job. It'll take ten minutes tops and just may save you the cost of a new battery.

Lastly, yes, these engines generally require more juice to turn over than a 4-cylinder with a lighter flywheel...it's a simple matter of mass, my dear Watson!
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Reepicheep
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 10:07 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

If it does it repeatedly (hard to start, but then starts, and you ride it a few hours and it runs OK, and starts again the next day) it is most likely the battery connection, second most likely the battery.

If it was stator or VR, you might get one or two hard starts, but its a one way ticket to a bike that won't turn over, and after about 1 hour of run time the bike will never turn over again unless you charge the battery some other way.

My 9sx did exactly what you described due to a loose battery connection.
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Azxb9r
Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 04:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

The clock resetting is an indication that the voltage dropped to low. Could either be battery or connections.
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