| Author | Message | ||
     Macbuell |
Hey everyone. I need a little insight or advice. I seem to be having a problem with either my battery or my alternator. Less than a month ago I went to fire up my bike and nothing. No power whatsoever. It turns out that I left the kill switch on. Is there a slow drain on the battery from the computer or something that would kill the battery when the kill switch is on? Anyway, I jumped the bike off and rode for a few hours that day and everything seemed to be fine. The bike then started without any problem after that point. Well, two - three weeks go by without any riding because of the crappy weather we have had around here lately. Then, this morning I go out to ride and the battery is dead again. I tried to jump the bike off again and was able to get the bike started, but as soon as I unhooked the cables, the bike would die again. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Could there be a short somewhere? Obviously the battery is dead. Should the battery be dead after less than a year? Could there be an alternator problem. Just to provide some more information, the bike is stored in my garage and it gets pretty cold in there at times. Also, due to the weather and the fact that I do not own any real cold weather gear, I have been riding whenever possible, but that's been about once or twice a month this winter. Also, would the replacement of the battery and/ or the alternator if necessary be covered by the warranty. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks | ||
| Blake |
Sounds like your charging system is not working. But it could be a loose or broken cable. Check ALL cables connected to the battery. If that leads you nowhere, it could be any number of things. You'll need a service manual in order to diagnose the charging system. You might peruse the electrical topic in the Knowledge Vault. LOTS of similar instances are described there and some were even diagnosed/described when resolved. Good luck. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
It is my understanding that if the battery is truly dead, which for a motorcycle battery is possible with the cold description you mentioned, when you remove the jumper, the battery itself is sucking up too much of the voltage to keep the fuel injection running. If your voltage drops below a certain point the computer shuts off automatically. Also leaving the kill switch on shouldn't have any effect. | ||
| Fullpower |
charge the battery over night, and load test. look in the phone book under "auto electric" you will find a local business like mine, where a nice guy will give your battery a load test. probably free of charge. the battery could be defective, or it could just be discharged. either condition will put additional stress on the charging system. i also recommend a small regulated maintenance charger like the " battery tender" for maintaining the charge on a vehicle that is not driven frequently. good luck, and report back with the results of your battery load test. | ||
| Xb9er |
Leaving the kill switch on will not discharge a battery. If you have Advance Auto Parts or Autozone stores in your area, they should be able to test/charge the battery. A Battery Tender Junior is inexpensive and a worthwhile investment. Like you, I ride very little in the winter. I was off the bike for about a 6 week stretch until a couple of days ago. It fired right up. | ||
| Martin |
The draining issue on a standing bike is mentioned in the manual. My XB9R came with an Optimate (Sort-of UK Battery-tender)plug already installed by the dealer (Robin Hood, Nottingham, England)so that I dont't even have to lift the seat to plug it in. Keeping any bike on charge when at rest is a good idea if it isn't in weekly use. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Don't know about the XB's, but I just went through this on my Cyclone. There is a plug on the cable coming out of the voltage regulator that goes straight to the alternator, easy to get at tucked down into the bottom of the cam cover. You can just disconnect it, fire up the bike, and measure the AC output of your alternator. If it is working, it should be something like 30 to 50 volts AC. Make sure you have the meter set up to read AC. My Cyclone would run barely / badly with no battery, but it has no fuel pump or fuel injection. |
