| Author | Message | ||
     Cryptic1911 |
went to take the bike to work this morning and the battery was toast.. would leaving the key in the ignition, but off cause any draw? I'm thinking no. Also, I did notice that the kill switch was in the run position.. must have bumped it when moving it previously, but still the key was in the off position I'm wondering if I have a draw somewhere.. last time I rode it ~2 weeks ago? (•••••• rain) it paused for a sec before it turned over.. but I rode it for like an hour and a half so I figured it should have gotten plenty of a charge what things should I check? the only thing that I've changed recently is that I installed a set of kellerman micro blinkers.. but I just wired those into the stock blinker wires | ||
| Zatco81 |
I leave my key in the ignition all the time with the bike parked in the garage so I don't think that has anything to do with it. The kill switch shouldn't either but then again, I always kill the bike with the switch rather than the key but I would think if the key is off it wouldn't matter. I read recently that if it hesitates when starting you should clean the battery terminals, that may help? | ||
| Drkside79 |
When turning it off you may have put it in the park position which will leave on your tail light which will definitely kill your battery with the quicks. Mine ended that way about a month ago. Go to HD get a battery and sorry to hear about it. | ||
| Barnyard |
My HD battery is a POS and im just waiting on the day my bike does the same crap. go to Interstate Batteries and get you a real battery. | ||
| Cryptic1911 |
hm, maybe I did have it not fully "off", but I'd think that I would have noticed that. kinda sucks if that isnt it because the battery is brand new, just got it in april | ||
| Sfinton |
Before you buy..clean your connectors. I went and bought a new battery and then my new battery started acting up. The connectors had some corrosion on them. | ||
| Drkside79 |
Yeah the rub on the stupid Park key position is that it is just a tiny bit past the Lock position and the key slides right out. Personally i think that it is ridiculous that it works that way but i didn't build it so not much i can do. | ||
| Fran_dog |
My original HD battery was on its last leg at just over six years old, so I replaced with another HD battery. I would be happy with four years of abuse, five years, even better. Six years, what do you think? Keep your connections clean and tight. How old is the battery? Test your charging system... | ||
| Cryptic1911 |
not sure when the battery was manufactured, but I bought it from the harley dealer in april.. the connectors are spotless from what I remember, no corrosion at all | ||
| Akbuell |
After you charge the battery, make sure everything is turned off, and disconnect the battery cable of your choice. Take a multimeter, put it in the amp mode, and connect one lead to the cable and the other to the battery. Should be zero amps. If it is, then check battery voltage while running, to check the charging system. If both are good, then you (most likely) got the switch around the park position. FWIW, I leave the key in the ignition all the time w/no problems. And I am getting good service out of OE batteries. And I put an LED volt meter from American Sport Bike on mine. Good piece of kit, as the British say, and provides peace of mind re the charging system. Hope all of this helps, Dave. | ||
| Zatco81 |
Also I always turn the key to lock so I know there's no chance of the key being inadvertantly left in the on position. | ||
| Tmall |
Bump start it, go for a rip and see if it starts back up when you get home.. | ||
| Lighninginthesky |
Here is the battery charging problem on my 07 Scg the two spade connector from the voltage regulator to the bike melted in one socket and opened the circuit. The connector melted on the left side. The fix is to install a Deutsch connector in place of the stock connector or order the new voltage regulator from Buell. I have ordered a new connector and I hope it is the right one. I tested the stator and rotor per the service manual and they tested good. We shall see. Finally this is not my find but the guys at JT&S. They had seen this before and sorted the cause out right a way. | ||
| Lighninginthesky |
  left side of connector melted. | ||
| Xbrfirebolt |
Leaving your key in the ignition will not kill the battery if the ignition switch is in the off position. You should charge your battery and then have it load tested to rule it out as being bad. You should only turn off the bike with the key, unless you need it off in an emergency. The kill switch isn't designed as a main shut off. | ||
| Cryptic1911 |
I took the covers off and checked the connector, and its not melted.. looks good actually. The only thing I noticed was that one of the two wires going back to the stator was pinched between the hard oil line? and the bracket for my jardine exhaust.. I got it out of there, and its got a small dent in the insulation, but its not enough to have cut the wire inside, and its not worn through at all. I've got the battery on a tender for now, so I'll goof around with it tomorrow after it has a charge I'm assuming that I can fire it up and test the wires coming from the stator. what kind of voltages should I be seeing? I'll also test it from after the voltage regulator | ||
| Lighninginthesky |
Stator check ingnition off,find four pin connector with three pins. test the plug going to the bike wiring harness ie(to the stator). insert ohmmeter lead into each slot in turn and the other to ground. a good stator with have no continuity across all three slots. next check resistance across slots 1-2, 2-3, 3-1. resistance across stator slots should be 0.1 to 0.3 ohms. Finally ac out put test, same connector test slots 1-2, 2-3, 3-1 as follows, engine 2000 rpm ac output 32-40 volts AC, aprox 16-20 volts per 1000 rpm. low volts is bad rotor or stator. high volts might be bad rectifier. Hopefully that makes sense. its time to get a service manual. | ||
| Cryptic1911 |
actually I have one out in the garage, I'll see what it has in there for troubleshooting advice as well. thanks for the info | ||
| Sifo |
See here for a good write up on testing the charging system... http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/442480.html#POST1400571 Also as Lighninginthesky pointed out check out the voltage regulator connector. I had my battery die almost 2 weeks ago and it turned out to be that connector. Mine wasn't as bad as Lighninginthesky's photo so it took some very close looking at it with good lighting. My personal advise to all XB owners is just get this connector upgraded before it melts. The new connector was less than 25 bucks shipped to my door. Getting stranded in the best of conditions is worse than the initial $25 hit. Buell's version of Russian Roulette! | ||
| Cmm213 |
dielectric grease everything! | ||
| Cryptic1911 |
forgot about this post.. found it in my bookmarks well, turns out it was a bad battery after all. the dealer didnt want to believe it, and tested it six ways from sunday, and I ended up getting a new one |
