| Author | Message | ||
     Eagle1 |
Hey guys, I've been battling electrical power issues ever since I tried to fire up the bike this spring. First, there was absolutely no charge (I neglected to disconnect the battery over the winter). Long story short- the battery ended up being bad so I bought a brand new one. The bike ran fine. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, I went back to the bike to go for a spin (sat for maybe a month) and it wouldn't turn over (low voltage). I was in a hurry so I took the truck to work that day. The bike sat for another two weeks I believe, before I took the time to jump it and ride it to charge fully. Well, to my surprise the battery was completely dead. I let it charge off my truck's battery for 5-10 minutes then jumped it. I took it for a ride and was sure to keep the RPMs up over 4K because I think I've seen on this site how that's when it gets maximum recharge. I stopped to get gas about 10 min later and was unable to restart the bike (embarrassing!!!) and got another jump. This time I rode for 45 minutes or so at 4.5K or so, even ran through the gears a few times. I still would get the low voltage light while idling in traffic. It seemed like the battery wasn't charging!!! So that's where I sit. I've seen on here that stators go bad, but it looks like it's only 09+. So, what the hell is wrong with my bike and how can I go about fixing it? This is incredibly annoying, and is one more list among the things that have me on the verge of dumping it on someone else. Please help! Edit: it's got a tad over 10K miles on it. (Message edited by eagle1 on June 29, 2011) | ||
| D_adams |
Possibly an IC drain issue, fix was upgrading to the 09 cluster. Had that happen on mine early on. They replaced the IC and battery at the same time. No problems since. I bought a Jr. battery tender last year since I started using heated gear just to make sure it stayed charged in the cold weather. Other than that, I haven't really heard of 08's having problems with the charging system, although it is possible for it to fail eventually. | ||
| Eagle1 |
Cool, thanks for the info! Is the IC replacement a fix that I'll have to pay out of pocket since the bike is out of warranty? | ||
| Pmjolly |
Maybe it's a bad battery. They don't always recover well from a complete drain. I replace mine if I ever find it dead. Somewhere, I read that the parasitic drain is not an issue if you kill the bike from the kill switch on the bars, then turn off the key. Somehow this prevents the drain. I dunno. I have always turned off my bike this way anyways. I also have an '08, and have never had charging issues. I do put it on a trickle charger when I'm not riding. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
likely rider error that ruined the battery. hate to say that but it's the most likely scenario. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Keep a tender on the bike when not riding it. Anytime you let a battery of this type/size go flat, you lose a good deal of the battery's life. A new battery with a regularly used tender should last 4-6 years. I got my 1125R on 18DEC07 and still have the original battery, stator, rotor and R/R. Unless you can get a dealer sweet-talked into a "goodwill" job, yes, you'll pay for the IC. It's worth it tho if you're interested in the gear indicator. Zack | ||
| Eagle1 |
Guys, the battery is new. I replaced it after it went dead over the winter. The latest issues have been since it's been replaced. I'm wondering if it's possible my brand-new (as of March/April) battery could have taken a dump. | ||
| Dcmortalcoil |
Check the voltage regulator | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
Eagle- yes it very easily could have taken a dump as a result of it being completely discharged. starting batteries are not meant to be discharged like that. so they don't usually last very long after that's happened to them. yuasa brand batteries tend to be more resistant to abuse than others in my experience but even they will only take so much. it'd still be a good idea to check into the r/r and the IC drain issues once you've either charged your battery with a charger or installed another replacement. | ||
| Pmjolly |
Eagle, I read your original post again. You said the new battery went dead on you also. I'd replace it. I guess you are now trying to find out why the new one went dead. Stupid question... Are you sure it was dead? It might be a bad connection causing these woes. Check it with a meter. I'd be all over my bike with a multimeter looking for clues. I'll bet your bike is still charging, but if you have a bad connection somewhere, it might not be putting it in the battery. The 08's have a different stator than the 09's and 10's. They don't put out as much power, but also don't burn up as easily. Mine puts out enough to charge my battery and run all my accessories as long as I don't sit and idle too long with the high beams on. I never have issues, but also keep my bike on a battery tender. I sometimes wonder if my bike has that parasitic drain, but is kept charged by my tender anyway. | ||
| Pmjolly |
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. The 08's have the exact same voltage regulator as the 09's and 10's. They do go bad sometimes. A good multimeter will tell the truth. | ||
| Eagle1 |
Pmjolly- Yes, I'm sure it was dead. The first thing I did after I saw how low the voltage must have been was pop the rear seat and check the cables. I don't have a multimeter, and if I got one, I'm not so sure I'd know what to look for to see if something is bad. | ||
| Nuts4mc |
Brought my ‘08 home from the salvage yard in December…was able to ride it home a) the Voltage regulator was falling off – not good…the voltage regulator uses the sub frame as a heat sink – chk the VR mount – if it’s loose… tighten it ( (2) 10mm hex nuts) – NOTE there is Thermal paste ( grease) between the back side of the VR and the subframe – DO NOT wipe off – it helps the transfer of heat from the VR to the Frame ( you may want to add a second nut to keep the primary nut from loosening) b) some owners claim success with turning off the bike with the kill switch – claims it disconnects the battery from the IC –Don’t know if this is true c) some owners claim success with running a ground wire from the (-) pole of the battery to the sub frame ( 10 ga wire with ring lugs) d) some owners claim success with changing the VR to one from a Japanese bike ( made by the Shindengen company – P/Ns start with FH – XX) Note you must be able to solder and have some experience with wiring and connectors. e) I too have issues with starting when hot ( like at a gas station) – many years ago when adding headers to cars with big blocks – the heat from the headers would affect the starters – we would add extra grounds and or increase the wire gauge to help the starter ( draw more AMPs). I have added an extra ground ( 4 ga wire x 40 in long ) from the ground near the swing arm pivot – up over the shock down past the cylinders and bolted to the block with a bolt by the starter. Does it help? – still testing it f) Don’t want to modify your bike?– sell it and buy a rice burner…but it will never handle or accelerate like the 1125. | ||
| Xb9er |
It's your instrument cluster. Technical bulletin 396. Get the dealer to get you a 09 cluster and issue fixed. My 08 couldn't be off a tender for 6 hours and it would be dead. The new cluster fixed it | ||
| Juniorkirk |
+1 on IC drain, mine is getting replaced tomorrow. Another thing is that you can watch your volts as you ride. Before you key on the bike, hold the toggle and mode button the IC and then turn key on. System Diagnostic mode will appear. scroll through to the battery voltage and then start the bike. Mine stayed on the voltage and i got to see how much juice was being put to the battery. I took a video, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BLIQA48i6I I also have the E_B_R ECM. I noticed that i need to ride her for at least 2 hours straight when the battery gets low to have a good enough charge to start her easily. Best thing to do that i've done, just put the battery on a charger and let it charge completely, all problems go away, and she will be a lot more peppy. | ||
| Eagle1 |
Thanks for all the info, guys! I'll pull the bike apart today and check all my connections. I'll also think about doing a new ground- I agree that the wire that's currently being used is quite small. I'll get in contact with a dealer as well to see about getting an '09 cluster. Juniorkirk- I checked my voltages yesterday before a ride but diagnostics mode turned off when I put the bike in 1st and started moving. | ||
| Eagle1 |
Alright, just went out to tinker with the bike. Voltage while the key is one (bike off) is 11.9v. After firing it up, it gets to about the 14.2v area. After I hit the killswitch it drops to 12.5v immediately and trickles to 11.9 after 5-10 seconds. All connections are good. I didn't see any pinched wires, either. I guess that means my stator is good since the bike jumped up to 14.x volts pretty darn quick. IC drain, then? I just find this whole thing weird. I used to ride the bike darn-near every day (daily driver) and ever since I started driving something else and letting the bike sit longer, I started having this stupid problem... | ||
| Xb9er |
The security system with the 08 cluster draws to much power and drains the battery, what i was told. My bike was over a year old before it started giving me this issue and this was the only issue to all the haters haha. Once I got the 09 cluster everything was g2g | ||
| Nuts4mc |
It's been my experience a new battery with no load is over 12 volts (12.5 - 12.9) the drop you saw from 12.5 to 11.9 suggests that Mr. Jolly is correct - the "new" battery may be the culprit....make sure the terminal connections are tight on that battery...or: a) buy a trickle charger (I like Cteks the connectors are first class http://smartercharger.com/ ) b) pull the battery and put it on a slow charge for a long time...see if it will hold a charge even when it's disconnected sitting on your work bench ( say over a 24 hr period) c) bite the bullet... buy a new battery - ( riding season is short where you live...the price of new fresh battery is small compared to the fun you get from riding ) ...good luck | ||
| Eagle1 |
I can't use a trickle charger because of where the bike is parked (parking lot of an apartment complex). I'll pull it my next off day and throw it on a slow charge to try your suggestion. If that doesn't work, I'll get a new one. The one I bought has a 2-year warranty. | ||
| Fast1075 |
A completely flat battery immediately begins to sulfate....sulfation = ruined battery. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Eagle, do you have the anti-theft system turned on? That thing drinks power like its going out of style. Don't use it unless you can plug in a battery tender. | ||
| Eagle1 |
Indy, I'm not entirely sure (I don't remember turning it on) so I'll check that as well! | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
Solar cell trickle? | ||
| Two_seasons |
Eagle1: Unless you have to "unlock" the bike at the cluster (software lock) BEFORE you start it, you don't have the security feature enabled. I think it's the battery too. |
