Motorcycle Thread
- Thread starter Empala_sl
- Start date
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Correspondent / Stock Pals CEO
- 75,430
- 149,649
ah, i didnt do it when hitting the starter, when i tested the battery at terminals it was 13.6V or something like that.
is it possible for battery to randomly shit the bed after 6 months?
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Correspondent / Stock Pals CEO
- 75,430
- 149,649
yeah, thats what im afraid of -_-
should i just go to AutoZone and get va new bike battery or start cleaning the contacts on this one and keep trying to get it going with existing battery??
Leadsalad
Cis-XYite-Nationalist
- 5,967
- 11,932
Anything is possible. If the battery has run down a few times without being maintained it could have issues. Lithiums are the worst in this regard and I'm sticking to agm for some level of long term reliability off of a tender if I'm careless.
Hekotat
FoH nuclear response team
- 12,040
- 11,506
Just do some poking around, look for loose, broken wires etc. You might find something obvious.
Otherwise just trace those battery cables out, remove both ends remove any rust and clean them. If they look really bad take them to a shop and replace them with the same gauge wires. You might consider doing this anyways due to the age of them, especially if it was left outside most of it's life.
Otherwise just trace those battery cables out, remove both ends remove any rust and clean them. If they look really bad take them to a shop and replace them with the same gauge wires. You might consider doing this anyways due to the age of them, especially if it was left outside most of it's life.
Vepil
Gamja
- 5,761
- 24,091
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Correspondent / Stock Pals CEO
- 75,430
- 149,649
i think i have a lot of work ahead of me on this gray, dreary california tuesday
- 1
Lejina
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
- 4,493
- 11,505
Might want to give it another read. By itself a full battery should read 12.6V.
When charging, on most bikes it should be around 14.0-14.3 at operating revs, 13.6V would be a low idle.
Led batteries are pretty simply made, it's just led and acid in a plastic box. It's tough to fuck up. With that said, duds from the factory are pretty rare but they do happen.
In my experience a battery that is drained fully twice is usually finished. By that point too much sulfation happened (essentially, crystals form on the plates, fall off and cause internal shorts). That's why a led/acid battery should always be charged/tended and never allowed to be run down until it dies. The exception being deep cycle batteries, since they have wells to accommodate the precipitating crystals but that doesn't apply to your little moto battery.
Read the voltage of your battery on it's own (should be 12.6, each cell is 2.1V, so if you have a busted cell you would be down to 10.5V). Put it in the bike, read it again with everything off (should read same as before, if not, there's a parasitic draw somewhere) . Switch on the bike, read it again with the headlight on (now you're loading the battery, you should expect it to drop around 12.0V). Start the bike, low idle would be around 13.5V and you should be above 14V if you take it over 3000rpm.
If the battery behave as it should, you're likely dealing with a ground issue. You have a complete circuit but the connections are too poor to allow the required current draw through them. Clean your terminals and every wire connections with the frame and switches. Small steel brush and/or sandpaper will do. Any powdery substance on terminals and any green on copper have to go. Then coat it all with dielectric grease (silicon grease), that will keep em from oxidising again.
While you're at it. Print this sheet and keep it in your toolbox. It's for cars but that applies to bikes just as well. Use it to test your wires.
brekk
Dancing Dino Superstar
- 2,191
- 1,746
Need to install a relay and a higher guage wire connecting battery to coil and/or starter most likely.
My 83 CB650 had 16 gauge going from battery to on switch on handlebars and then down to coil. Coil would see a 1-2V drop. I wired in a relay controlled by the 16ga circuit, and the relay switches some 12ga wire going direct from battery to relay to coil. Increased gauge and reduced wire length from battery to coil by 3 ft now coil sees a .25V drop.
I didn't do it, but you can do similar for your headlight. Same thing, small gauge wire running from battery up to handle bar switch to headlight. In this case instead of an On/Off relay, you wire in an On1/On2 relay so it just seamlessly toggles from high-beam to low-beam.
I also modded the main fuse. By default its a pair of screws and this little piece of fine metal in open air looked like a sheet metal dogbone. I replaced it with an automotive fuse holder for easier replacement and better weather sealing.
Also, depending how old the bike is. They don't always charge at idle, on my Honda it doesn't charge until 1500RPM, below that it slowly drains even while running. Makes electrical troubleshooting/testing more difficult.
My 83 CB650 had 16 gauge going from battery to on switch on handlebars and then down to coil. Coil would see a 1-2V drop. I wired in a relay controlled by the 16ga circuit, and the relay switches some 12ga wire going direct from battery to relay to coil. Increased gauge and reduced wire length from battery to coil by 3 ft now coil sees a .25V drop.
I didn't do it, but you can do similar for your headlight. Same thing, small gauge wire running from battery up to handle bar switch to headlight. In this case instead of an On/Off relay, you wire in an On1/On2 relay so it just seamlessly toggles from high-beam to low-beam.
I also modded the main fuse. By default its a pair of screws and this little piece of fine metal in open air looked like a sheet metal dogbone. I replaced it with an automotive fuse holder for easier replacement and better weather sealing.
Also, depending how old the bike is. They don't always charge at idle, on my Honda it doesn't charge until 1500RPM, below that it slowly drains even while running. Makes electrical troubleshooting/testing more difficult.
Last edited:
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Correspondent / Stock Pals CEO
- 75,430
- 149,649
Might want to give it another read. By itself a full battery should read 12.6V.
When charging, on most bikes it should be around 14.0-14.3 at operating revs, 13.6V would be a low idle.
Led batteries are pretty simply made, it's just led and acid in a plastic box. It's tough to fuck up. With that said, duds from the factory are pretty rare but they do happen.
In my experience a battery that is drained fully twice is usually finished. By that point too much sulfation happened (essentially, crystals form on the plates, fall off and cause internal shorts). That's why a led/acid battery should always be charged/tended and never allowed to be run down until it dies. The exception being deep cycle batteries, since they have wells to accommodate the precipitating crystals but that doesn't apply to your little moto battery.
Read the voltage of your battery on it's own (should be 12.6, each cell is 2.1V, so if you have a busted cell you would be down to 10.5V). Put it in the bike, read it again with everything off (should read same as before, if not, there's a parasitic draw somewhere) . Switch on the bike, read it again with the headlight on (now you're loading the battery, you should expect it to drop around 12.0V). Start the bike, low idle would be around 13.5V and you should be above 14V if you take it over 3000rpm.
If the battery behave as it should, you're likely dealing with a ground issue. You have a complete circuit but the connections are too poor to allow the required current draw through them. Clean your terminals and every wire connections with the frame and switches. Small steel brush and/or sandpaper will do. Any powdery substance on terminals and any green on copper have to go. Then coat it all with dielectric grease (silicon grease), that will keep em from oxidising again.
While you're at it. Print this sheet and keep it in your toolbox. It's for cars but that applies to bikes just as well. Use it to test your wires.
This is a good post and I saved it for later, no doubt I'll need to reference it at some point as all my issues thus far been electric-based
latheboy
Trakanon Raider
- 830
- 1,032
They aren't measuring the Air/Fuel ratio by the looks of that video, so there is no comparison between the dinted side to STD in the first run.
That's what i'm worried about, lose of power is no biggy, cylinder running richer or leaner is the problem.
vGrade
Potato del Grande
- 1,677
- 2,566
Malinatar
Lord Nagafen Raider
- 629
- 237
So me being a new motorcyclist reading these post and talking with some people, it seems like you almost need to be a gear head to some degree. I did sign up for a basic motorcycle maintenance class at the local community college which covers:
- Basic adjustments
- Changing oil
- Clutch adjustment
- Belt/chain adjustment
- Brake inspection and adjustment
- 1
Leadsalad
Cis-XYite-Nationalist
- 5,967
- 11,932
YouTube MC Garage by Motorcylist magazine. Ari will walk you through all of that.
And yes, motorcycles require more attention and frequent maintenance as compared to a care. Nature of the engine design, limited safety redundancy (2 wheels versus 4 when one goes flat), and weight conscious design with exposed to the elements engine and electrical components.
But in exchange you get a more visceral experience out on the road or in the dirt.
And yes, motorcycles require more attention and frequent maintenance as compared to a care. Nature of the engine design, limited safety redundancy (2 wheels versus 4 when one goes flat), and weight conscious design with exposed to the elements engine and electrical components.
But in exchange you get a more visceral experience out on the road or in the dirt.
- 1
Hekotat
FoH nuclear response team
- 12,040
- 11,506
Only thing that makes me nervous is changing my own tires due to the powdercoating on the wheels. I don't want my shit fucked up so I'll take them to the shop to get them done.
Most of the time you're not going to be fucking with anything that is overly complicated unless you decide to tear down an engine. There are plenty of youtube vids/guides to get you through what needs to be done. I do recommend getting a rear/front stand, it makes working on the bike, changing oil, and tightening chains so much easier that it's crazy I went so long without one.
Also look into getting a grease ninja Motorcycle Accessories | Pittsburgh, PA - Grease Ninja to keep from getting chain lube all over the god damn place. It's going to be my next purchase for sure.
I still get nervous as fuck after the first few rides after tightening my chain.
Most of the time you're not going to be fucking with anything that is overly complicated unless you decide to tear down an engine. There are plenty of youtube vids/guides to get you through what needs to be done. I do recommend getting a rear/front stand, it makes working on the bike, changing oil, and tightening chains so much easier that it's crazy I went so long without one.
Also look into getting a grease ninja Motorcycle Accessories | Pittsburgh, PA - Grease Ninja to keep from getting chain lube all over the god damn place. It's going to be my next purchase for sure.
I still get nervous as fuck after the first few rides after tightening my chain.