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Message started by savage_skulls_ on 05/03/15 at 14:31:04

Title: battery keeps dying
Post by savage_skulls_ on 05/03/15 at 14:31:04

So... I'm having an issue with my battery dying and I'm having to use a little jump starter nearly every day. It's a 2003 with 5500 miles on it. Just put a brand new battery, spark plug, oil filter, oil change, and air filter in around 3-400 miles ago. It's a direct replacement battery from the stealership. It works fine if I put it on a charger at work. I only ride 3-5 miles to work so I thought maybe I just wasn't going far enough to keep it charged. 1st time it happened I had about 3 stops I made in just a few miles but it does it nearly every day now no matter if I take 10 mile ride on the highway just to try charging her. If I go out and get back on it within a couple hours she'll usually fire right up but if I wait til morning she won't turn over without using the jump starter. The only aftermarket parts on her are a set of skeleton hand mirrors, saddlebags, windshield, driver backrest, and a pigtail adapter for my trickle charger. My rear right turn signal is dangling but still works. I had to run a little metal piece under it with duct tape to hold it up. Not sure if a short in the wiring could be causing the issue or what. I don't think it's an issue with the battery or alternator but I'm not too mechanically inclined either. ..

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by Art Webb on 05/03/15 at 17:02:13

If it starts right after a ride your charging system is working, so either you have a draw you shouldn't have, or your battery isn't holding charge, OR........are you sure you're not leaving the key in the 'park' position? it'll come right out that way, but the tail light stays on
if you didn't look, you might not notice, and you wouldn't be the first to do it

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by savage_skulls_ on 05/03/15 at 21:39:41

I've definitely checked to make sure the key is off. I made that mistake the second day I owned the bike. The battery is brand new and will charge with no problem when I connect the trickle charger. Took it off 2 hours before getting off work today and she fired right up. Where could I be drawing power from?

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/03/15 at 22:09:51

Just because it's new does not mean that it's good. Have it tested.
Of course, first, pull the battery lead and connect a light in series..

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by Dave on 05/04/15 at 03:02:56

Disconnect the battery cable and see if it will start the next day. That will help you decide if the battery is at fault....or the bike has a fault. ;)

What JOG is suggesting is to disconnect the battery cable and install a small 12v light bulb between the battery terminal and the lead you just removed from the battery. If the bike has something wrong in the electrical system that draws power....then the small light bulb will glow even with the key off.

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by savage_skulls_ on 05/04/15 at 09:33:19

Didn't think of that. I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Would the battery still charge well on the trickle charger and hold the charge for 2 or 3 hours if it is bad?

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/04/15 at 09:35:32

With bad batteries there are no rules.

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by Art Webb on 05/04/15 at 10:12:00

584A5D4A4C4E435F582B0 wrote:

Didn't think of that. I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Would the battery still charge well on the trickle charger and hold the charge for 2 or 3 hours if it is bad?

They can, if a cell is going bad
either leave it disconnected overnight and see what happens, or have it load tested
or just disconnect it and use a test light to see if the bike is drawing power with the key off, as JOG said
I understand the disbelief of a new battery being bad, but it does happen now and then
I do lean more toward a draw, though

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by Dave on 05/04/15 at 10:18:30

I have had 2 recent battery experiences.

I bought a new battery for my Savage, it lasted 2 weeks and died. The warranty replacement did just fine.

I bought a used 2000 year Honda with the original Yuasa AGM battery still bolted into the bike. The bike ran and started fine even with a 14 year old battery (last summer). No signs of any problems....the bike started right up every time. I got up one morning and started the bike like normal, and rode up to the hardware store and I went inside and got what I needed. I came out and started the bike up and rode down to the gas station a mile away and got gas.....turned on the key and got nothing.....not even enough battery to make the neutral light glow. I got a jump start from a car.....rode around for an hour hoping to charge the battery.....and when the bike was shut off.....Nothin'. The battery was stone dead - pretty amazing a battery can go from being fine to terminally dead in just 1 mile!

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 05/04/15 at 10:40:36

I've experienced a battery failure on a motorcycle battery just as Dave described. When an internal plate cracks, the battery can be fine on moment, and bad the next.

Title: Re: battery keeps dying
Post by old_rider on 05/04/15 at 18:04:29

SS, I think you might have answered you own question. Did you receive the bike with a broken tail light?
Was it dangling long?
Did you check the wiring before "taping" it back up into position.
Most new batteries do not just deplete on their own. Although a bad one might.
Putting a trickle charger on it constantly is just keeping the problem at bay and could actually harm the battery.
The light trick works to see if there is a drain, but will not tell you how fast it is draining.
Turn your key off, use a volt/ohm meter and see if the battery volts drop as you watch... the faster it drops the greater the draw... remember you will have to be patient, it might take awhile.
If there are no aftermarket parts, and the only other thing besides the light, is the trickle charger line... make sure that the connections are not touching the battery housing.
You might have to pull that light apart and look close for bare wires.....
And that's my three cents.... hope it helps....