I just got my '96 Savage running again two weeks ago. However, after my friend initially got it running no problem while I was out of town, the battery was too drained to run the started when I came back. I replaced the battery with the "no maintenance" type, and the bike started right up and I rode away as happy as can be. I rode about an hour total each day last week, but the bike has been sitting the past 5 days (I have to leave for school before the temp rises above freezing, I haven't been brave enough to ride it when it's that cold!). So the bike has been sitting less than a week with the temperature staying above 20F, and the brand new battery wasn't able to start the bike up this morning. It still had power to run the lights and turn over, it just wasn't starting. Just like when I tried it last week after the bike had sat for two days without running...
Is it possible that the cold temps affected the battery? The old one made it through 4 months of winter while the bike was still in pieces and managed to start the bike up that first time, but then drained after the bike was reassembled.
Or is it more likely that something was done incorrectly when the bike was reassembled (I wasn't in town when it was reassembled, or I would have stuck to the manual!) I know that when storing the bike for long periods you're supposed to use a battery tender, but I don't have a space to put my bike next to a power outlet; do they make cordless battery tenders??
The new battery I purchased had already been filled when I bought it, but I don't know how long ago. Is it possible that the new battery is just a dud?
I never had problems with the old battery before I did any work on the bike. It sat for at least a week at a time when I traveled for work last year and each time I came home it started right back up, no issues. That was in the summer time, when it was warmer, but I never had electrical problems until now, even when it started getting cold last fall.
Any ideas?
PS: Big Thank Yous to the helpful replies on my last post! I had my carb cleaned (didn't have a garage or friend with a garage yet), which didn't help a whole lot, and the shop said all the parts looked a little worn but "just fine". So I tried swapping out the vacuum petcock for a manual one, which did the trick! Then, of course, I forgot to shut off the valve one day and my "just fine" float needle let gas drain all into the air filter box and all over the parking lot! Anyway, I rebuilt the carb, cleaned the spark plug, and my friend reassembled the bike, and it started and ran wonderfully! And now here I am with the dead battery