Ok so back in november I started on my bobber project and finished all including the electricals, and tested them, everything was fine. Ever since then I had the battery indoors and hooked up to this solar powered maintainer. I did notice that at first, when hooked up, the blue light wouldn't be flashing even if it was in direct sunlight. I figured it meant the power was being used to charge the battery rather than illuminate the blue light. But after a few months i noticed that the blue light alaways flashed even though the battery was hooked up but didn't think much about it. Anwyays, now i'm hooking the battery up and turning the key but no lights turn on. when i'm trying to start it up, the neutral light comes on faintly every time i push the ignition. and when i turn the key all the way to the parking light position, only my rear signals illuminate (maybe front ones too, didn't check, but not the main brake or headlight) I'm  REALLY hoping that my battery is just toast due to not being adequately charged by the gadget i got. The battery is inscribed with may 2012 on it, so it's only a couple of years old. Anyone have any insight?

And in the case that it is in fact the battery, what's a good brand to buy?

Charge the battery overnight with a REAL 1 or 1.5 AMP battery charger - after checking the water level if the battery is not one of the sealed types.

Re-install the battery and see if the bike starts. If it does, then toss the solar powered gadget in the trash.

If the bike still won't start, then take the battery to an auto parts store and have them load test it for you.

If you do have to replace the battery I'd suggest spending the few extra dollars for one of the AGM sealed batteries. You won't have to worry about the electrolyte level any more and the newer sealed batteries are much better than the OEM types with the vent tubes and the little caps for adding water.

Are you using a charge controller with the solar battery charger?

I just set a Harbor Freight system up for our work vehicle. Without the charge controller, the leads would read over 20v under intense sunlight. The controller keeps the output at 14v max, and prevents it from draining as well.

Might not be it at all, but I am pretty sure that feeding a battery too much voltage can kill it!

Good luck!

I picked up a charger and charged the battery. It neevr reached the "charged" stage but i plugged it in anyways and the lights all came on! didn't try to start yet, waiting till friday to do so, take it for a little spin, and do an oil change. Thanks for the help!

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 03/24/14 at 21:44:49:


Yup. Take it to Batteries Plus if you have one around. They'll test it.