GS500F Battery - 6V or 12V?

[Penelope_Pitstop]

I an sure this is in the GS manual, but maybe I can get an answer here quicker than it will take to dig it out at home tonight.....I managed to pull the dumb stunt of leaving my ignition set to parking light position yesterday and ran my battery down....I was just going to jump start it from a regular 12V charger but wasn't sure if it was a 6V or 12 V battery, so I called my dealer....he said it was a 6V....so I waited over almost two hours for a friend with a 6V charger to show up....we metered the battery and it was metering at 9V but my oil light was barely glowing....sure enough, it finally fired up at 13.2V, telling me that this was a 12V battery and I coulda been outta that parking garage two stinkin' hours previous......SO!  Long story, short-ish......is there anything I should know about jumping or charging my battery when it dies???
Also I tried to push start it, but to no avail (great cardio workout, however) Is there a trick to this as well?

Thanks for any help and having patience with a newbie to GS500F ownership....

[starwalt]

The GS500 is a 12 volt system. I am astonished that the dealer would have told you otherwise.  

Most GStwinners say jumping from a car is fine as long as the engine of the car is off.

If you are going to "bump start" by running, use 2nd gear.

Sounds as though you are getting experience the hard way.

[Penelope_Pitstop]

I knew it!!  THAT GUY!!!!   RRRRR :x ....He was also giving me the big long schpeel about how I would need to buy a charger, a new battery and have my whole electrical system checked.....all from them, of course....I smell an over-exuberant sales guy.....

Oh, well, guess its a good thing I found you guys!!  Thanks a million for the tips.  I am greatly appreciative!!!!

[starwalt]

Well maybe it wasn't totally his fault....his previous job may have been in appliance sales at Beast Buy!  :lol:

Yes, this is a great site with a huge amount of varied experience across all areas. I too am new to this part of virtual reality, but the people here are just super....usually (grin).

[dgyver]

When was the last time any vehicle used a 6 volt system?

[Mountaineer]

They need to legalize flame throwers. Maybe a nice letter to the editor would be a decent substitute. Let's quit letting dealers off the hook.

[manofthefield]

When was the last time any vehicle used a 6 volt system?

My 1965 80cc 2-stroke Yamaha had a 6 volt system  

[JeffD]

As for "bump" starting the bike,  This is how I do it. (not that I need to do it that often or anything.   )

Leave bike in 2nd gear (first gear if your big like me).
Turn ignition on (very important)
make sure the kickstand is up (again very frustrating)
make sure the kill switch is set to run (dont ask)
straddle the bike like your going to ride (sorry if you are short, I dont know what to do for ya)
Start running (waddling) with the bike until you get going.
jump down on the seat and release the clutch at the same time, and as soon as you hear the engine fire pull in the clutch.

The reason for not jumpstarting off of a running car is because the charging system is at a higher voltage than the battery.  

When the car is running, the terminal voltage is around 14v-15v.  When the car is off the voltage is around 13v  (not really 12v)   So what you end up doing is pushing more current through the starter than it was designed to handle and could burn it up.  

Electronic people can see this by P = (V^2)/R   ,  since this is a physical system the resistance(R) doesn't change, but the power is the square of the voltage.  In laymans terms the higher the voltage the more effect it has on the power, and if you have too much power it will destroy the part.(starter)



Oh and I think some 1960 VW's were 6v positive ground.  

[callmelenny]

I think a lot of salesdorks think because the battrery is small it can't be a 12 V. There are 6V cells for lawnmowers that are about the same size. I agree that it is unbelievable that the dealer would say 6 V, you might want to take your business elsewhere.  :dunno:

Practice bumpstarting so you can do it when  you really need to. If you have a slight downhill it is very easy to coast and pop the clutch in 2nd gear. The trick is learning to pull the clutch right back in to keep it running. Some folks say 1st but I prefer 2nd.

I keep an old car battery in my garage for occasional jump starts too, no worry about the car's electrical system when there is no car

[dgyver]

Since we are kind of on the subject of 6v & 12v...

Is this correct:

2 @ 6v - 6.5a/h batteries in series produce 12v & 6.5a/h

and

2 @ 6v - 6.5a/h batteries in parallel produce 6v & 13a/h

[John Bates]

Since we are kind of on the subject of 6v & 12v...

Is this correct:

2 @ 6v - 6.5a/h batteries in series produce 12v & 6.5a/h

and

2 @ 6v - 6.5a/h batteries in parallel produce 6v & 13a/h

Yup. You got it.

[John Bates]

................
straddle the bike like your going to ride ...........
Start running (waddling) with the bike until you get going.
jump down on the seat and release the clutch at the same time, and as soon as you hear the engine fire pull in the clutch.

...................

Has anyone done this from the side, Lone Ranger style? :dunno:

[cummuterguy]

Has anyone done this from the side, Lone Ranger style?

yes, many times....  push as fast as possible, leap on the seat and pop the clutch... amazingly never fell over either.

[juggernaught]

In all truth i would also get the 6 volt battery and a set of jumper cables and maybe hook them up to the dealers ears to clear his head a bit.

[/url]

[Kerry]

Napoleon: "Turn it off, Kip!"

[John Bates]

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
That's probably how I would feel after a bump start :lol:  :lol:  :lol: