500 would not start

[vorBH]

So I left the bike sitting for 3 or 4 days, which I have done numerous times before during this past summer....and I come to start it up after that and it would not turnover.....full choke, full gas tank, battery functioning etc......push button to start, just keep s trying but does not turnover.....something in the rear fairing area kept clicking...eventually have some tries the battery died out.......I put the battery in for full charge that night (re-leveled the cells too with distilled H2O).....had time yesterday, couple days after it would not start.....to take off a fairing, chose the right side, took out the spark plug, could see its got white on it (running hot)...sanded it a bit, popped it back in and connectd the electrical to the spark plug......without taking the fairing off for left side I unpluged the left sparkplug and replugged in.....just to make sure connections are okay.....popped the battery back in (fully charged)....full choke and she started right away....whats going on???   What if there is still a problem, what should I be checking to make sure everything is safe and good to go?
Thank you

[vorBH]

Oh..and the spark plugs have never been checked, cleaned, changed since it was brand new....its an 07...has 18,500 km on it
I did immedietly assume it was sparkplugs......but the oil level as well was right at the line...on the low side....which according to a mechanic is still ok, will get oil today (this 500 really DOES burn oil!)

[DoD#i]

So I left the bike sitting for 3 or 4 days, which I have done numerous times before during this past summer....and I come to start it up after that and it would not turnover.....full choke, full gas tank, battery functioning etc......push button to start, just keep s trying but does not turnover.....something in the rear fairing area kept clicking...eventually have some tries the battery died out.......

Your battery was not happy. The clicking is the starter relay. The failure to crank is no juice in battery. The typical reasons are "turned switch to park, left tail-light on, did not notice" and "battery getting old", with lower liklihood but possible options being stator or regulator problems causing the battery not to charge on the bike, or bad starter relay - but bad starter relay is almost certainly not it if the thing worked fine after you charged the battery. Not turning over has nothing to do with sparkplugs.

[vorBH]

thank you! So how do I check my stator or regulator?....because you may be right about it not charging properly, but
1. I've never had this problem
2. i never treated the battery throughout the whole summer until now, could be contributor, although it doesn't really need attention, just check the cells

but anyways, if the battery lost charge, then I should check to see why....how can i check my charging system on the bike?

[DoD#i]

I'd suggest starting with "see if this happens again" before you go down the lower liklihood options. And pay attention to "off .vs. park" - if your switch does go to park (turning tail-light on) that is the most likely option for random low battery.

In the FAQ section of this board, try this post:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=38480.0

[vorBH]

Yea its definitly not the 'park' option
thanks for the link

[bassmechanicsz]

Were the connections to the battery terminals tight when you took the battery out or were they lose and was their any dirt or corrosion on them.  You might have just not had a good connection to the battery and when you took it out knocked whatever was causing a bad connection loose and when you put it back in everything was fine again.

[vorBH]

Nope, everything was tight and clean...
When I tried to start it, it kept trying to turnover, but instantly gave up, almost as if there not enough of something to get it turning....sounds like battery anyways, we'll see what happens now though

[bill14224]

Nope, everything was tight and clean...
When I tried to start it, it kept trying to turnover, but instantly gave up, almost as if there not enough of something to get it turning....sounds like battery anyways, we'll see what happens now though

Your battery isn't holding a charge.  Time for a new one.  I suggest an AGM battery. (type, not brand)  You store it in the bike all winter, don't you?  That's why it's dying already.

[vorBH]

Nope
I take care of the battery in the winter, take it out of the bike, charge once per month that it sits
but a mechanic suggested yesterday to get a trickle charger, better than I guess a non-trickle charger....it will put the battery through  healthy life cycles while its sitting

Does running the bike at high RPMs have anything to do with affecting the battery? When I mean high I mean like 8000 or 9000, not 12000


What is the benefit of an AGM battery?

[jeremy_nash]

agm batteries are maintenence free, so no worries about checking levels, they typicaly last longer, especially if you dont maintain your battery properly.

easiest way to check your charging system is to use a volt-meter to check battery voltage when the bike is running.  anything lower than 13 volts with engine around 5k rpms may indicate a charging problem.  also, if you make many small rides, and on those rides, the rpms arent very high, your battery may not be charging fully.

[vorBH]

Great....heres a better question...why is www.fuelly.com trying to save a cookie on my computer?   bill14224 any idea? you have the fuelly banner in your signature...