Title Edit: Serious Starting Issue (with audio)

[kml.krk]

The title says it all  

I have no idea why that happened. Battery is new. GEL type.
I recharged using automotive charger at the beginning of the week.

Bike sat outside for 7 hours in 45 degrees which is totally normal.
I am thinking if maybe I left the lights on   but if I did then after 7 hours it would not even probably turnover.
But it did turn over couple of times, then weird loud CRACK then click click. Disconnected front light, tired again, same story.
It behaved just like the battery was almost totally drained.

So I pushed her in 3rd gear, she started, rode to school making sure to keep revs over 4K when possible.
She started fine the same night after my class was over.

This makes very little sense. I will have to load test my battery. As voltage is fine. Alternator is fine (already checked)

Charged it overnight, will see what happens when I leave work today.

Moral: learn how to push start your bike!
The trick with pushing starter button while pushing the bike does not work with GS because you need clutch pulled in to energize the starter (release the clutch and there is no electricity flowing to starter) [at least that is what I think, I may be wrong though]

EDIT: modified title of the thread

[burning1]

Automotive chargers can be a little aggressive for a moto battery. How fast did you charge it?

[kml.krk]

always on 2 AMP, I do not want to fry my battery

[gsJack]

Do you lock your steering when you park the bike?  Turning it one notch further to the park position leaves the tail light only on and it's easy to miss seeing.  Would leave battery dead in 7 hours.  Everybody that rides does that at least once I think.

[adidasguy]

That's why I have a white LED inside the fairing connected to the running light. I'll see that when I turn the key too far.
On an "E", you could add an LED between the speedo and the tach.
Easy to tell at night but during daylight, too easy to turn key too far and not see the running lights on.

[madjak30]

Yup, I played that game when I first got the bike...thought it was a bad battery...check the fluid levels in the battery (should be about 1/4" above the plates), if it is low use distilled water to fill it...reg tap water will kill the batter sooner...charged mine and all was fine...I only figured out what I did a month or so later...saw the light on when I parked it in the evening...WTF?? then had an "ah-ha" moment and figured it out...not the greatest design...

Later.

[gregvhen]

Ive always wandered what the point of this feature is?  I have never been able think of a situation in which I want my steering locked and my tail light on.  Does anyone use this?  intentially I mean.

[tb0lt]

Ive always wandered what the point of this feature is?  I have never been able think of a situation in which I want my steering locked and my tail light on.  Does anyone use this?  intentially I mean.

Yep... I've used it on occasions when I'm briefly parking the bike in places that are dimly lit (because of lack of other spots or for convenience) and I don't want somebody running over the thing. On the F model it lights up the stop light and the little bulb inside the headlight. Not sure if that was a custom job or not.

[Twisted]

Aussie GS's don't have this feature. I have always wondered about the practicality of the park function as I have it on my Ducati and have almost walked away from it with it left on. Annoying if you ask me.

[kml.krk]

I always check to make sure I did not leave lights on.
I have GEL battery so no issue with fluid levels.

Today she started fine, on a first turn (battery charged overnight)
I came back home and decided to test load a battery anyways. It is bad.

Tool says: connect to battery, read after 10 seconds. So I did.
After 10 seconds it was still in the green field but dropping quickly, after about 13 seconds it was in yellow field, after about 20 seconds it was very close to red.
Battery was charged yesterday, voltage showed 12.5 when I got home.  
I thought: it can't be true, tool must be broken or something, so I took my old battery (wet type) that has been sitting in the closet for past 3 months, checked voltage, 12.0, hooked to the load test tool, 10 seconds later pointer is in the middle of green field, 20 seconds later, same thing. Good as new...

For now I put the old battery back in the bike, and I am charging it now.

I am super mad because I got this GEL battery 3 months ago. I paid over 70 bucks for it...
I already contacted seller. I asked for the battery to be exchanged.

Thanks for all input and keep your fingers crossed that they will exchange my battery

EDIT: tool used: (very similar or the same as this)

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Ive always wandered what the point of this feature is?  I have never been able think of a situation in which I want my steering locked and my tail light on.  Does anyone use this?  intentially I mean.

I'd love to have this feature on my bike, I don't have a working parklight, and my steering lock was broken before I bought the bike.

I have a laneway behind my house I go down to get into my garage.  I have to open the garage door from the inside, so I park the bike in the laneway, let myself in then open the garage door so I can bring the bike in.  The lane is dark, narrow and used by a lot of delivery trucks, so I have to make a choice.  Do I take the keys out of the bike and leave it secured, but invisible to traffic? Or do I leave the keys in it for the 30 seconds it takes me to get inside and open the garage door and risk someone riding off with it?

Yeah I'd love to be able to lock the steering but keep the bike nice and visible, that's a really handy feature.  I wish I had it. 

Police bikes have this feature where you can leave them running in neutral, then take the key out, but if someone tries to put the bike in gear it will stop.  This allows them to leave it running to power their flashing lights and radio without having to worry about some smartass taking it for a joyride.

[kml.krk]

arrrrrrrrrrrr,  
I don't get it...
So continuing the story from my previous post...
Today in the morning I checked the charger, says: FULL. I checked the battery voltage 12.9. Good.
I put the seat back on, turn key to on, pull clutch, push start button, it barely turns over once, twice, BANG, click click. I think what the hell... I try second time again barely turns over but eventually starts.

I am at school now and I am 99% sure I will have to push start the bike after my classes are over.

I am lost. Why it barely turns over when the battery is full? Bike seats in heated garage, about 60 degrees in there. Battery fully charged and load tested yesterday.

What else should I check?

EDIT: when push starting my bike I noticed one thing and I am not sure if this is normal or not: in first gear with clutch disengaged (lever pulled in toward the handle all the way) I was barely able to push the bike, in second gear I could push it but it was hard,
Is it normal? I do not have any gear changing issues so I think yes, but this battery/starting problems make me paranoid...

[bill14224]

arrrrrrrrrrrr,  
I don't get it...
So continuing the story from my previous post...
Today in the morning I checked the charger, says: FULL. I checked the battery voltage 12.9. Good.
I put the seat back on, turn key to on, pull clutch, push start button, it barely turns over once, twice, BANG, click click. I think what the hell... I try second time again barely turns over but eventually starts.

I am at school now and I am 99% sure I will have to push start the bike after my classes are over.

I am lost. Why it barely turns over when the battery is full? Bike seats in heated garage, about 60 degrees in there. Battery fully charged and load tested yesterday.

What else should I check?

EDIT: when push starting my bike I noticed one thing and I am not sure if this is normal or not: in first gear with clutch disengaged (lever pulled in toward the handle all the way) I was barely able to push the bike, in second gear I could push it but it was hard,
Is it normal? I do not have any gear changing issues so I think yes, but this battery/starting problems make me paranoid...

Relax.  Nothing you can't easily cure here.  Your clutch is dragging.  Adjust the slack out of your clutch cable so it disengages all the way.  It adjusts at both ends if you don't have enough adjustment at the handlebar.  As for the battery, my father once bought a brand new battery that went dead overnight.  It happens.  Make sure your battery lugs are clean or everything I said about the battery goes out the window.  You need another new battery and a cable adjustment at most.  You may only need to clean the battery connections and adjust the cable.  Patience is a virtue, young man.

[kml.krk]

thanks bill.
I will adjust the clutch.

What I am worried about is this noise that is present more and more often, but ONLY during starting.

It sounds like two hammers smacked into each other.
I've had weak battery issues before (due to short commute), but this noise is new to me and it worries me.

I don't have much time this semester but I will also inspect valve clearance just to make sure it's OK.
Last time I checked valves was at 2000 miles, now I am at over 5000. Theoretically they should be fine but it wouldn't hurt to check anyways.

[madjak30]

Could it be the starter motor?  Almost sounds like an alignment issue...could be a solenoid not fully engagine...I would check the connections there...I'm just making guesses here though...

Good Luck!!

Later.

[kml.krk]

Could this happen just like that with no real reason? It was fine a week or 2 ago...
Tomorrow I will try starting using car battery. If it starts smothly it will mean that i just need a new battery.
Could too tight or too loose valves cause that?
Could sticking float in carb cause that?
I am trying to eliminate everything NOT causing the issue.

[madjak30]

No, I don't think so...if it was valves or carbs it wouldn't run right once you got it started...those things would be and issue reguardless...the sound you are describing sounds like a mechanical issue, and the starter tooth mesh or a solenoid problem makes the most sense to me...

Even clutch drag shouldn't cause you any issue with starting if you are in neutral...are you now having the problem with the old battery that held it's charge all through winter?

Later.

[mister]

BTW, being Hard to push the bike while it is in gear is Normal for the GS. No need to start chasing your tail trying to fix that as well.

Quick question... how many wires are you reconnecting on each side of the battery - got a photo of the connection even?

Michael

[kml.krk]

are you now having the problem with the old battery that held it's charge all through winter?

I put that old battery in the bike on Friday night, charged overnight and like I described earlier bike barely started on Saturday morning.
After school on Saturday it started OK (felt like battery had plenty of starting power) but there was this noise of banging metal

Next ride is tomorrow.
If this is a starter issue then what would be my best action? Can it be fixed or I need a new one? How difficult is it to replace? Is it expensive?
thanks!

[kml.krk]

BTW, being Hard to push the bike while it is in gear is Normal for the GS. No need to start chasing your tail trying to fix that as well.

Quick question... how many wires are you reconnecting on each side of the battery - got a photo of the connection even?

Michael

I am not quite sure if I get your question. How many wires are there? 
I thought there are two, one connects to + and the other to - on the battery...