GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

Hi everyone

My one month old GS500F just expired. This morning, when when I turned the ignition key there was just nothing at all. Dead. I don't think I left the parking light in all last night, but am not sure.

Anyway, none of the electricals function (starter, lights, horn, turn signals) but the bike can be bump started (just) in 2nd, and on a slope!

Once the engine fires, it runs fine, and the lights all come back, but using the brakes causes the rev counter to drop to zero, and the other lights to dim. Both fuses are intact, but I cannot figure out if the battery may have discharged overnight, or perhaps the charging circuit has failed.

It looks like an electrical fault, but things electrical are like calculus to me -wonderful but totally incomprehensible

Has anyone else seen this type of problem? Please let me know.

I'm really fed up - its such a beautiful day to go for a ride :-(

Ian

Take your battery down to NAOA, Kragen, Auto Zone, etc, and have them test it.  If its ok, most will throw it on a charger for you for a few hours.  If it tests bad just pick up a new one.  NAPA had one that works in stock last time I was there.  Best of luck.

Aaron

Its under warranty, make the dealer fix it :)

loose cable? :dunno:

Quote from: 70 Cam GuyIts under warranty, make the dealer fix it :)

killing your battery isnt covered usually! :?

if it's a faulty batter the dealer should replace it.

Big thanks to all, especially Aaron. Took the battery to Autozone, they charged it for me, tested it and pronounced it healthy again!

I'm back on the road again, and in future will pay much more attention to the position of the ignition key when I lock my bike in the evenings!

Have a great day all

Best
Ian

Quote from: IanBig thanks to all, especially Aaron. Took the battery to Autozone, they charged it for me, tested it and pronounced it healthy again!

I'm back on the road again, and in future will pay much more attention to the position of the ignition key when I lock my bike in the evenings!

Have a great day all

Best
Ian

That's indeed a little problem. If you turn the key a little bit to far, it is in the nightlight function. My old 87 CB450s had the Night-position in turn before the lock, so mistake is less likely.

Regards,
<Maximus COnjugatius>

Can I charge the battery by simply letting it run in idle?

Quote from: GT EyeCan I charge the battery by simply letting it run in idle?

That depends on the condition of your regulator.  Many bikes don't produce the necessary voltage to fully charge battery at idle.  The only way to know, is to hook a voltmeter to your battery while the bike is idling.  Ideally, you want to charge the battery at between 14 and 14.4 volts to reach full charge (spec for a Yuasa motorcycle battery).  Electrex (which makes quality aftermarket regulators) claims that 13.8v-14.4v is good.  But on many bikes, it is necessary to keep the RPMs higher (like 5k+) to get the charging system voltage up above even 13.8v.

Technically, a typical battery will not produce more than 12.8v, even after a full charge.  If you were to charge the battery at (say) 13.1v, then it would still charge most of the way, although not completely and probably not as fast.  So you may get some charging at idle.  But you probably want to find-out what RPMs your bike needs to get a good charge, and use those.

Quote from: GT EyeCan I charge the battery by simply letting it run in idle?

Only if you wish to destroy the engine by overheating - air cooled engines need air flow over the fins.

Anyway, unless you disconnect the headlight, at a normal 1200 rpm idle you are lucky to break even on the power generated/power consumed equation.

my 96 does that now and then , check your relays and then buy a battery tender there are about 30 bucks and charge it when you are nod riding. i  do that and now it runs like a champ, im new to riding but ive been told that if you ride alot it is common to drain the battery. good luck and let me know if that helps

and the battery will not charge at idle..... its not like a car you have to be above a certain rpm

What battery tender is recommended?

Yikes! I'm looking through my Clymer, and the battery removal process seems pretty daunting! I have to remove the fuel tank and frame covers?

Ian... if there was not any reason that the battery died (ie...parking lights left on, loose cable or corrosion) then there may be a charging issue. An easy check is to put a volt meter across the battery with the bike running and hold the rpms at 5000. The voltage should read somewhere between 13.5 & 15.5 volts. If not then a trip to the dealer is in order for warranty repair.

btw...I think it is a minimum of 4k to charge the battery.

There are several other things you can check as well. I have been going through the same problems with my TLR which I figured out has a bad stator.

Quote from: GT EyeWhat battery tender is recommended?

The first accessory purchase I made after I bought my GS was a Deltran Battery Tender Plus.  I've been plenty pleased with it.


But if you're on a tight budget, I would try its "little brother" - the Battery Tender Jr.

Quote from: GT EyeYikes! I'm looking through my Clymer, and the battery removal process seems pretty daunting! I have to remove the fuel tank and frame covers?

Not on your '97 you don't!  (I can't comment on the '01+ models.)  All you need to do is remove your seat using your key, unscrew the cables from the battery terminals (- side first) and lift the battery out.

PS - Anymore I just charge the battery while it's sitting in the bike.  In fact, the extra cable that comes with either Battery Tender is intended to be "permanently" attached to your battery terminals.  It will let you hook the Battery Tender up whenever you want, without disassembling anything.

Wow, great! Thanks for the help! Just made my Friday even better (now, if the Red Sox would just beat the Yanks.....I'm a Met fan- no reason to cheer for my team)

:cheers:

OK a fully near dead battery will get charged at idle on a GS, but if you have one that is nearly all pumped up... then no charging at idle. And yes 4K, and funny thing is over 7500 the ignition system uses more and more power with climbing rpm that battery gets very little charge... yes the voltage output goes up with rpm, linearly, but internal losses go up exponentially, and ignition power is about exponential too... and the regulator prooritises the ignition system above the battery... as it should... so high revs no charge for battery.
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathOK a fully near dead battery will get charged at idle on a GS, but if you have one that is nearly all pumped up... then no charging at idle. And yes 4K, and funny thing is over 7500 the ignition system uses more and more power with climbing rpm that battery gets very little charge... yes the voltage output goes up with rpm, linearly, but internal losses go up exponentially, and ignition power is about exponential too... and the regulator prooritises the ignition system above the battery... as it should... so high revs no charge for battery.
Cool.
Srinath.

I noticed that when I had heated grips on my bike. Above 4000-5000 rpm they would get cooler again and above 8000 power to the grips was weak. The best was 4000 rpm, they would get really hot.
The electrical system is clearly a budget design. It is not powerful at all and it only has one fuse, which annoys me because when you get a problem while riding, the whole bike dies including the front and rearlight. Pretty dangerous.

Quote from: Kerry

PS - Anymore I just charge the battery while it's sitting in the bike.  In fact, the extra cable that comes with either Battery Tender is intended to be "permanently" attached to your battery terminals.  It will let you hook the Battery Tender up whenever you want, without disassembling anything.

Boy am I glad you said that!  :cheers:

I thought I was nuts (or REALLY lazy) for thinking I could just leave that cable attached.  :mrgreen:

If the alternator/regulator are working correctly and the fuse and associated wiring are all good then the battery should always be getting a charge, no matter what the rpm.

I made some measurements using a Fluke 77 multimeter:

rpm------amps to ignition----volts at battery
1200-----1.6-------------------15.2
2000-----1.5-------------------15.1
3000-----1.5-------------------14.9
4000-----1.8-------------------14.8
5000-----2.0-------------------14.8

On my bike you can see that the highest charging voltage occurs at the lowest rpm.  But the battery voltage at any rpm is sufficient to fully charge the battery as long as the bike is on for enough time to replace the amp hours lost during starting.