I have a gs500f with about 12,000 miles. I bought the bike new. My battery is about one year (4,000 miles old).
About four weeks ago, the bike would not start. I took it to a local mechanic and he said that the battery was drained. He said that he tested the alternator and it was working correctly. He said that he did not know why the battery was exhausted. He recharged the battery.
Last night the bike would not start. I got a jumpstart from a friend. I have a charger so I can recharge it myself. However, I want to PREVENT this from happening again. Are there any known issues with the bike's electrical system? Is there anything specific I should tell the mechanic to examine?
I've been having the same problem with my battery. It's a relatively new battery and I seem to have the drained battery problem after the bike sits a while (Sometimes almost a week). I've asked around about why this is happening and the general response is that if it's a sealed battery(one that you can't replace/top off the electrolight solution) then once that battery is completely drained or loses enough charge to properly start the bike it will be more prone to losing a charge quickly. A new battery might be in order if this is the case. If you can refill/add electrolight solution in the battery try that and see if it helps the battery keep a good charge. It could be a case of the acid soution being to weak to produce the proper current needed.
I have a sealed battery and the only way I have worked around the problem is to ride a bit every day/ every other other day or charge the battery when I know it's been sitting around a while (I'm cheap and it's late in the riding season around here). Keep in mind though, the alternator doesn't produce enough current/amps to charge the battery until around 4500 or 5500 RPM(generally cruising RPM) so starting and idling will not charge the battery unless you want to sit there and hold the throttle open for an extended amount of time
I have an update. The second incident occurred late last night. My condo is only about two miles from where I got the jumpstart, and I only rode about 35mph after the jumpstart, since I was on city streets. I ASSUMED that that would not be enough to restore the battery. But after starting this thread, I went outside and tried to start the bike. It started immediately. I rode it for about an hour on the highway, just to make sure the battery was recharged.
WHY did it start? I suspect that those gremlins in the Geico ad are messing with my bike!
Never underestimate the gremlins... it's all good as long as it keeps working from here on out right? how long did you let the battery charge when you had the jumpers hooked up? Maybe the jump brought the voltage and amps in the battery back up to operating parameters. I'd try it again after the bike sits for a while and see if the charge took. Good luck and I hope it keeps starting for you. Maybe strap some jumper cables to your bike for a while just to make sure you got the bases covered :icon_razz:
Yeah I bought jumper cables today.
Quote from: OhioSteve on August 04, 2007, 01:48:42 PM
I have a gs500f with about 12,000 miles. I bought the bike new. My battery is about one year (4,000 miles old).
About four weeks ago, the bike would not start. I took it to a local mechanic and he said that the battery was drained. He said that he tested the alternator and it was working correctly. He said that he did not know why the battery was exhausted. He recharged the battery.
Last night the bike would not start. I got a jumpstart from a friend. I have a charger so I can recharge it myself. However, I want to PREVENT this from happening again. Are there any known issues with the bike's electrical system? Is there anything specific I should tell the mechanic to examine?
Because the alternator is working correctly does NOT mean the rectifier is. The problem could be there OR it's possible you have a weak/dead/faulty cell in the battery. There's a few possibilities actually. Another one, and I was guilty of this with my first GS, was that if you turn the key to the left to lock the forks, you can actually go one step further and it will leave the brake lights on. (Kind of like accessory in a car.) That would also drain your battery.
Those are just some thoughts. Good luck! Hope any of that helps. :thumb:
I manage to get 3 or more years from bike batteries, and over 5 years from car battery, using a trickle charger, I take turns connecting it to one vehicle or another. The trickle charger is automatic, and it is always plugged in.
And make sure batteries are full of water.
Your battery is shagged, buy a new one.
1) Make sure key is set to LOCK not PARK (taillight drain)
2) Put a meter on the battery with key off and check for drain.
3) Trickle charge.
4) New battery ?
That's the list from least expensive to more expensive. I can only assume you're keeping the revs above 3K when riding. Clean terminals, full electrolite, good connections (no corrosion anywhere), and a good generator are all assumptions also.
If it sits more than a week between rides typically, in heat, get a trickle charger and pull the battery between rides.
:)
Quote from: ohgood on August 05, 2007, 03:04:42 AM
1) Make sure key is set to LOCK not PARK (taillight drain)
2) Put a meter on the battery with key off and check for drain.
3) Trickle charge.
4) New battery ?
:)
To test for drain you have to take the + battery cable off and put one probe of the DMM on the battery post and the other probe on the battery cable and set the DMM to the 10 amp setting, do not set it to the mA setting first. If you don't see any drain then put the DMM on the mA setting. You should see less than .05 mA drain. Also check to see if you have a surface drain , put one probe of the DMM on the - battery post and run the other probe all over the battery, DMM set to DC volts , you should not see any drain if you do clean the battery.
The charging system does not recharge the battery sufficiently with a low speed. The OEM manual discusses the RPM needed ( >5000 rpm).
-> connect a digital voltmeter (or an analog if that's what you have) across the battery
(set on DC Volts)
-> start (jump if needed) the engine and rev to over 5K RPM.
-> spec. is 13.5 to 15.5 VDC. Anything over or under is suspicious
If the mech said the alternator(generator) was OK, suspect the RR (regulator/rectifier)
Or, as Sledge mentioned, you battery may be shagged.
(Cheers Sledge - How's your Summer been?)
If it is a sealed type, you will need another to compare it to or take it to an "Auto-Box" and have them load test it (for free usually).
If it is refill type, you should check the SG (specific gravity) of the fluid in each cell. That is the true test of a **normal** battery. The electrolyte will be depleated is the battery is run down.
A bad battery may have a great SG reading, but wrecked plates, Pb Sulfides (or sulphates?) precipitated in the bottom. In the latter case, you cannot convert the precipitate back into the solution via electrical current. This is what happens when a battery charges anyway.