i was gonna go for a ride when i got home tonight but apparently my GS didn't want to. so its time for yet another noob question :cookoo:
when do i know that the battery needs to be replaced and when my bike just needs to warm up or something. its been a couple days since i rode last and it is cooler out (52 degrees). its started up once and then died and then after that it would barely turn onver once. how can i warm it up if thats the problem?
If you take the battery into a battery/automotive shop most of them will do a condition check for free. Before you do this though, check your electrolyte levels and top up with distilled water if necessary.
Yeah, 52 is not cold enough to start causing heat related battery failure. Check your water levels (use distilled water!) and then take the battery to a place that will test it for you. Also, if you want to ride and your battery is dead, just push start it... It isn't that hard and it will get you where you want to go.
this is like the coldest its been all winter lol but thats florida for you i guess. anyway, yeah i'll check those levels tomorrow.
its -5 here this morning no riding for me for a few more months. 52 would be a heat wave. I miss riding
Quote from: joshr08 on January 16, 2009, 07:34:32 AM
its -5 here this morning no riding for me for a few more months. 52 would be a heat wave. I miss riding
+1, stupid winter
With wind chill this morning it was less than a degree shy of -40 (so that is the same in "C and "F !!)
+1, Damn Winter. I can't even take apart my bike 'til spring comes :mad:
Not to rub it in or anything but our high today and all weekend is between 75-78!
Quote from: utgunslinger13 on January 16, 2009, 09:15:55 AM
Not to rub it in or anything but our high today and all weekend is between 75-78!
I'm looking at 84 for today and 80 through the weekend...
:2guns:
8 degrees this morning...... GRRR!
It's gotta be in the 20's before I'll get back on... maybe next week w/ a little luck. I've persevered pretty well so far, and haven't had to be off the bike for more than a few days. I refuse to give in... it's not THAT uncomfortable (except for the fingers). As long as it's safe (no ice) and I can tolerate it, I'm on the road. Long term looks like I may get another couple of acceptable days next week... so that's something to look forward to.
Hang in there... the days ARE getting longer... we've already gained back 15 minutes (big deal... huh?) of day light, and pretty soon we'll all be back on the road again! They definitely will start easier when it's warmer!
Cheers!
:cheers: :cheers:
Quote from: 5thAve on January 16, 2009, 08:39:24 AM
With wind chill this morning it was less than a degree shy of -40 (so that is the same in "C and "F !!)
+1, Damn Winter. I can't even take apart my bike 'til spring comes :mad:
Man -40 is plenty warm to ride! I remember...my day...up hill...snow...darn kids...
Yeah took it out in the 30's the other day, and it was plenty cold for me. The temps in the teens are making me regret my n00b decision to just take it out once a week instead of winterizing...
Quote from: Canonball on January 15, 2009, 07:40:47 PM
i was gonna go for a ride when i got home tonight but apparently my GS didn't want to. so its time for yet another noob question :cookoo:
when do i know that the battery needs to be replaced and when my bike just needs to warm up or something. its been a couple days since i rode last and it is cooler out (52 degrees). its started up once and then died and then after that it would barely turn onver once. how can i warm it up if thats the problem?
how old is said battery, and how cold has it beemn, or what has the temps been like. high/low range etc
so I'm pretty sure its a dead battery because now when i hit start button the only thing that happens is the indicator lights dim a bit. it doesn't even try to turn over :2guns:
i'm not sure how old the battery is, i bought the bike about a month ago
i checked for spark and found none..........which as i'm writing this it occured to me that if the battery is dead that the bike will probably not produce spark......hmm i need to eat breakfast before make myself sound more stupid :icon_confused:
most batteries dont need to be replaced when they seem dead. They just need a good charge, or if they can't hold a charge, then they need to be desulfated.
Desulfation is when the sulfur in the battery acid and the lead from the plates react to form a crystal like structure. Normally, in regular discharging, the crystals are small and spread out, so they are easily converted back. If the bike is allowed to sit for any period of time, however, the battery starts to discharge on its own and forms dense crystals, which cannot be broken down by regular charging from the alternator or trickle charger
anyways, everyone should look into desulfator circuits, they are a simple circuit that will blast those crystals apart and renew the battery essentially
but most probably all your battery needs is a good charge
While I agree that your battery needs attention (most likely topping off and charging OR replacing), you also should consider why it started THEN DIED.
Was the choke on? If the bike had not been run in a while, did you set the petcock to PRIME first to fill the float bowls? I nursed a weak battery for months, but only because the bike starts so easily.
BTW, when I finally got to changing the battery last weekend, I was embarrassed :embarassed: and shocked :icon_eek: to find the old battery almost completely dry. I had neglected it a little too often. Motorcycle batteries need lots more attention than car batteries. I still got 3.5 years out of it, but I likely would have gotten 5 years had I simply maintained it more regularly. :icon_sad:
well its definatly the battery, i can jump it and the bike starts right up. so tomorrow i'm gonna have it checked out. this bike stuff is still a little new to me :icon_confused:
now i just gotta work on getting that idle down from 4k, any ideas there? (i think i remember a thread a while back about it, i'll see if i can find it)