any ideas on recharging the battery with a car?

Quote from: jaypeezy215 on October 30, 2007, 02:21:57 PM
any ideas on recharging the battery with a car?

I personally wouldn't leave my MC battery attached to a car battery for the purposes of CHARGING it, but I wouldn't hesitate to jump start the bike from the car battery and then take a 30-mile ride and let the bike's charging system do its usual job.

Just make sure you get all the way home before you turn the bike off.   

to jump start it, should i leave the car off? then attatch the cables then start the bike with the cables on? sorry if i'm being confusing. I'm just worried abuot blowing a battery.

I believe since they are both 12V, you can jump star tit with the car on with no problems. My buddy had to get a good ground connection on his bike (he used the kickstand).

I would say do it with the car off but thats just me.

Quote from: CndnMax on October 30, 2007, 06:15:03 PM
I would say do it with the car off but thats just me.

That's me too!  No need to have the car on.

With all of the "cold cranking amps" available from a typical car battery, it won't have any trouble turning over your little 487cc motor.  But since it puts out the same 12 volts of "electromotive force" as the MC battery, it shouldn't overload the system, either.

There would probably be no harm in having the car on, but why take a chance on the car's charging system being "especially effective" if you don't need the extra "oomph"?

thanks alot i'm going to try tommorow. I dont think i'm ready for the bump start yet  I need to buy a trickle charger. Are the 12 volts one off ebay any good?

Quote from: jaypeezy215 on October 30, 2007, 09:18:10 PM
thanks alot i'm going to try tommorow. I dont think i'm ready for the bump start yet  I need to buy a trickle charger. Are the 12 volts one off ebay any good?

I had to push start my bike tonight after 8 days of it sitting. This may be abnormal, but push starting it really wasn't difficult. All you need is a good stretch of downhill pavement and few cars, dump the clutch in second gear and it cranks up on its own. Roll the throttle to get the RPM's up and just hold it there for a little while.

- G

Yep, it doesn't take much of a hill to bump start a GS in 2nd gear.  I did it a few years ago at work (after leaving the ignition on "P" all day) where the parking lot sloped down one floor's worth from the front of the building to the back.

Having said that, using a hill to bump start a bike can be a two-edged sword.  If it works, you did it all by yourself and didn't have to rely on anyone else.  If it doesn't work, you've got to get the bike back up the hill by yourself ... and/or rely on someone else after all. 

For your first time, I still suggest having someone around to give you a push.  Oh, and if you don't want them to get mad at you, make sure you have the ignition on and the kill switch on RUN before they push you the first time.  Multiple pushes gets old fast....  

thanks alot i'm going out in 5 minutes so i'll report back!

Quote from: jaypeezy215 on October 17, 2007, 12:12:52 PM
Hey everyone, I just bought a 2004 GS500f. It currently has 6500 miles and has been running great that last few months. Just recently I've started having a problem with getting it started I'll try to be as detailed as possible and try to make it easier to diagnose the problem. Well, for about 2 weeks i stopped riding the bike because I was very busy. The bike remained covered at all times. After those 2 weeks, i tried starting the bike again and it would start then die. I tried setting the choke up, same thing would happen. Sometimes I tried giving it throttle when i started it up, and it would rev but then die again. I dont know if this is coincidental, but if i put the fuel reserve on, it tends to start up with less tries. Eventually it starts, but sometimes i need to wait a couple hours before it would start again. Once it does start, when i set the choke all the way up, it takes a while for the RPM's to get higher. I.e it'll idle around 4000 then slowly move up towards 6000. The battery is brand new so i don't think its that. I checked all the connections and everything seems to be fine. Spark plugs maybe? If ANYONE can help me solve this problem i would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again

For all the world, this sounds like a simple problem: Bad Gas. If I were you, I'd try fresh gas in the tank before I start looking for mechanical problems. You said the tank is currently full? That's a bummer. But it's worth draining most of it out (fill a jerry can and pour it in your or a friend's car). Twice I've been stranded by the roadside having filled up with what turned out to be old or low-quality gasoline. It runs fine for a short while, but a couple miles down the road.... can't idle to save its life. It'll only run on wide open throttle, and even then not very well. Draining off some gas, and topping up with fresh premium unleaded dinosaurs from a different station has solved the problem both times.

Don't forget that once you've got fresh gas in the tank, you still need to open the drain screws on both carb float bowls so as to drain the stale gas from the carb bowls and the line from the tank to the carbs. When fresh gas gets to the carbs you should be good to go. There's no way to tell from the sight/taste/smell the difference between good and bad gas -- but the bike knows.

This is an easy fix, and the 1st one I'd try before attempting any other work.

Cheers!

Here's a update. I connected jumper cables from my bike to my car. My bike didnt start up but at least it was showing some signs of life. It would spit and spew but i couldn't get it to idle. Before, it wouldnt even start. So i decided to look around, and i pulled out my dipstick and there was almost no oil left. Any suggestions on what i should do next? i might try uploading a video or something to help everyone get a better idea. Thanks

A video would be a great way to give us a feel for the "spitting" and "spewing".

Did you pull the choke on when you tried to start the bike?  ("Sheesh ... I have to tell these guys everything!" )

As far as the oil, make sure you're:
   A) Holding the bike vertical (or on the centerstand) when you insert the dipstick, and
   B) Resting the dipstick on top of the hole after wiping it off (don't screw it in).

For pictorial data related to item A, see [THIS OLD POST].