I have a 2001 with about 12K on the clock...  Owned it about 6 months and been running fine since purchase...

Suddenly, I walk out one morning and the battery is dead.  I bumpstart the bike and ride for about an hour...  The bike runs fine during this ride...  An hour didn't seem to charge the battery, but it was all I had time for...

Next time I go for a ride, the battery is, of course, still dead...  I bumpstart the bike and let it warm up, but this time it starts running really badly...  It seems to idle okay, but any attempt at acceleration leads to hesitation and backfiring, lots of backfiring...

What's the deal?  I had planned on simply charging the battery on a trickle charger, but I don't think this is my only problem...  Any ideas?

Thanks!

Rich

if your battery is a wet battery which it probly is check the fluid level in it.

You may have a bad voltage regulator. That would explain why the battery doesn't charge (I have a 25 min commute and that was enough to charge my battery sufficiently when I left it in "park" once), and why you suddenly seem to have ignition problems.

Also possible: a shorted out cell in the battery. That'll drag your voltage down.