- This topic has 4 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 5 months ago by Rab.
Help! It’s dead!
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October 21, 2008 at 12:31 pm #2280canstaettParticipant
Only temporarily I hope…
After a couple weeks of dealing with other mechanical problems, yesterday was the first day I managed to get back out. Everything went fine, even better than it was before.
I get up this morning, did the same thing I did yesterday- turn the bike on, walk it 15-20 feet through the cars in the driveway and start it. Except this time- lights went off like they always do, it went click and nothing happened. No sound of it even trying to start and the lights didn’t even come back on. Side stand was up, tried in in both first and neutral. Nothing. By the third try nothing was on at all. The speedometer backlight glowed faintly and then went out again. Tried once more and nothing happened at all, not even the speedometer light. Ended up pushing it back into the garage and taking the car.
So it seems like the logical guess is that the battery is completely dead. And before anyone asks, yes I know I didn’t leave it on last night because I turned it on when I was leaving the garage- and it only got down to about 50 last night, so it wasn’t cold that killed it. It’s got 10,500 or so miles on it, and it’s not quite a year old- should the battery be dying this soon?
Is there anything I can do to try and start it (to at least get it to the mechanic) before I go beg the dealership to come and get it? Or any ideas on what might be wrong?
October 21, 2008 at 2:47 pm #14128BuddParticipantYou can push start it. Got a hill?
“I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine
October 22, 2008 at 12:16 am #14159MunchParticipantLoose battery connection…. sounds like the terminal is connected enough to get an initial spark but as soon as voltage is applied it “jumps” the connection loose creating to big a gap. Number one mistake I get with cars coming in on hooks for no starts. Check the connection, possible one of the techs skipped or missed that step.
In cars it always has a distinct click and nothingness. If all lights are out after it happens but not before that would be a good indicator for me.Let us know what you came up with.
Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**hOctober 22, 2008 at 2:19 am #14164bob250ParticipantCould be a bum battery or charging system. If the battery connections are good and tight, try a trickle charge overnight or like Budd said, push start it. If charging it doesn’t work I would get a new battery or at least take your old battery to autozone or the like and have them test it. Hopefully it’s just your battery and not something that requires a trip to your mechanic.
October 22, 2008 at 7:18 am #14168RabParticipantYou didn’t turn your key all the way past “off” to “parking light” did you?
Don’t try to push start the bike, you’ll just look and feel silly and it probably won’t start anyway (been there done that); you might drop the bike as well.
If you don’t have a battery charger, buy or borrow a set of inexpensive jumper cables (most folks have some for their car) and start the bike from your car battery (car engine NOT running). Connect car battery red (+) terminal to Motorcycle battery red (+) terminal and Car Black (-) to Motorcycle Black (-). Don’t cross them over or you’ll blow a fuse (been there, done that too).
With the battery only being a year or so old, it shouldn’t have failed, so it might be loose battery connections, an accessory draining the battery, or a problem with your charging system.
Do check that the battery connections are tight on your bike first though, as if they’re loose, the battery won’t have been getting charged properly.
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