ok, here's my problem: last week my bike would not start. when i turned the key i had the tach needle spool up and a neutral light. after several attempts to start it i just got clicking and the trip meter would reset every time. i attempted a jump start and that got my bike running, but later that day the bike would not start, so i had to jump start it again. i tried to ride it to get my battery checked but the bike died on me on the way there. i took the battery out and charged it overnight and was told that it was good. after reinstalling the battery the bike ran fine for like two days. after that i attempted to start it again and it would not turn over so i just left it sitting for 5 days. today as i was trying to move it into my garage i decided to give it a shot, and it just started. i ordered a new battery today but i'm starting to feel like the problem is somewhere else. should i cancel my order? any clue as to what the problem could be? thanks

 

I dont know if this helps but I have heard that if the "Run" switch is left in the "Off" position it will sometimes run the battery down... Probably just a stupid pipedream that someone had though!!!

 

Question: When the bike was failing to start/run, was it during wet weather? In other words was it raining heavy the night before, or very foggy in the morning?

I ask because what you are describing sounds similar to when the insulation in a fuel injected car develops hairline cracks that you can't see, but are big enough for water molecules to get into, causing the spark to arch and the engine fail to run, or to run very poorly.

You may want to try a plug/wire/etc tune-up before replacing the battery, and make sure that you use a sufficient amount of dielectric grease for all the relevant fittings.

 

Funny u ask that because when it was sitting it was because of a tropical storm in the area. I cancelled my order on the battery because if it was the battery I don't think I would have gotten it to start at all yesterday. I noticed after riding it today that every time I start the bike up the trip meter is reset as well. This confuses the hell out of me. Thanks for your input. I'll check out all the electrical plugs and fittings and see if that solves anything.

 

today, after school my bike wouldn't start once again. i push started it and got it home and once i turned it off at home and tried to start it again, it wouldn't turn over. maybe a starter issue?

 

-do not attempt to run your bike w/o a battery

i had smellier problems and it was the bike's alternator, actually unlike a car its a generator, that is it has a permeant magnet, not another set of coils that it spins against. i pulled it and found two of the three phases were burnt out, the coils were physically black. in its current state it provided just enough energy to fool me with false volt meter readings but not enough to charge the battery.

test for this issue on your bike:
get a copy of the owners manual. the generator is a 3 wire device. use a AC voltmeter and measure each phase to ground right at the generator. the manual will give a rpm spec and an AC voltage. the voltage should be the same for all 3 phases. because this is a generator not an alternator, the voltage will vary with rpm alot, get the right rpm. the voltages should be about the same for all three phases tho.

at medium or hi rpm the generator actually produces like 30-50 volts AC this is why you dont run the bike w/o a battery because this will destroy the bikes computer, etc. in a car there is a second coil replacing the magnet that is used to control the magnetic field so an alternator will produce a more consistent voltage with respect to rpm

next post share some information other than the weather report, number of miles type of bike, age of the bike & battery. cheers.

 

alright i'll give that a try. i haven't been running the bike without a battery and i'm a bit confused as to how that would be possible. the bike is an 03 R1 and has roughly 19000 miles and i believe the battery might be the original.

 

You should replace your battery anyway then, it's time. Also if you haven't had a tune up, then it's time for that as well.

 

like jah said . sounds like something is wrong with your charing system.. another quick way to check is.. start the bike up and hook up a meter to your battery.. if the voltage stays pretty much the same and doesnt drop.. its charging.. if it starts to drop.. than the charging system could be at fault..

another thing you can do is. take just the battery to a shop to have it tested.. 19000 is alot on a battery.. i would replace after you figure out if your charging system is ok.. dont wanna kill another battery

 

Rectifier problems are common which would prematurely kill your battery. Just an idea