Dead C50

[Ludo]

Hi everyone! So I hopped on my bike (06 C50) this morning, all stoked about the ride to work and I go to fire it up... *nothing*

I check the kill-switch, make sure the key is in the 'on' position, still nothing. None of the dials on the speedo are lighting up (even the ones that always come on just with the key in the 'on' position).

So there is no juice at all. I pull out the seats and hook up a little battery reader and it shows nothing. Now keep in mind I might not be using the reader and charger right, it being my first time and all. But I read and followed the instructions carefully. At this point I figured there might not be enough juice to run the reader so I decide to try the charger.

I carefully hooked it up to the battery, using the pincers (key is on OFF and charger is unplugged). The only thing I wasn't sure of is the order of connecting the clamps. The charger manual gives separate instructions on whether the ground was on the positive or negative poles. I couldn't find any info on which is grounded on C50 so I assumed positive and hooked the charger to the red post first.

Once I hooked up the charger (Schauer CM1A moto battery charger in case it helps) to the bike, I made sure everything was hooked up right and plugged the charger to the outlet. The charger reads "no charge" and its status does not switch to "Charging".

Any ideas? I ride the bike everyday, including yesterday and there were no signs of trouble. I might have left the key on yesterday.

Help!

[mtalicarox]

Check the acid levels in the battery.. battery could be dead, if the levels are too low no charge will hold.. this happened to me once.. i jumped the bike by using my jeep.. and grounding the jumper cables to the bike frame (this was on my old ninja zx 600r) and it started up, i drove to a dealer, picked up a new battery.. good as new.

[Ludo]

Thanks! I'm not sure on how to do that. To be honest batteries make me nervous, specially after all the warnings I've been reading all morning!!

I'll see if the service manual has info on this but if you have tips I'll take them!

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Ludo

Any ideas? I ride the bike everyday, including yesterday and there were no signs of trouble. I might have left the key on yesterday.

You might have.

The key locking mechanisms on M/C's are pretty hokey, and it's easy to turn the key right past "Off" into "Park". Quite a few members have done it before, and drained the battery. On mine, I could remove the key with the lights still on in the "Park" mode. If the battery charges, just chalk it up to that, and remember to double check whenever you turn the bike off.


Move that negative clamp around a bit until the needle/light on your charger indicates some activity. Sometimes, you just don't have a good connection.

[mtalicarox]

Well.. basically what i do is first - make sure the battery is not leaking.. battery acid = painful on skin.... if you DO get some on skin.. its an acid.. neutralize it with a base.. or get to the hospital and let them do it.. water just makes it worse. Now that that's out of the way, remove the battery cables (simple, its usually just a nut, take the battery out, check for leaks. If there none, hold it up to a light, if youre outside the sun works too, and you should see on the side where it says "low, and high" you want the level of the battery acid to fall within these marks on each of the different chambers (theres 6 on the ATV battery i did this too this weekend, if i recall right my motorcyckle battery had the same) but you can clearly see the dividers on the inside of the battery. If any are low, you can go to a local auto parts store, see if they have battery acid... (i cant remember but i think its sulfuric.. but just ask for battery acid) and they'll give you it (you have to buy it so "give" is misleading") and it comes with a tube, and you fill the levels of the battery until they are inbetween high and low. This has been my experience with battery problems.

If it's not the battery.. it could be the solanoid.. i freakign hate solanoids, and you can use a tester to see if it's getting current or not, but i can't explain how on here, its one of those things i learned back in the day, and can do by heart now, but couldnt put it into words.. but if it was runnign eysterday and not today.. definitely could be the solanoid... happened on my boat once. Was out on the boat for likr 4 hours, stopped let some peopel off at the beach to use the rest rooms, they came back.. nothing.. would click, no engine movement.. turnd out to be the solanoid... don't know how expensive that would be on a motorcycle either.

Well - theres my 2 cents, hope it helped.

[ChicsterMG]

C50 - sealed battery (I think). You can't check the fluid levels.
Check the fuses, too. You may have blown fuse.

Take the battery out of the bike and try to charge it. Connect negative to negative first. Connect positive to positive second and try the charging cycle. See what happens then.


If it charges, put it back in the bike and try to start it again. If it starts, run it for a while, but don't stop it unless you can ge help or are at home. If it doesn't work, it may be the battery.
If all seems well when you reinstall the battery after charging and it goes completly caput again, you may have a short somewhere. I would go with the battery first.

[Ludo]

Chicster is right, the battery is sealed.

I want to stick with the battery since the battery reader I hooked up to it reads no charge.

I tried wiggling the negative as intimid8ter suggests but no dice.

I'm definitely open for suggestions as my next move is to buy a new battery.

[rathr-b-cruisin]

Sometimes with the newer battery chargers if the battery is so dead it doesnt have any voltage it will not even try to charge it. Try to jump it to give it some charge and then try the charger.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by rathr-b-cruisin

Sometimes with the newer battery chargers if the battery is so dead it doesnt have any voltage it will not even try to charge it. Try to jump it to give it some charge and then try the charger.

Or borrow a "plain" charger that doesn't have all the extra bells and whistles.

BTW, your bike is NEGATIVE ground......not that it makes any difference as long as you remember black=negative and red=positive.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mtalicarox

battery acid = painful on skin.... if you DO get some on skin.. its an acid.. neutralize it with a base.. or get to the hospital and let them do it.. water just makes it worse.

If any are low, you can go to a local auto parts store, see if they have battery acid...

Aw, come on man, just stop it, please?

That is, just rattling off stuff that you know NOTHING about.

If you actually knew anything about First Aid, you would know that water is exactly the right thing to put on your skin (or in your eyes) to dilute an acid spill. Fumbling around for a counter-acting base just wastes time and risks an alkalid burn worse than the acid.

Then there is the battery. Once a battery is initially filled and charged, you should NEVER add acid again; only plain water, distilled is best.

When it comes to giving (good) advise, quality is much more important than quantity!

I know that may be a hard concept for a 22 year old but you really need to work on understanding it. Really.

[hotcargo]

Hey Ludo , as Easy Rider said , Negative Earth - black terminal, if ya gunna charge your bike , always disconnect the Red or Positive terminals from your battery , so it wont cook your wiring or electronics , or better still remove battery and charge it on the floor , it sounds like something was turned on overnight to discharge your battery , ....also yours would have a sealed battery which should be charged at a slow rate .........Steve in Oz

[frostbitevinnie]

The base to use for battery acid is good old baking soda. Put a couple of table spoons into an 8oz plastic glass, stir. Bring it out with you before you start any battery work. It also works well to remove acid buildup on the posts. I frequently had to jump my gs850 using my F150. The water level was always good but the battery was on its last leg. I was just to cheap to flip for a new one.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by frostbitevinnie

The base to use for battery acid is good old baking soda. Put a couple of table spoons into an 8oz plastic glass, stir. Bring it out with you before you start any battery work.

Good for use on the floor, frame, pants, tools and even skin but should NOT be used for acid in the eye; just plain water.

See them little bubbles created when acid and soda mix? There is also HEAT generated by that reaction, which may do additional damage to the eye!

P.S. When using a soda solution to clean on/around the top of the battery, don't get too sloppy. If a little leaks INTO the battery, you're screwed. (Wonder how I know that!?)

[Ludo]

Thanks all you guys for the help!

I'm intrigued by the jumping idea. I have a hard time imagining a barely 2 years old motorcycle battery could be dead already (specially since the bike is always garaged and pampered).

So how do I jump it? I heard jumping a bike from a car is a huge No-No which is why I bought this special charger to begin with. Do you jump it from another bike?

I was going to take it to the store tomorrow and have them check it out and if it's dead, just get a new one.

[frostbitevinnie]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Good for use on the floor, frame, pants, tools and even skin but should NOT be used for acid in the eye; just plain water.

See them little bubbles created when acid and soda mix? There is also HEAT generated by that reaction, which may do additional damage to the eye!

P.S. When using a soda solution to clean on/around the top of the battery, don't get too sloppy. If a little leaks INTO the battery, you're screwed. (Wonder how I know that!?)

Did not know that. Thanks! It's nice to learn from others mistakes.

As far as jumping from a car I am not sure if it is a good or bad idea. Both are 12V systems. I would assume jumping a bike is no different than jumping a car? I think it would be more difficult with the new bike. The battery on my old bike was under the seat, easy jump!

[Harryp]

Originally Posted by frostbitevinnie

Did not know that. Thanks! It's nice to learn from others mistakes.

As far as jumping from a car I am not sure if it is a good or bad idea. Both are 12V systems. I would assume jumping a bike is no different than jumping a car? I think it would be more difficult with the new bike. The battery on my old bike was under the seat, easy jump!

When you jump a motorcycle, do not turn on the car/truck! Just hook the cables up. Now to help with your problem....

First, as someone mentioned, check the 30 amp fuse by the battery. It is under a white cover. There are 2 fuses there. One is a spare. The one closest to the battery is the "woking" fuse. If the fuse is ok, then hook up the jumper cables. Then turn the bike on and see if the lights, speedo light etc come on. If they do, the battery is the problem.

If nothing still works, disconnect the jumper cables. Then turn on the key and see if your tailight is on. If it is on, I'm 99% sure it is the key switch. Some of the 05 and 06 C50's have a bad ignition switch. I just went through this last week.

Let us know...

[mtalicarox]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Aw, come on man, just stop it, please?

That is, just rattling off stuff that you know NOTHING about.

If you actually knew anything about First Aid, you would know that water is exactly the right thing to put on your skin (or in your eyes) to dilute an acid spill. Fumbling around for a counter-acting base just wastes time and risks an alkalid burn worse than the acid.

Then there is the battery. Once a battery is initially filled and charged, you should NEVER add acid again; only plain water, distilled is best.

When it comes to giving (good) advise, quality is much more important than quantity!

I know that may be a hard concept for a 22 year old but you really need to work on understanding it. Really.

Where do you get your facts? Because when I did it we had just talked to the yamaha dealer about the ATV... and that's what their service department recommended, abotu the battery. Maybe it depends on the battery in this case, but this is what the service department told us about the ATV battery, this PAST weekend.. so its not like im like oh 23 years ago the dealer told me this.. it was literally 4 days ago.
As a eagle scout, we learned that water spreads the acid around more, causing th burn area to increase, while diluting the substance yes, but making it more wide spread.. also a bad idea. So the best thing to do is either a - put a base on it if you have it to neutralize it, or b - go to the hospital and let them do it so you don't put on too strong of a base for a weak acid. ER - where do you get yuor medical facts? Web md? Now if it gets in your eyes (like you mentioned) the best thing to do is NOT put a base on it, because you need to dilute that asap, so you use a water that is flowing, and have someone call an ambulance.

[mtalicarox]

Originally Posted by Ludo

Thanks all you guys for the help!

I'm intrigued by the jumping idea. I have a hard time imagining a barely 2 years old motorcycle battery could be dead already (specially since the bike is always garaged and pampered).

So how do I jump it? I heard jumping a bike from a car is a huge No-No which is why I bought this special charger to begin with. Do you jump it from another bike?

I was going to take it to the store tomorrow and have them check it out and if it's dead, just get a new one.

I jumped it car to bike no problem.. that was on my old 600 too. We used positive to posiitive, then grounded the other wire to the frame of the bike.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mtalicarox

Maybe it depends on the battery in this case, but this is what the service department told us about the ATV battery,

As a eagle scout, we learned that water spreads the acid around more, causing th burn area to increase,

so you use a water that is flowing,

If what you say about the battery advise is true, then you should find a new service department.....at least for batteries. The only way you would EVER add new acid to an old battery is if the battery tipped over and the acid RAN OUT. That is a whole DIFFERENT situation that most people never see.

For "normal" fluid loss in a battery you add water, never acid. How do I know that? 50 years of experience, starting with John Deere tractors about 1956.
It is common knowlege, really, honestly.

As for the First Aid for an acid splash, I wasn't talking about a few drops of water. The recommended first response is to FLUSH with water, as much as you can find. If it is on skin, clothes, shoes, etc. the water doesn't even have to be particularly clean. How do I know THAT? About 35 years of certified First Aid training (well, periodic training over 35 years).

I am certain that your Scout training did NOT say to avoid putting water on an acid splash. There are some things you do not put water on but simple battery acid is NOT one of them.

Now, if the acid is simply on the FLOOR in a puddle, then you would not flush with water and spread it around. That is when you go look for some soda, etc. Again, a whole different situation than if the acid is burning the skin off your arm !!!

[mtalicarox]

we'll have to agree to disagree.. cause i've learned one thing youve learned another.. having 50 years of experience doesnt mean its right either.. just means you are older