The 11hp Beast

[Dwayne Hicks]

Hi Guys,

My bike battery is dead. I have tried charging it, but it would not accept a charge. It went in for its 6000 km service on the 16th, and they have ordered a new battery, but want to charge me an extortionate price for it, and fitting of it. The background of this problem is as follows: It rained. Since then, the battery don't work. Bike has to be kickstarted.

Will replacing the battery solve the problem, or do I need to look deeper in and see if there is an electrical problem, possibly a short circuit somewhere? When my friend stuck it onto his battery charger, he noticed the one battery cable was loose. Would that cause the battery to drain and damage it? How would one check the starter motor for example for an electrical fault?

Would it also help in rainy weather if I wrap all the wiring in black electrical tape to insulate it all a bit better?

A lot of questions there.. Thank you in advance for your help.
Ta
Dwayne Hicks

[Uncle Bob]

Bike batteries are not known for their longevity, two years is about average. You might have an electrical problem but these are tricky to find.

A loose battery cable will indeed cause problems as mentioned especially in the rain if water can get in between the post and clamp , make sure to clean post and clamp and get some electrical lube to smear on the post before reinstalling the clamp.

Also there are many types of chargers out there, the trickle type charger will not be able to charge a really run down battery. There are better types of chargers out there that will recharge even a sulfated battery ( don't ask me to explain that one, suffice it to say that theres a chemical reaction that can cause certain chemicals in your battery to basically lump together known as sulfation, when this happens your battery is Kaput, some chargers will reverse this reaction by overcharging the battery in the initial stage then reduce voltage as the batery charges up ).

As for the electrical tape idea, I don't think it's a good idea. Just impossible to get a really watertight seal with the stuff. I wouldn't worry about the wires themselves as long as the outer sheath looks ok it probably is. If you should find one spot where friction has worn through the insulation I would cover it with shrink tubing ( Specially designed tubes that you slide over the wiring and then shrink to seal with a lighter or other heat source. I would check the various connectors themselves.

Might be time to shell out the big bucks for a service manual, they'll usually explain the proper way to check these things out.

[Uncle Bob]

Just came across this on another site, should support my anti electrical tape stance.


I came across an interesting one just the other day. The guy came to me and said his bike wouldn't start. He had parked it in a heated shop all winter. He parked it right after he came back from a road trip- half way across the country and back. So anyway, I checked the battery and it was completely dead. I have never seen a battery this dead and dry. I installed a good battery and had no power to any of the controls on the handlebars. I removed the headlamp and fuel tank;(checking all the easy stuff first of course) I then proceeded to check to see that everything was plugged in and it was. I then began checking wires with a test light to see what had voltage and what didnt. Every wire had voltage in it and in places that would scare you. So I figured bad ground. I redid all the grounds and added a few and vroom evrything worked. Then I stood up the bike and was backing it out of the shop and it died. The main fuse exploded. Not just blown exploded!@#$ So I removed everything off of the bike and began un doing the tape on the main harness. When I got to the point between the headlamp and the frame there is a rubber tube that the harness goes through. The lower end was taped shut and when I began removing the tape I think I could have watered half the county. It was completely submersed in water. in the bundle there were wires that had to have volts going through them and ground wires all of which wre floating. And the connections were all taped with bad electical tape. So the moral of this story is do not try to overthink the problem because it will always end up being the thing you would least except it to be. Now you are thinking that that is not possible. Well folks I am here to tell you that it is possible just not probable. Thanks for your time.

[Dwayne Hicks]

Thanks for that. Read that above, and I see his point. Had the same problem with a plaster cast on my leg when I broke it once, but I won't go into that now.

The battery has been replaced, the connection clamps were cleaned, and it runs smoothly again. I did take the seat off where the main wiring harness is, and all connections seem sound. Next time it rains, I think I must get a tarp to put it under..

And as for servicing it - as soon as the warranty is up, I intend to service it myself, considering the price and the fact that married life is cutting heavily into my salary.

Cheers
Dwayne