BIG problem!

[soon2Briding]

i had an incident with my bike dying on me... i dont know what the cause was.. but i had to push my bike home.. cause i was too cheap to tow it... and then the next morning i tried to start my bike.. and when i push the start button it make some ticking noise.. and its coming from the battery area... i hope you guys can help me fix this piece of crap problem...!

[spiderman]

Sounds like the Battery has died on you.

On most modern bikes the CDI requires about 10.8 Volts before it will work, If the Voltage in the battery drops below this for what ever reason the motor will go out.

The ticking noise your hearing when you try to start the bike is probably the starter selenoid chattering as the battery hasn't enough power to maintain an energised state.

Put a meter on the battery to see what voltage you have.
Any shop brought Multi meter will do, Set to 20 Volts DC.

If you have in EXCESS of 12 Volts you need to leave the meter connected to the battery and watch to see if the Voltage drops when you try to crank the motor.

Let us know what you find...

[wolph69]

ditto. let us know!

[Clint]

Someone elighten me. In a car, the alternator supplies enough power to run the engine ignition on its own, right? Not the case with bikes, though?

My point is, could the problem be not with the battery, but the charging system?

[soon2Briding]

i hear that bikes use a magneto or something... and i will see if its my battery or something other... i left it at the auto store charging and i have to pick it up tomorrow morning.

[wolph69]

nothing runs without a battery anymore I had a battery crap out on me in my car. I tried to jump it and it started but went crazy after 3 seconds. I had to hold my foot down on the gas in order for it to stay running. and it still shut down on it's own. There has to be SOME power coming from the battery in order to run a bike or a car. sure the altenator charges the battery but it's doing it while everything else is sucking juice from it. so if the battery is bad, everything goes bad.

[MR. Ice]

If the bike were an older one I would disagree, it should run on the alternator. But it is less than 10 years and things have changed alot. It may need the battey in the loop to keep it going. A shorted battery also could suck all the voltage away from the ignition system. It would be interesting to see if the battery were disconnected if the bike would run by compression start. It may not be good however to do this because of any computers that may be affected. I am not sure in a motorcycle how true this is, but on a car of that year there could be problems.

[Clint]

Originally Posted by soon2Briding

i hear that bikes use a magneto or something...

No. I'm a pilot, and magnetos are used on airplanes specifically so that a battery is not required to keep the engine running. That would certainly solve your problem, right?

[MR. Ice]

Rowdy,

You are a pilot eh? I am not, but my boss is. What do you fly? I get to sit in the right seat of a Baron. Also just about everything on an airplane is redundant, as you know.

Dirt bikes and such have magnetos as alot of them don't have a battery at all. Street bikes may not be so lucky. I did have at 74 honda XL100 that did have a battery,( it had lights and signals till I broke em off) but it also ran just fine with out it.

Mark

[Clint]

You had to ask, didn't you?

I graduated in 1998 with a degree in professional flight and a private license with 80-some hours, all in the baby Cessna. Since then I changed career paths (being a pilot is like being a doctor - buttloads of training and a hectic lifestyle, not to mention the recent layoffs). I've also let my license lapse, after deciding I didn't want to fly again until I can pay for my instrument license. I don't want to pull a JFK Jr.

So, I'm really not an active pilot, but once a pilot, always a pilot, right?

[MR. Ice]

That's cool. It takes alot of time and money to maintain a license and airplane. my boss has been flying now for about 11 years (not sure of hours). He started on a Cessna 150 then graduated to a Beechcraft Bonanza and now the Baron. The amount of money our company spends on maintenance is incredible. I get up in it with him about 15 times a year. The thing is everyone who flies with him in the front must behave like a co-pilot. Some of the more experinced of us have flown the plane, but not me.

We did have one employee with a commercial license. He actually trained my boss in his multi engine rating. The he left to fly for a commuter airline and was laid off after 9/11. He did get his job back. He only makes about 35 thou though. Less than when he was with us. that will change when he gets more hours.

Mark

[soon2Briding]

well guys.. good news.. i took my batter to autozone... and they charged it for me.. and the battery is still in ok condition.. so i guess i can use it for a while longer... but need to replace it soon... but anyways... i thought i had a big problem but it was nothing.. thanks to you guys...