Guest Ole No. 1 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Hey guys... Need some knowledge thrown my way. Heres the issue. My bike is an 04 with about 2,300 miles on it. Bought it new in April 07. It sat for about 4 weeks (all of December) in an unheated garage (prolly 30-50 degrees). I rolled it out to start it 2 weeks ago and it didn't fire right up but did fire. Ran it up to the gas station to put air in the tires (maybe 1-2 minutes). When I went to restart, it didn't have enough juice to turn over and eventually went dead, so I had another guy on a bike gave me a push start. Ran it for 25-30 miles and put it back in the garage. 2 weeks later the bike won't start. It turns on, hear the fuel pump whine, guages cycle, but there is not enough juice to turn it over and make it fire. Is this typical battery life or do I have a bunk battery? My 04 ZZR600 sat for nearly a month and had NO problems starting and I didn't have to keep a battery tender on it or anything. I have a battery charger / maintainer hooked up now but wanted to know if this is normal for a battery? I'm not an electrician and know little about it, so I thought I'd offer it up for opinions here. Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted January 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2008 Guess the question is, did they put a new battery in it, before you bought it, or did it sit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer hondalover Posted January 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2008 I don't think the battery is bad, but it is in need of a good charge. A motorcycle's charging system is just there to maintain the battery, it won't re-charge a dead battery. So riding it wasn't going to help matters. Anyway, the bike is still under warranty, so I'd take it back to Shrout's (I think that was where you bought it) and have them do a load test on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I doubt they put a new battery in the bike, and wouldnt be surprised as a result of excessive storage it will always be less than perfect. Id get a battery tender plus, leave it on for 24 hours, the battery should be over 13volt afterwards and off the charger should hold no less than 12.7 volt sitting for several hours. if the voltage is dropping below that Id get another battery however I think even though ya bought a 2004 in 2007, the battery should be covered under the 12 month warranty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Once the battery tender has had an oppurtunity to sit on it a while, take a multimeter and measure the voltage, should be between 12 and 14 VDC. Then try to fire the bike up, and like already mentioned the bike won't recharge a dead battery. Then if you still have questions take it back to the dealer and have a qualified mechanic look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 thanks guys. I went down and checked it. The tender "Full" light is on. The led indicator cycles from "charging" to "full" every 10 seconds or so. I assume its normal? Instructions don't mention what normal operation should be. I would guess that the tender wouldn't cycle that often though. The tender is a $20 Black and Decker model from WalMart. Not sure if this is what I should trust my battery with or not.? I moved it out of the garage and it started right up. Should i keep the tender on it even though I have a cover over the bike? Again, I'm new to the electrical stuff so thanks ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 thanks guys. I went down and checked it. The tender "Full" light is on. The led indicator cycles from "charging" to "full" every 10 seconds or so. I assume its normal? Instructions don't mention what normal operation should be. I would guess that the tender wouldn't cycle that often though.The tender is a $20 Black and Decker model from WalMart. Not sure if this is what I should trust my battery with or not.? I moved it out of the garage and it started right up. Should i keep the tender on it even though I have a cover over the bike? Again, I'm new to the electrical stuff so thanks ahead of time. i still would have left the tender on for 24 hours, whats the voltage now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 unfortunately I don't have a multimeter.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 unfortunately I don't have a multimeter.... those tenders usually charge at a high rate then shut down and trickle to full charge, 24 hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 so you'd leave it on 24 hours? It just seems strange to me that it cycles off and on every 10 seconds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 so you'd leave it on 24 hours? It just seems strange to me that it cycles off and on every 10 seconds... sounds like its still charging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 thanks guys. I went down and checked it. The tender "Full" light is on. The led indicator cycles from "charging" to "full" every 10 seconds or so. I assume its normal? Instructions don't mention what normal operation should be. I would guess that the tender wouldn't cycle that often though.The tender is a $20 Black and Decker model from WalMart. Not sure if this is what I should trust my battery with or not.? I moved it out of the garage and it started right up. Should i keep the tender on it even though I have a cover over the bike? Again, I'm new to the electrical stuff so thanks ahead of time. "Should I keep the tender on it even though I have a cover over the bike?" One has nothing to do with other. Always batt. tend when not in use for long periods of time sure can't hurt. I ride daily and use a battery tender everyday.I think you should load test batt.I would replace it. Betcha it sat too long at the dealer. Also fuel sat-bil is a good idea in any long park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I realize the cover has nothing to do with the charging... my concern about the cover is the possibility of the tender getting the battery too hot under the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted January 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2008 I have the $3 walmart version, but if you trickle charge, (even if not), it shouldn't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoxmole Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I wouldn't worry about it getting too hot under the cover. I can't imagine anybody would design a charger that would put off that much heat and a battery barely gets warm when it's charging. But then again I have no experience with battery tenders. . . I pull my battery out of my bike every winter, put it in the pantry and check the voltage every month. This thread reminded me to check it! 12.3 V so it's holding a charge. If it dips down in the 11.9 - 12.0 range I stick a trickle charger on it and put it back in the pantry. If you're really not going to ride it, pull the battery, fully charge it and keep it warm in the house. It's one of those things I struggle with every year. . . "Do I really pull the battery THIS early in the year?" :lol: It's worked for me for years so I stick with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 unfortunately I don't have a multimeter.... This is a travesty that is easily reversible...and not too expensive. Check Harbor Freight for one(even online). I think I probably have 2-3 new ones from there still, in addition to my good one I use for most work and my cheap one that travels with me. Everyone should have at least one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checksix Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 If you have a Radio Shack nearby you can pick up a simple multimeter for $20. [Edit: $25 with the required battery] http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...oductId=2103174 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted January 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted January 28, 2008 Got the el-cheap-o, from the local Aco, 8.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 thanks guys. I went down and checked it. The tender "Full" light is on. The led indicator cycles from "charging" to "full" every 10 seconds or so. I assume its normal? Instructions don't mention what normal operation should be. I would guess that the tender wouldn't cycle that often though. Mine does not do that; it stays on steady green when fully charged. Batteries in bikes are a weak point, especially the ones that come in new bikes. That battery may have never been serviced correctly after it arrived at the dealer when the bike was new. Also, my Battery Tender will not charge a completely discharged battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Sounds almost like my issue now, I left it alone for almost 2 weeks and now it won't start. It is in the garage being charged by a recharger at 2AMPS...so it'll take a awhile (There is a 10AMP option, but I don't wanna fill it with that much power so fast). Let it sit for 24 hours...the battery should say how long to let it charge for vs the Amps. Mine is finally turning over some, but the fuel pump won't quite kick in yet...gah, almost there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Yea, I got this problem too. Along with a problem with the Ungo alarm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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