Member Contributer pres589 Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 I've got a 2004 VFR in a parking lot near work with a charging system that isn't charging the battery. Came out of a grocery story to find that the bike would not crank nor run the fuel pump with the key on, jump start from a car gave me an instantly running VFR but a good DVOM tells me that the battery voltage is dropping fairly quickly. Decided to pull the battery, it's sitting behind me on a desk with a trickle charger going, so let's assume I have a ~14 volt battery when I drop it back in the bike after work today. How long can I run the bike in that state? I have about 20 minutes of commute time from that lot to my home, is this a safe bet or should I do something differently to get it back to my garage? I see a VFRness in my future, hopefully not an R/R at the same time just to save on some costs but nothing would surprise me at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer achfly Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 Until you run out of gas... or kill it at a stop light. Which ever comes first. Yes, from personal experience. I've ruined two batteries and one R/R for different, stupid reasons, but was always able to bump start or jump start my way home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 My highly unscientific guess is that 20 minutes should be OK. If course, I am not the one who might get stuck... But I'd be willing to bet your a$$ that you'll make it. :laughing6-hehe: If you are still unsure, ask a friend to escort you in a car. :idea3: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer achfly Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 UMMMM except for the time I forgot to plug in the generator when I put the engine back in. Then I was running soley on battery power and made it about 5 blocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 If the DVOM reading didn't level off, you're probably not getting any charge at all from the system, and that would be a bad sign for getting home. If you are getting something, you could pull the headlight fuse to get more distance (during the day, anyway). What is the charge rate of the charger? (How many Amps...) Your battery is obviously flat, and too small/slow of a charger may not put back enough for the job. Even if the system wasn't putting out anything, I think you could make 20 minutes with a fully charged batt and the headlight fuse removed. I hope the car wasn't running while you were jump starting from it. I hear that can do bad things... I wouldn't try charging the bike battery from the car either. A car's alternator puts out way more Amps than the bike does, and it could be too much for the smaller battery to handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertoRC46 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 First you have to disconnect both plugs from the head lights, because these are the main sources of power consumption. I hope you have daylight there. If you do not have daylight, disconnect one of them. It will be helpful to drive in such way to prevent high engines temperatures, so the ventilator will not come on while commuting. Also do not use turn signals, instead you should use your hands for signalling. Without lights and ventilator, I was able to do approx. 100km. Of course, if you stop in a traffic light you must be very careful not to let the revs come to idle, because you running the risk of engine stop (as time passes and the battery is recharging). This will be easily recognizable, so just keep your mind on it. And again, if your battery is completely dead, the chances are that you will not be able to start even with a push. That said, you should be able to make it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NVR2L8 Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 I've got a 2004 VFR in a parking lot near work with a charging system that isn't charging the battery. Came out of a grocery story to find that the bike would not crank nor run the fuel pump with the key on, jump start from a car gave me an instantly running VFR but a good DVOM tells me that the battery voltage is dropping fairly quickly. Decided to pull the battery, it's sitting behind me on a desk with a trickle charger going, so let's assume I have a ~14 volt battery when I drop it back in the bike after work today. How long can I run the bike in that state? I have about 20 minutes of commute time from that lot to my home, is this a safe bet or should I do something differently to get it back to my garage? I see a VFRness in my future, hopefully not an R/R at the same time just to save on some costs but nothing would surprise me at this point. My stator died during a 2008 ride through Sequoia, but it wasn't until I started the last leg of the trip that I noticed the voltage was around 13.5 volts. Although the majority of the final leg into Fresno is downhill, I was able to go about 50-60 miles. So even though my experience doesn't offer that much more in the way of scientific evidence, I would think that if your battery was fully charged battery and your rode conservatively with the headlights on low beam and operating no other accessories, my guess is that you have at least 30 minutes of riding time. And in my case the engine didn't just suddenly quit...besides the gradual dimming of the headlights the engine started to miss/sputter when the battery was nearly discharged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pres589 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 Loaded, the battery had almost exactly 10 VDC per the Fluke DVOM I was using, and for the last 3.5 hours the battery has been sitting on a 1A charger to slowly bring the charge levels up to something useful. I'll pull the fuse for the headlights and leave the other stuff off, may have to do a little lane splitting on the way home but shouldn't be too drastic, biggest fear are the fans coming on and killing capacity. Ride home is 7 miles of surface streets so not a long run but I'm sure I'll see the fans fire up at least once. Which fuse is the headlamp fuse and where is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I don't know about non-ABS bikes, but on ABS models, the headlamp fuse is behind the left dash panel. Those can be a pain to deal with, so if it's easier for you to just unplug the lamps as was also suggested, that will work too. FYI - If you have a stock battery, which is 12AH, 3.5 hours @ 1A charge will only get you to 25% or so of capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Silver#788 Posted September 7, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 I rode home 300 miles with a failing r/r. Just understand once it drops below 9 volts you cant even bump start the bike. And there you will be stuck :mellow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I've got a 2004 VFR in a parking lot near work with a charging system that isn't charging the battery. Came out of a grocery story to find that the bike would not crank nor run the fuel pump with the key on, jump start from a car gave me an instantly running VFR but a good DVOM tells me that the battery voltage is dropping fairly quickly. Decided to pull the battery, it's sitting behind me on a desk with a trickle charger going, so let's assume I have a ~14 volt battery when I drop it back in the bike after work today. How long can I run the bike in that state? I have about 20 minutes of commute time from that lot to my home, is this a safe bet or should I do something differently to get it back to my garage? I see a VFRness in my future, hopefully not an R/R at the same time just to save on some costs but nothing would surprise me at this point. With a fully charge good battery, you probably have atleast 30 mile or more and thats with headlights on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I went about 1200 miles on a failing r/r and stator. When they really failed I was able to go about 75 miles before the battery was out of power and toast. I rode home 300 miles with a failing r/r. Just understand once it drops below 9 volts you cant even bump start the bike. And there you will be stuck :mellow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthshake Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I managed to go about 40 to 50 miles on battery power alone. About halfway home I remembered to pull the fuse for the lights. I watched the voltage steadily drop and when it got to 8V I lost my gauges. When it dropped to 7.7V that was all she had. No, I wasn't quite home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pres589 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Member Contributer Share Posted September 7, 2010 I got the bike home, bought a new battery along the way, and I did indeed not have enough battery to start the thing so I let it charge off of a car's battery in the parking lot for about five minutes. Ran with one headlight (couldn't get the other connector off) and sparingly on the brakes, no signals. Probably won't dig into the thing tonight but I'm very curious to find out which problem or problems the bike has at this point. Was going to replace the old battery in a month or two anyway as part of an off-season maintenance session anyway so not a huge loss there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I got the bike home, bought a new battery along the way, and I did indeed not have enough battery to start the thing so I let it charge off of a car's battery in the parking lot for about five minutes. Ran with one headlight (couldn't get the other connector off) and sparingly on the brakes, no signals. Probably won't dig into the thing tonight but I'm very curious to find out which problem or problems the bike has at this point. Was going to replace the old battery in a month or two anyway as part of an off-season maintenance session anyway so not a huge loss there. Don't forget to charge your new battery on a slow charge before using.... New from the store does not mean battery is fully charged....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted September 8, 2010 Forum CEO Share Posted September 8, 2010 I think you need to test your stator and the rr in the process. One of the two is failing to keep your battery charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I saw nothing stating you have replaced the battery...if it is the original it could just be the battery? Of course while you have a new battery, test the Stator and R/R for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Luvmyvfr Posted September 8, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 8, 2010 I had the same exact thing happen to me on a road trip with my dad....we got gas and I went to start my bike and it wouldn't even crank over....I thought WTF. We used an extension cord wit the ends cut off to jump my bike all the way home (about 400 miles). All the electronics would work with the revs kept up around 2200, but would die if they dropped below that. So going through towns with stoplights was fun! I had to use my rear brake to slow slow down and stop, or it was to tough to use the front brake and keep the throttle opened up.... Luckily it was still under warranty and it took me two batteries to get to the dealership for a fix( I killed it once). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jfviffer Posted September 8, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted September 8, 2010 I went about 1200 miles on a failing r/r and stator. When they really failed I was able to go about 75 miles before the battery was out of power and toast. I rode home 300 miles with a failing r/r. Just understand once it drops below 9 volts you cant even bump start the bike. And there you will be stuck :mellow: i alway check voltage before any trip so far its alway around 14.5 and never really changes....yet. just curios what signs were you getting something was wrong over 1200miles on a failing r/r stator? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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