Sensitive Battery?

[USFBull]

Is this normal? Didn't ride for a week or so due to cold weather. Went up into the 40s - decided to take it out -- dead!! Click, click, click... Put the battery tender on it for a few hours and it started. Went for a nice ride. Put it in the garage - next day - in the 40s/50s...went to start it...click, click, click... Put the tender on it again. What is with the battery? Is this something that it inherent to motorcycle batteries?

//Rob

 

[tawilke46]

Had the same thing happen to me after the weather cooled and I had not ridden in a few weeks. I figured it was because I had installed a GPS hooked up directly to the battery and it was leaking voltage.
Hooked up the battery to a tender for 3 days and connected the GPS to a Fuzeblock (switched).
Have not had a problem since, but that doesn't mean it won't happen again........Click, Click, Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[ARKNT]

The battery should last more than a week unless there is something slowly draining it. Have you done any add ons?
You may just need a new battery.

Brad

 

[taldric]

My NT has been sitting in my garage for nearly three months unridden. I just went out today and it started right up. I'd look for something in your electrical system that is sucking power when the bike is off.

 

[USFBull]

No add ons at all...nothing that I can see that would suck the life out of it. I guess I'll have the dealer take a look at the battery...I've only had it for about a month now.

 

[Rich]

Even with no added farkles there is a little bit of drain on the battery with the bike shut off, but it should last for weeks in that case. The battery may be defective. It happens. I had one go bad in my ST1100 while riding it that caused it to stop running dead in downtown Seattle. I figured it was the charging system since the bike just quit running right under me. But all it took was a battery change.

One way to test this is put a voltmeter on the battery after disconnecting it from the rest of the bike (disconnecting the ground wire is easiest) and see if it hold voltage (~12V) for a couple/few days and the bike starts OK afterward. If it does and the problem persists you've got something sucking charge out of the battery. Otherwise the battery's probably shot.

 

[Argyll]

If it's not a bad battery, the symptoms you describe suggest a failed rectifier/regulator, a common problem with Hondas as they tend to overheat. Re-charge your battery, start the engine and put a voltmeter across the terminals. When you rev the engine the volts should rise to around 14V. If the volts don't rise at all then the regulator may be faulty. it's an easy fix if you can find a reasonably priced unit on ebay.

 

[Phil Tarman]

My Street Pilot 2720 will pull the battery down enough overnight to keep the bike from starting if I forget to turn it off overnight. I could connect it to the battery through my FuzeBlock, but want to have the option of leaving the GPS on while the bike is off.

When I'm doing an IBA ride, I want the GPS on so that I can tell how many hours I've put in since the ride began, and so I can get a true moving and total average speed, too.

It takes a couple of days for the same GPS to immobilize my Buick.

 

[RedLdr1]

I could connect it to the battery through my FuzeBlock, but want to have the option of leaving the GPS on while the bike is off.

Since I have never used a Street Pilot I have to ask...doesn't the Street Pilot have a battery like most GPS units? My Magellan 4250 is good for about 6-8 hours on battery before it needs plugged in again....

 

[charlie b]

Same here. I put the GPS on the switched acc line so it would not drain from the battery.

And, like others, the battery should last for several weeks. Mine sits in below freezing (and sometimes below zero) and will still start up just fine after a couple of weeks.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Wayne, some Street Pilots may have batteries, but the 2720 doesn't. I wish it did so I could use it off the bike.

 

[MAC]

One sure way to tell if there is a draw on the battery is to:

remove ground cable, hook a volt meter to the Neg post on the battery and to the ground cable, if there is a voltage read on the meter then there is a draw. If there is a draw then start pulling fusses to try and find the problem. If no draw then have the battery checked as well as the charging system.

 

[DirtFlier]

The small chargers such as the Battery Tender are incapable of fully charging a dead battery although they may
bring it up enough so it will start the engine. Also some short (?) rides may be inadequate to fully recharge the
battery from the drain caused by starting the engine.

In ref to the comment about Honda reg/recs overheating, the other models/brands also suffer equally as a great
deal of heat is developed when you convert the AC produced by the alternator to DC that the system can use.
With the engine running, a normally functioning reg/rec is typically too hot to touch with an ungloved hand.

 

[ARKNT]

One sure way to tell if there is a draw on the battery is to:

remove ground cable, hook a volt meter to the Neg post on the battery and to the ground cable, if there is a voltage read on the meter then there is a draw. If there is a draw then start pulling fusses to try and find the problem. If no draw then have the battery checked as well as the charging system.

Looks like a better way is to use an amp meter not a voltmeter. Most meters are multi-meters and have an amp function. There will always be a slight draw from the battery from things like the clock so the ammeter will show how much. Just don't turn on the ignition while hooked up since the headlight will come on and may overrange your meter.
I measured the draw on my NT at less than 0.5ma. Non-ABS version but I would expect the same from ABS with the key off.

Brad

 

[MAC]

Looks like a better way is to use an amp meter not a voltmeter.

I disagree:
For years I have used a volt meter as I said above, to find a draw and shorts in cars and trucks. I used my amp meter when I needed to see how many amps a starter was drawing. I am only going on what I have done and has worked for me and I have never had my meter overrange.

 

[ARKNT]

Mac,
Yes, either meter gets it done. If it is not a dead short the ammeter seems to point me in the right direction faster.

Brad

 

[MAC]

Brad,
What I said was,

One sure way to tell if there is a draw on the battery is to:

and that is "a sure way". I didn't say it was the only way or the best way, it is just one way, which I use. I didn't mean for this to turn into a P^<<^*g contest. LMAO

 

[Bear]

MAC,
I would love to find an ammeter and oil pressure gage that is small enough and weather resistant that would fit in the space where those useless speaker grilles are. On the other side, switches for auxiliary lights could be mounted.