Help Please - No electrical power when ignition turned on

[Dbar]

I had this happen to me with exactly the same symptoms. It was the battery. While waiting for my riding partner to ride to the nearby dealership, I pulled the battery, took off the plastic strip covering the cells and found it bone dry. Filled the thing with water and it fired right up. Rode to the dealership and put the new battery in.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

With his description of 12.8v unloaded and 1v loaded (he didn't say if that drop was immediate, or over time, I'm assuming immediate) I'm more inclined to think its a dead battery rather than a charging system failure, but wouldn't rule it out.

I agree that the battery is most likely the culprit. I just believe it to be bad practice to replace an unexpectedly dead battery without checking the charging system as well. I would hate to hear that the new battery was damaged because there were other issues.

 

[DRose]

Hi again all. First, I am blown away with how helpful you all are. While I wait for the new battery to arrive, I will try to answer and update what I can. I looked for corrosion or heat stress when I checked the fuses. I was actually surprised how good everything looked. No sign of anything that would cause me to look at it further as a cause.

The voltage drop was immediate when I turned on the ignition. This surprised me, but I am learning that is a good indicator of a bad battery. I was thinking something else, a ground short or something. Usually with a short, when one jiggles the place where the short is, in this case the ignition was suspect, there is intermittent on off. I jiggled, no sign of life.

Now that I think of it, a bad battery makes sense. I assumed the battery would fade over time, I would still have headlights and panel lights, they would just be dim. Now I am learning that is not the case. Correct me if I am wrong, but when a battery goes, when put under a load (ignition on), it no longer supplies significant voltage. Much more sudden than I thought.

 

[CYYJ]

Can you push start the ST1100 with a bad battery or use one of those portable lithium boosters to get it started and get home?

It is possible to push start a ST 1100, although you will have to find someone with the muscles & physique of a female Soviet Union weightlifter to do the pushing. I've bump-started mine a couple of times in the past 20 years, but in both cases by rolling downhill.

Michael

 

[dwalby]

I assumed the battery would fade over time, I would still have headlights and panel lights, they would just be dim. Now I am learning that is not the case. Correct me if I am wrong, but when a battery goes, when put under a load (ignition on), it no longer supplies significant voltage. Much more sudden than I thought.

It can go either way, and in my experience its more likely to fade over time. In 43 years of riding I've had the sudden death happen only twice, once in the early '80s and once last year. So its not necessarily common to fail that way, but not unexpected either.

In the mid-80s I had a 1981 KZ1000 that had a weak battery that just wouldn't die. I kept limping it along waiting for it to finally die and replace it, and guess what happened, the alternator went out before the battery died. That's when I learned that taxing the alternator constantly over time with a weak battery may cause the alternator to fail prematurely, live and learn.

 

[DRose]

It is possible to push start a ST 1100, although you will have to find someone with the muscles & physique of a female Soviet Union weightlifter to do the pushing. I've bump-started mine a couple of times in the past 20 years, but in both cases by rolling downhill.

Michael

I have also push or "bump" started mine in the past. On level ground, it takes a friend to help push the ST because they are big and heavy. Right now it is on a perfect hill that I could just do it by myself, and if it didn't start, I would be screwed. I would have to push it back uphill by myself.

 

[DRose]

It can go either way, and in my experience its more likely to fade over time. In 43 years of riding I've had the sudden death happen only twice, once in the early '80s and once last year. So its not necessarily common to fail that way, but not unexpected either.

In the mid-80s I had a 1981 KZ1000 that had a weak battery that just wouldn't die. I kept limping it along waiting for it to finally die and replace it, and guess what happened, the alternator went out before the battery died. That's when I learned that taxing the alternator constantly over time with a weak battery may cause the alternator to fail prematurely, live and learn.

I have had batteries go before, and it was always gradual. That is why this time is throwing me for a loop.

My first real motorcycle was a KZ400! I beat the crap out of that bike.Late '80s.

 

[Smudgemo]

It's probably that Battery but, if not you can contact me and I can help if you need. I'm on the RAN list
Jeff

I'm not on the list AFAIK, but I'm in Berkeley and can also help if needed. I'll leave the internet diagnosis help to others with more experience, but I'm pretty well versed in taking this sort of bike apart and putting it back together so it functions properly. Mine had some no-start issues that I thought was a battery, but it turned out to be the starter relay. I didn't thoroughly read all of this thread, but it's easy enough to jump the two poles to test it. Doesn't sound like your issue, but just making mention.

 

[DRose]

Ready for the solution? I bought a new battery, charged it up. Went to where the ST was stranded four days ago. installed new battery, turned ignition on, headlights and panel were all on! I did a quiet celebration knowing that was the fix. Then, just to make sure, I hit the start button - silence. My heart dropped. Mind in troubleshooting mode immediately. Shifted the bike into neutral, and it started right up. D'oh!

Thank you everyone for your help. It was the battery. I didn't know a battery would or even could die that quickly.

-David

 

[Sunday Rider]

Glad you solved it and can Go Ride!

 

[kiltman]

It was the battery. I didn't know a battery would or even could die that quickly.

It has not been my experience that a battery dies quickly on any of my ST1100s, but that’s not to say it never happens.
I suggest getting and installing a voltmeter. They’re only a couple of dollars off of eBay and are simple to install. That way you can monitor your charging system.
Now if it happens that you loose power in the very near future, and the clock goes out when you press the starter and comes back on when you release the starter button then the Red wire will need to be addressed.

 

[Slydynbye]

It would be a good idea to check what the charging system is putting out.
Just measure across the Battery with the bike running. Should be 14+ volts.

 

[IndyRob]

Yes I just experienced a charging system failure last week (bad VRR) and even with that happening I still had "some" power, just eventually not enough to fire the ignition. After 20 minutes the battery would recover to where I could crank and start it, but of course voltage started dropping immediately until she died again.

Like dwalby said... jump start and check voltage at the battery terminals to see if you are getting something > 13V.

 

[DRose]

This was not a charging system failure, this was an old battery that gave out. Thanks again all, problem solved.

 

[ST Gui]

This was not a charging system failure, this was an old battery that gave out. Thanks again all, problem solved.

Yours was a less common example of battery failure. Many of us have seen warning signs that a battery is circling the drain. One of those signs tends to shown up when the battery seems to start the bike capably. That's the resetting of the clock. The bike starts ok but now the time is wrong.

The clock draws very little current – about 2mA for the 1300 so I'd guess about the same for the 1100. The battery starts the bike but doesn't have enough capacity to keep the clock alive during the evolution so it resets. If you then measure the voltage at the battery during cranking and its <10V it's pretty much a lock that you'll need a new battery.

That your battery didn't give you that heads up and was <1V is not that common. Now that you've got a fresh battery you should be sorted for a good while. You might consider a Li-Ion jump starter in the future. I got one after reading some 'stranded by dead battery' posts and they are slick. I haven't needed it for my ST but it did wake my car up twice. Just a thought.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

Ready for the solution? I bought a new battery, charged it up. Went to where the ST was stranded four days ago. installed new battery, turned ignition on, headlights and panel were all on! I did a quiet celebration knowing that was the fix. Then, just to make sure, I hit the start button - silence. My heart dropped. Mind in troubleshooting mode immediately. Shifted the bike into neutral, and it started right up. D'oh!

Thank you everyone for your help. It was the battery. I didn't know a battery would or even could die that quickly.

-David

Congratulations on your success.

 

[Pentode]

This is exactly what happened to mine last week - took it out of the garage, started fine and rode to the front of the house to grab my jacket and helmet, jumped back on it a couple of minutes later and turned the key, brief lights on the dash then died... Nothing, zilch, nada.

New battery solved it!

 

[IndyRob]

It would be a good idea to check what the charging system is putting out.
Just measure across the Battery with the bike running. Should be 14+ volts.

+1 on Kiltman's suggestion of adding a voltmeter. Installed a 1" diameter waterproof one before my last big ride. Literally 2 for $12 on Amazon and took about 15 minutes to install. (I just cut a small circle on the left flexible pocket cover using an X-Acto knife). Not the prettiest, but effectiveand heh the bike is 29 years old, so there's that....