Possible Battery Problem

[Panfan]

Greetings, I have to me a very perplexing electrical problem. the problem has raised its head twice in the last few weeks but today has brought me to the site for advise. firstly I keep my battery on a tender but have noticed that if not plugged in the battery will drain to the point that it does not have sufficient power to start the bike. today I took the bike out for our annual toy run and having just unplugged it from the tender it started like new. the ride was 25kms and parked the bike for about 5 hours. when I came to start the lights all came on the hooter worked but the re was nothing and I mean nothing from the starter.I turned the kill swich on and off turned the ignition off a few times and then I got the engine to turn over but the battery lacked the power to start the bike. I did a push start and rode home without problem. The charge definitely seem ok as after switching off at home I tried to restart and all was as new and the bike fired up perfectly. now I have not had the time to take the bike in for load tests etc, but I am assuming all is good with the charge rate as all was good when I got home. Is this in anyone's opinion a bad battery. (ST 1300 A 2008)

 

[BakerBoy]

May be a bad battery... can you get it load tested? You should also check all high amperage connections (to the starter motor) for looseness and corrosion.

 

[970mike]

Sounds like a bad cell in the battery, time to replace it. Put a multimeter on it to see how many volts it has when charged and then try starting it and see if it drops below 10 volts.

 

[v8-7]

Also , check for current drain with the motorcycle off by measuring current flow .

 

[Panfan]

Thanks for the replies, will have everything checked, one small problem though, I do the basic servicing on the bike but can someone help with a picture of where the starter motor sits so I can check for loose cables etc.

 

[BakerBoy]

You should start with the easiest thing first ... the battery. Do the voltage check that Mike mentions, or take the battery in for an amperage/load check.

If that doesn't Pan ;-) out, then trace the large diameter leads, both on the ground/earth (-) side and the hot (+) side. This fiche diagram shows the layout of those leads. Cable 5 leads to the starter. Part 9 is the magnetic starter switch assembly. You need to find/check the connections at bolts 5, 17 (two different 17's; check both), 18, and both ends of cable 8. Use a bit of dielectric grease when you reconnect each.

It also sounds like you should invest in a Honda Service Manual. They're $40-$60 online at various places (eBay for example), and well worth it.

 

[Panfan]

Thanks a ton for the fiche. I took the plunge and bought a new YUASA battery expensive but I hope worth it. I also bought myself a multitester and put the old battery back after a full charge, it showed 12.64V and dropped to 11,42 with key on and dropped to 7.4 on cranking . so the new battery was in order. the charge rate is 14.4v so all looks good from that end. I will check the drain possibility from time to time and hope there is no problem there the only item I have fitted is a power point for my GPS. thanks for all the help up to now . I will keep you posted on the drain if any. As for the manual I agree but although well priced over there my shipping costs to South Africa will amount to about $ 130.00. My Daughter is in the USA and I,m hoping she might be coming out to visit soon in which case I will get one to her for her to bring out. Ride safe Carl.

 

[ST1100Y]

...the only item I have fitted is a power point for my GPS.

Is that tapped into a IGN/ACC operated circuit, or connected directly to the battery?
Many GPS cradles house a 5VDC power supply that keeps drawing even while the GPS is removed.

 

[Panfan]

It's tapped directly to the battery but via a cigarette lighter and remains unplugged until needed.