Battery died any other way to start?

Well tried to go for a ride yesterday but the battery would not do it. Is there any other way to start the bike or maybe have a spare quick alternative start to not get stranded somewhere should this ever happen again. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks

if it's still got enough juice to fire up the fuel injection system, you can bump/roll start it but if it's really dead, you'll have a tough time even doing that.

Wenmark said:

Well tried to go for a ride yesterday but the battery would not do it. Is there any other way to start the bike or maybe have a spare quick alternative start to not get stranded somewhere should this ever happen again. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks

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You can jump start from another vehicle, like your car, but keep the car engine off so the charging system in the car doesn't overwhelm the bike's battery.

If you have some left in your battery but just not enough to run the starter you may be able to push start. With the key on and the bike in neutral, get someone to push you by hand until you get going as fast as they can push, then put it in second and let the clutch out.

If the push start works and you need to shut the bike down while on the road, park where you can roll it downhill to restart if necessary.

I believe that if you have an AE, And a dead battery, You are not going to get it bump started since the clutch is electronic.

It looks like Geezer is typing away, but I will jump in too.

Please note that Wenmark has an AE so bump-starting is not a real option.

Please note that even if Wenmark had a manual clutch FJR it would still be cruel to tell him to roll his FJR down a hill to bump stat it, hilly Florida is an oxymoron

For any FJR to have a chance at bump starting the battery should have more than 9 volts at the terminals, any less and the coils will produce a spark that is too weak or no spark at all.

And finally, the only real choices that Wenmark has is to jump start it, charge the battery or replace the battery. Charging takes time and a new battery should be trickle charged before use to get the best battery life down the road.

Edit: Yup, Geezer AND GalaxyBlue were typing and did indeed post first making most of my post unnecessary.

GalaxyBlue said:

I believe that if you have an AE, And a dead battery, You are not going to get it bump started since the clutch is electronic.

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Adam, will it start if you've punched a hole in the engine case? Inquiring minds want to know! jes' sayin' Happy New Year 2011!

Okay, damn it to hell, back on topic: Buy a set of these and throw them in your saddlebag, once you buy them, you'll probably never have to use them again; like me!

:facepalm:

I keep forgetting that some of these bikes are just weird. I completely overlooked that he has an AE model. Yep, time for some battery maintenance, whether it be a gentle jump start (as mentioned above, leave donor engine OFF if jumping from a car) or see if your battery will take a trickle charge.

Thanks guys for the info. I took it for a charge waiting to find out if i need a new battery or not. I was just frustrated that this happened when I really wanted to ride. I never thought about jump starting from a car or truck. has anyone ever had to do it?

Wenmark said:

Thanks guys for the info. I took it for a charge waiting to find out if i need a new battery or not. I was just frustrated that this happened when I really wanted to ride. I never thought about jump starting from a car or truck. has anyone ever had to do it?

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Wenmark, hopefully my illegitimate bastard son SkooterG, also our FJR Forum Administrator, will see this thread. Since he runs tires and batteries both way past the normal limits of every other FJR owner on this forum, he's an expert on jump starting FJR's. The battery's in a real pain in the ass location to get to! I've installed Battery Tender leads on mine for routine charging and they can also be used with the Yuasa battery cables I pictured above, with an adapter made from parts from Radio Shack.

Wenmark said:

Is there any other way to start the bike or maybe have a spare quick alternative start to not get stranded somewhere should this ever happen again.

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swap in a new battery sooner?

don;t be saying it's to flat in Fl., He lives in

ZephyrHILLS,Fl. and I know there is at least one hill there

ride safe :yahoo:

I believe that at one time or another just about every veteran motorcycle rider has had to jump start a motorcycle. It is important to keep in mind that car/truck electrical systems produce 5-10 times the amount of current than what a motorcycle's electrical wiring can take. When jumping a motorcycle from a car/truck do not start the 4 wheeler, just clip to the car battery. Do not grind away with the starter on the motorcycle, press the starter button is short bursts of ~5 seconds, then WAIT at least 30 seconds before trying again. The waiting period will let the wires and connections cool a bit before engaging the starter again. The real issue in using a high current car battery to start a motorcycle is heat buildup in the wires, so manage the heat and all will be well.

In my household it is usually my garden tractor that supplies the jump and not my car. The tractor's battery is much closer in current delivery to a motorcycle's electrical system.

starwolf said:

don;t be saying it's to flat in Fl., He lives in

ZephyrHILLS,Fl. and I know there is at least one hill there

ride safe :yahoo:

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyrhills,_Florida No kidding, starwolf; I had to look it up, a whopping 95' of elevation!

Is that Florida, where the highest point in the state is a highway overpass?

Re push starting: it is surprising how fast two guys will NOT get the FJR going. With a cold engine, a hill is almost required. I used to run-and-bump my Ducati 250 back in the day, mainly because it was the only way the thing would start (kick starter? fat chance!) and it was a very stylish move in front of the bike shop. But run-and-bump starting a 640 pound 1300 takes some muscle.

Sounds like you need a few hours on the Battery Tender charger (money well spent if you don't already have one)

Good luck! I'm all kinds of jealous of you guys in the sunny south. That 18" snowstorm really killed the riding season up here.

pete

beemerdons said:

Wenmark said:

Thanks guys for the info. I took it for a charge waiting to find out if i need a new battery or not. I was just frustrated that this happened when I really wanted to ride. I never thought about jump starting from a car or truck. has anyone ever had to do it?

Click to expand...

I've installed Battery Tender leads on mine for routine charging and they can also be used with the Yuasa battery cables I pictured above, with an adapter made from parts from Radio Shack.

Click to expand...

+1 on Beemerdons' recommendation for a Battery Tender. You can install it to plug the bike in and avoid the low battery, especially if you don't ride it frequently. And some of them actually come with a pigtail with jumper cable ends that you can connect up to a real set of jumper cables. Saves needing to pull the plastic off to get a jump. They're pretty handy and something you can leave under the seat.

Big-B

na1g said:

Is that Florida, where the highest point in the state is a highway overpass?

Re push starting: it is surprising how fast two guys will NOT get the FJR going. With a cold engine, a hill is almost required. I used to run-and-bump my Ducati 250 back in the day, mainly because it was the only way the thing would start (kick starter? fat chance!) and it was a very stylish move in front of the bike shop. But run-and-bump starting a 640 pound 1300 takes some muscle.

Sounds like you need a few hours on the Battery Tender charger (money well spent if you don't already have one)

Good luck! I'm all kinds of jealous of you guys in the sunny south. That 18" snowstorm really killed the riding season up here.

pete

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Pete, 50 degrees by Saturday, riding again by Sunday.

+1 on the battery tender. Mine is currently on the tender waiting for Sunday.

I've been to Livestock.

That hill is just a speedbump in a parking lot.

starwolf said:

don;t be saying it's to flat in Fl., He lives in

ZephyrHILLS,Fl. and I know there is at least one hill there

ride safe :yahoo:

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Thanks guys for the helpful suggestions, just picked me up a tender for future use. Unfortunately just about every snowbird is here escaping the winter blast and I could push my bike faster than some of them drive...lol. PS there is some hills around here, (probably the only ones in the entire state) but for the most part yeah flat everywhere.

Geezer said:

Wenmark said:

Well tried to go for a ride yesterday but the battery would not do it. Is there any other way to start the bike or maybe have a spare quick alternative start to not get stranded somewhere should this ever happen again. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Click to expand...

You can jump start from another vehicle, like your car, but keep the car engine off so the charging system in the car doesn't overwhelm the bike's battery.

If you have some left in your battery but just not enough to run the starter you may be able to push start. With the key on and the bike in neutral, get someone to push you by hand until you get going as fast as they can push, then put it in second and let the clutch out.

If the push start works and you need to shut the bike down while on the road, park where you can roll it downhill to restart if necessary.

Click to expand...

Spoken like a true NON-AE owner. :rofl: