Battery Appears to Not Be Charging

[ericgraig]

I got stuck two weeks ago with a bike that wouldn't start. Purchased a new battery installed it and it worked fine... until it didn't. Feels like a dead battery, the starter motor makes a vain attempt but then just clicks. The clock on the dash stopped as well so I"m guessing the battery isn't charging. Had to get some guys on my group ride to give me a push and was able to start the bike up no problem. I have it hooked up to a charger right now but I"m wondering if the alternator might be the issue and could you some advice with:

1- Does this sound like an alternator issue, is there anything to check before that?

2- Where does the alternator live?

3- How does one test it? (I have a volt meter and have not killed myself yet)

4- What's is it like to replace?

5-What is a good source for the part? When I goolge FJR alternator, I get links to stators.

The bike is a new to me 2005 FJR 1300A. It has 55K miles on it.

THanks much for any assistance with this.

Eric

 

[PJ4863]

Briefly, and by no means am I any kind of expert, check the voltage at the battery terminals with the bike running you should be upwards of 13. If not, it's either the stator or the rectifier/regulator (r/r) both of those have plenty of info here of you search for them.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I can't imagine your stator would be toast at 55k. People who are better at this than me will be along, but as PJ said, I'd look hard at the R/R before pulling the stator.

BTW, it is a stator, and NOT an alternator, which would explain your search results. You can try "FJR stator; site: fjrforum" in the Google box. That will yield you a bunch of results here.

 

[ericgraig]

Thanks much. Just a quick follow-up... The battery is now being charged so I assume it will be fully topped off tomorrow when I reinstall it in the bike. I would think being fully charged up off the bike, it would read 13 volts. Don't I ned to test voltage output at the altenator? Am I missing something? Also, do you think it's OK to test the voltage at the lead I have running off the battery (which isn't connected to anything else, its just used to hook up the charger) ?

Thanks again.

Eric

 

[PJ4863]

You do need to check voltage at the r/r but even a fully charged battery will most likely be below 13 once you've started the bike. If the r/r or stator isn't working then all the electric power from the battery is running the bike so the voltage across the battery will be dropping probably quite noticeably.

 

[MrZappo]

This is simpler than you are making it. Leave the battery in the bike but exposed. Connect a volt meter set for DC volts to the battery.

Note the voltage. If it's full it will be around 12.6 to 12.8 volts.

Start the bike with the volt meter still attached. Note the voltage. If the charging system is working, you will see 13.2 to 13.8 depending on RPM. If it's at 13 or so, Rev her up to 2000 or so and see what you get.

If it stays at the same voltage as when the bike was off or less, you have a charging system issue we can begin to troubleshoot.

Let us know.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Here's a short video of my bike (a Yamaha FZ6) of the voltages (battery hooked up ) static, starting, idling and then with some RPM's, (max voltage output is at 5,000 RPM's from the factory).

The initial key ON, IS the HP fuel pump priming in the fuel tank, thus, the slight drop in voltage(same as the FJR).

This video was taken with a borderline battery. And plus 1 above, the highest/ accurate voltage will be at the VR. A slight drop to the battery and battery health will show a slightly lower #..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127092600@N08/

 

[ericgraig]

Using a volt meter with a load test function the battery reads 13 volts (after having been on the charger for a few hours). At 2000 RPM and above, voltage is 14 volts. At idle, voltage is 13.8 or thereabouts.

Sounds like a bit of a mystery to me.

Eric

 

[PJ4863]

My best guess then is, something is drawing current when the bike is off or there's a faulty (possibly intermittent) connection at the battery. Double check the conections, make sure there isn't a break in a wire?

 

[MrZappo]

Actually, it sounds like your charging system is working fine (at least when you did the test) ...

Maybe you have an intermittent (usually heat related) issue. Not for sure but a possibility.

Leave the battery in the bike and connected (but still exposed for ease of testing). Leave the volt meter connected. Disconnect the charger.

Let the bike sit and check the volt meter in a few hours or overnight. Hopefully it stays steady at 12.5 or above (preferably 12.8 or so) ... But consistency is what we need to prove here ... We need to find out if there is something drawing significant power (more than just the digital clock) over time ...

Report back ...

 

[RichDoyle]

You need to look at current draw when the bike is shut down. Depending on how they're hooked up, various electrical gizmos may be drawing down the battery when the bike is shut off. It needn't be a lot of current, but something like 200 mA could easily pull the battery way down in a couple of days.

This also assumes the new battery does not have a defect where it's self-discharge rate is abnormally high.

 

[rogdeb]

The original owner may have installed an item that is drawing current.

Bike alarm ?

GPS hooked up and switched on?

Etc, etc.

Not probable, but possible.

 

[ericgraig]

I'll test now with the battery tender off and then again this evening and see if the battery has discharged. I thought this might be the problem though frankly, it'd have to be a short somewhere as there are no electronics on the bike (only high powered lights which I believe were off yesterday when the battery died. I also don't tend to think it's the battery since I had the problem with a previous battery (though I I don't know how old that battery was).

In the meantime, just curious, how do I test the current draw (that would be the current coming out of the battery).

 

[MrZappo]

I'll test now with the battery tender off and then again this evening and see if the battery has discharged. I thought this might be the problem though frankly, it'd have to be a short somewhere as there are no electronics on the bike (only high powered lights which I believe were off yesterday when the battery died. I also don't tend to think it's the battery since I had the problem with a previous battery (though I I don't know how old that battery was).
In the meantime, just curious, how do I test the current draw (that would be the current coming out of the battery).

You need to put the meter in line with the current. basically disconnect one of the leads and make the meter part of the circuit ...

In any event, there is a lot more room for error doing this and it is easy to fry something if the meter is connected wrong or set wrong ... Probably a good thing to avoid until/unless it becomes necessary ...

 

[mcatrophy]

If it's of any help, I posted up how I measured the current draw of my current bike. Mine's a Gen III, but that makes no difference.

Link

 

[ericgraig]

THanks, I'll hold off on the current test for now. BTW, I see mcatrophy had a Bonneville? I kept mine. I ride it solo and into Manhattan while the FJR is for trips with the girl friend. I can't decide which one I like better. I feel like the Bonneville has more character-- not just looks but how it feels to ride-- but the FJR gets up to 90 MPH without any trouble whereas at that speed the Bonneville starts to feel a little unglued.

 

[mcatrophy]

THanks, I'll hold off on the current test for now. BTW, I see mcatrophy had a Bonneville? I kept mine. I ride it solo and into Manhattan while the FJR is for trips with the girl friend. I can't decide which one I like better. I feel like the Bonneville has more character-- not just looks but how it feels to ride-- but the FJR gets up to 90 MPH without any trouble whereas at that speed the Bonneville starts to feel a little unglued.

The Bonneville was what brought me back into motorcycling after a 35 year gap. Traded it in after a year for a Trophy when I found I couldn't stand the lack of (UK) weather protection (obviously not as tough as I used to be - or thought I was), upgraded to the FJR when my aging clutch hand refused to pull in the clutch lever any more. Currently (see what I did there? ) on my third FJR.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Read post #19 here ref to a slow battery draw down testing:

https://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-electrical/54442-battery-leads-reversed-what-now-2.html#post601549

 

[ericgraig]

After about seven hours the battery voltage is essentially the same. Tested with the key off at around 11 AM voltage was 12.74. Tested again at about 6 PM voltage was 12.72. I assume 2/100 of a volt is insignificant. Other than more tests, can someone clue me in as to where the R/R is located and how much plastic needs to be removed to get at it. And also, about what do R/Rs cost (like $50, $150, $500). I'm trying to decide whether I should just give the problem and my cash to the dealer ($110 / hour here in New York) or buy a one of those Anti-Gravity chargers and just ride the bike until I get a chance to fully tear into the problem or it goes away.

Thoughts?

Thanks.