No power. Something electric?

I have an '85 VF700F. I've done a bit of work to it to get it running and it finally does... or did anyway. Seems now it won't stay running though due to something electric. I have a new battery. I charge it up, it starts then just loses power. Seems it's not getting enough power back to keep it going. Any ideas on what it could be and what I would have to do to fix it? Thanks in advance!

 

What kind of diagnosing have you done? What makes you think it's an electrical issue?

Have you done a charging system test? (Stator, RR, Battery Voltages, etc.)? This would be the first place I would start. Also, check the kill switch and that the internals are in good condition since this is a very easy thing to check.

After that, test the ignition system. Start at the battery and follow it to the plugs - check all the connections.

 

The main reason I think it's electric is because I've rebuild the front head already and checked out the back and all seems well with them. I have hooked it up to a charger, let it charge up, and started with it on the charger still. When I did that I could watch the voltage drop and once I shut the charger off it just died out within the minute. I haven't gone over all connections yet but I will definitely do that. I cheked the ones near the battery and checked the plugs, but like I said I'll go more in depth. Think it's worth it to start pulling apart the bundles and check for shorts?

 

How new is the battery? Have you taken it to an automotive supply store for them to test?

Not that redoing a head means anything is solved, but it does sound to me like a shitty battery or a shitty charging system based off removing the charger and the bike stops operating.

Charge the battery, remove it from the charger and let it sit for a few hours, then test the voltage across the terminals. What does it read?

Next, start the bike (without the charger on it) and take the voltage across the terminals. What does it read?

Next, hold the throttle @ ~5,000 RPM and take the voltage across the terminals. What does it read?

 

Battery is only a couple months old. I'm working on what you said to do now. When it was running with the battery on it I could get it to review up a bit and it did generate a bit more power but the only reason you could tell was because the lights got brighter. It struggled to keep itself at that level

 

What type of charger are you using, sounds like it is a car charger if it provides enough power to keep it running, If this is the case the battery is possibly buggered. If it is a cheap Chinese battery that has been sitting for a couple of months then that is enough to also bugger them. If you have access to a car battery hook it up with jumper leads so you can get it running long enough for you to do the "drill" to test out the charging system but you need a fully charged battery to start with.

 

What NormK said ... it sounds like your battery may be buggered to begin with ... if not, likely a charging system issue.

 

I brought it to the store I got it from because it's within warranty. They're gonna check it out and see if all is well with it. Honestly hope it's just the battery. Electrics are not my forté

 

They didn't test it right in front of you? LOL ... what kind of store did you buy it from?????? Dear lord. Not like they can service it.

It takes them literally 30 seconds to test it. They pull out the battery load tester, hook it up, flip one or two switches and read the gauge. It's either good or it's bad ... if it's bad, they should replace it immediately. There's no need for them to 'check it out' beyond that.

If this is how they handled it ... I'd ask for a refund and never return if I were you.

 

I got it from a"batteries plus bulbs". She just pulled out a volt meter and said it was low. I told her the problem and she said she was gonna put it on the charger and see in the morning if it had charged. They're the only ones in my area that have the battery for the bike though

 

Are you serious? Ask for a refund and buy from somewhere reputable that knows how to test a battery ... a voltage meter won't tell you if a battery is bad or not. It will only tell you if it's charged or not. This right here would have sent me out the door with a refund right on the spot.

They just need to hook one of these up (a battery load tester) and it will tell you if the battery is effed or not.

 

I'll have to get it today. I'm going back after work. It didn't seem like that was enough to say it was good or bad.

 

When you get the new battery, charge it up fully before putting it in the bike.

Then do "the drill" as NormK pointed out (the first steps are basically what I noted in my posts)