6th. Gen - Flat Battery ????

Guys- with only 4600 km on the clock , and being only a year and a 1/2 old , It suddenly died on me this afternoon ?????????

Can the battery Possibly be dying already ??????

It zeroed the clock and trips , I eventually had to set the clock with the engine running . It's not the charging system because it push-started in second easily , and after a brief run back to work/storage , I killed it on the run , and started it again . So ?

did I stand and enjoy the scenery for two minutes too long (thereby having the Lights draw too much power ), or is the battery on it's way out? ?
guys ?

I checked the terminals and fuses-Not too sure if the bike has a separate fusebox I am not aware of , but the big ones (1?) around the battery under the seat is fine .

could someone point me in the right direction , or am I on my way monday in a week to go fetch a new battery ? Bike is still under warranty , and this has Never happened before in the 6 months I've owned her . She also started up fine at 10 this morning without a hitch .

Many thanks
Stuart

 

..... I cannot possibly have asked the single question that cannot be answered by one of the Vfr Guru's !!

Did I possibly show the New Vince pipes to too many people and thereby run the Battery Flat ???

I can't believe that normal riding around did not charge the battery enough ??

It was the strangest thing standing for only 30 a minute or so with the ignition off , and then , in the run , try to start it , and the trips etc went dead . huh ? Not possible man - the bike is still so new ??

Chaps ?

 

Running the bike at idle will not charge the battery. blipping the throttle will not charge the battery. only riding it for about 10 minutes will charge it enough to make a difference.

 

k . Thanks .
I feel better now .

 

get yourself a battery minder/tender and keep it plugged in during long periods of down time.

 

Still could be the rectifier. Happened on my 5th gen, clocks would go dead but able to bump start it changed the rectifier and everything works great.

 

where will I find the rectifier sir ?
the Honda agents are not doing too well I'm afriad . It seems to be the norm here though- this is my Third honda , but really , their after-service is dismal .
so - where would I look for the Rectifier Zach ?

 

Thanks Ice .

I am trying to ride the bike as little as possible (does that actually Make SENSE ?!?!???) to keep the mileage down ,so I ride it saturdays only , not during the week . If this is the problem then I'm fine , but if it's the Rectifier - I dont like the idea of Any of the honda boys sticking their grubby little fingers on my bike ........

 

Def - I'm the exact opposite, trying to get as many miles as possible with the time I've got to ride :smile: Once the battery is marginal, you may just want to punt and spend for a new one.

does the '06 still commonly have rectifier issues?

 

Not that I Know of Nozzle . problem is , once I get on , I cant seem to damn well get OFF it !
And because the guys aroung here are so dead - we tend to do pointless rides in and around town , wasting precious riding which we could be using to cover greater distances .
Im also beginning to think it cannot be rectifier , but I'd like to honour the guys input , and check the rectifier if , at all , there is a problem ..

 

it certainly could be a rectifier as Zachary suggested. it was suggested to me that a battery tender helps keep the battery fresh between long stretches of riding. i bought one for around $50. hope it isn't the rectifier! good luck

 

be a good lad now one of you , and show this man Where in Blazes one LOOKS for the rectifier on the Vfr !! ??? Workshop manual , Anyone ???

Damn Bike is a year old , I cant see how this could be possible- or why I should be replacing parts after ONly a year .......... crumbs .

What about running a normal charger every so often on the Battery ??

Rectifier. hmmm... time to go look something up on the net ...

 

14.36 volts at idle , so I can't see why it wouldnt charge the battery on idling , so the rectifier works , and 12.62 static with the key not turned .

So basically , I have news for you all :If you're going to stand and enjoy the scenery - TURN the Key OFF ! ! , I let it roll down to 11.45 in a matter of 40 seconds with the engine dead but ignition on . Sure - I may have a battery on it's way to becoming an ex battery - but basically this means that if you are standing anywhere , and you want to talk to somebody or admire the view , I would strongly urge you to turn off the ignition completely , or face the long walk to freedom I faced on saturday trying to get the damn thing started again ! I just haven't figured out how to use the Fluke to measure amperage over the terminals with the bike Idling yet .

Abyhow , I hope this helps someone on the site someday .

 

I bought my bike with 3500kms, and also wondered why my battery had gone flat. I'd done a mod on the headlights, and had turned the ignition on for about 5 minutes in total over a couple of days. This was enough to drain the battery to the point that I couldn't start it. It's good to know that the bike has to be above idle to even maintain the charge. I'll be installing the headlight isolator switch I have wired up this weekend, so that I can turn off the low beams completely if I want to.

 

no , there is nothing wrong with letting the bike idle - it still reads 14.36 at idle - read above- but come on man - it's a vfr for Sh!tsakes - I'm sure you'll agree that an idling vfr is Definitely Not the best way to charge the battery !!! It begs to be taken around the block !!
The battery should be a little more solid than what I'm experiencing - but seriously - have any of you thought about the absolute SIZE of the main Lights ? theyre frikkin HUGe dude !!

 

Hi Guys,
Drove my "new 02 ABS" from sellers house,about 150 miles,all highway,and left it for a couple of weeks.went out to take her for her first blast and battery was dead.Click ,click,click,and after a couple of tries,completely dead.This is my third VFR,and my 95 ,I would leave for weeks or months without a BT and it ALWAYS started.it's on a BT now ,and cant look at it for a week or two,but well see what happens when I go to re-start it.
May have to try the ground wire mods and /or wait for Honda to fix the sub-harness on the recall.

 

mmmm... I had no issues at first with the bike at all , the previous ownerr only managing 860 miles before trading it in . so he also didnt do much mileage , and the battery was fine fine fine when i bought it . odd .....

I think my riding it also only every week once , or every two weeks , led the Hiss system to trim the life of the battery slowy but surely too .
yesterday I ought an auto battery charger , turns off when battery is fully topped up , and the light went green full charged after 3 hours .
SO i reckon the battery is charged , but as soon as you crank the sucker more than twice - Flat .

Long term , methinks I'll have to replace the battery , but I don't know what prompted the battery to die a slow death - straight after getting it back from having the L V pipes fitted . .

I will not sit and admire ANy view in future , with the ignition On . I would advise anyone wanting to keep their bike a low-miler ( I Know .... I Know .... Stuart what are you SAYING .....) , to buy themselves a nice charger to top the battery up when the bike stands .

 

Def-E nition,
Are you leaving the bike parked on a concrete pad? It may be folklore, mixed with a little science, but I used to ride a Shadow 1100 years ago. Every year, for three years, that bike need a new battery. I can't remember who told me to try this, but I started resting the kick stand on a piece of card board, to keep the frame from grounding on the concrete. That was the end of my battery problems. Still practice the ritual to this day. Hope it helps-
Mac

 

shit - you KNow WHat - you may be onto something there dude .
I have seen people parking their cars on old carpets in the garage , instead of just the cold hard concrete . mmmm..... you got me thinkning now dude !!
This is a spanking new building , with an all-metal tension cable steel spun structure , I wouldnt be surprised to learn that this is the source of my problem !>
Bike stood outside , under it's cover , for the first 4 months of me owning it - not sinslge day of trouble . it stood on a Paved brick pathway ,and never skipped a beat .
Ill do this mod quick , and see whether the charge light automatically coming on every 4 minutes or so , stops doin it's thang .... good grief . I should have thought of this myself you know , having seen people do simialr practise to their cars (well- not rusting , but they say the cold floor had something to do with moisture and the exhaust ,etc etc )
Thanks Mac . Im on my way up to the store room right away . Lucky for me I am allowed to keep all my toys at work . Quads bikes cars , you name it - mine are all up in new vehicle storage !!

 

i'm not sure it applies to cars since the rubber (tires) are what contacts the ground. with the fact that the 6th gen. and its clock etc... being powered might lead to a slight enough voltage drop to cause the bike not to start (clicking). once again i recommend a trikle charger to keep the battery fresh while it sits for long periods.