2004 VFR won't start

2004 VFR800 with 1,600 miles
Went to start my VFR the other morning and I must have left the key on, so everything was dead. I hooked the battery up to a 12V 2A charge for about 18 hours. Tried starting it and got nothing but a fast clicking sounds coming from the battery area - all lights and gauges were working fine.

Is this just a bad battery? I am sure it is the stock one. The bike only had 700 miles on it about 6 months ago - so I know the battery has been dead and been recharged many times before.

 

You need at least 1.21 Jiggawatts of energy for the flux capacitor alone. You cannot travel in time using only a 12V 2A charger LOL !! If you aren't interested in time travel and just want to get it started I would try jump starting the bike using a car and jumper cables. Just make sure that the car key turned off or you can fry the bike battery! It sounds to me like the old battery is shot. Do you hear the fuel pump priming when you turn on the key?

Regards,
Rollin

 

haha, Where we are going we don't need roads!

When the key goes on, I can hear the FI turn on with its whine. As soon as I hit the starter is just does a very fast click and the lights/guages flicker with the clicking. I will try to bump start it in a few hours, if that fails then I have a spare car battery that i will hook up to it.

 

time for a new battery mcfly lol

 

Or a loose Batt connection,, not uncommon on a bike Batt.

 

just as a precaution check the condition of the reg/rec (R/R).

flat batteries can cause these to fail also

check this thread...

http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/26115-my-1998-vfr800-just-up-up-died-me-yesterday.html

hopefully a new battery is all thats needed...

 

I had an R/R go out on my 1990 VFR a couple years ago, it had 40,000 miles. It couldn't hold a charge even after being jumped and riding at higher rpms. I have a hard time seeing an R/R go bad on a bike that has 1500 miles, but who knows. Going to check all the fuses and connection - then order a new battery if needed

 

Stators can go bad as well. I would suspect it is your battery based on the age, but you need to test your charging system. Wait....has your bike had the wiring harness RECALL done? If not, this could be your problem.

 

Yes I believe so, there is a circle punch out on the VIN plate - but Honda didn't have any records of it being done

 

Got it started! I switched the battery charger to 12V 6A this morning and started it over lunch. Rode it to work, hopefully it will start again so I can get home!

 

I would highly recommend testing your charging system. A bike can run off a fully charged battery for a day or two of short trips. Use a multimeter and check the voltages at bike off, at idle, and at about 5k or so. Should be at least 14k+ at 5k.

 

If Honda has no record of your bike having the recall done to it, then take it in and make them do it for all three recalls on your bike. There are two for the wiring harness and one for the brakes. All three are big issues that need to be addressed. There's no reason NOT to do it as it is free.

So far it just sounds like you have a bad battery. Leaving the key on just took it over the edge.

 

Um, pardon me... There are three recalls on the 04's? I've only gotten the one for the front sub harness and starter battery cable. Is there any documentation available about the other two? Thanks.

 

The closest Honda dealer is 60 miles away, so makes it kinda tough. But you are right, it def needs to be done

 

Pserve... check the Wiki. All the info you need on the recalls are here: All Models - VFRwiki

 

Think of it as an excuse to go riding for a few hours. Schedule it so they know you are coming and tell them you need it done while you wait. If there are campaigns that need to be completed, you can always tell them to order the parts and that you will come back when they get them in.