battery problems

BBwong:

betarce nailed it again.

Yes, if your battery is on the 'low' side it can die in traffic as in your situation.

Get a new battery and a battery tender and you are good to go.

BZ

 

Thanks all for the replies. The battery is on a tender during the winter. I've only had the bike for about 3 years and don't know when it was replaced prior and am unsure how well it was taken care of by the PO. I figure the cost of a new battery and a quick check of the charging system is worth the piece of mind.

How does one bump/push start a bike? I've done it with cars, so I'm guessing the process is the same. In gear, clutch pulled in, run, jump on, and pop the clutch? How fast do you need to be rolling? I don't think I'm coordinated for all that.

 

2nd gear, key in on position, standing on pegs, clutch in
roll down hill or have your wife push you
simulaneously drop your a$$ onto the seat and release clutch
ride away

 

Absolutely in second gear. I had the same thing happen today. My battery was dead a few months ago, had it charged at a local bike shop, then it sat until today. My bad for not having a tender.
Is there a specific type of tender you guys would recommend? I read the $35 dollar above, but haven't seen one for sale that inexpensively. Please advise.

 

the deltran one

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0128 Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger: Automotive

 

Whatever battery charger you buy for a motorcycle make sure it outputs no more than 1.5 amps or else fry your battery will.

 

Also on the tender if it has an 'monitor' feature that'd be great. Charge up to full then auto shutoff, while it's shut off it monitors and when the voltage gets too low it turns back on. Plug it in at the beginning fo winter and forget about it.

 

If you stick it on all winter and don't check it or reset it make sure you get one that compensates for temperature and that re-cycles after a certain amount of days of charge.

 

Thank you for the suggestions and information. My new battery tender is on the way to my ailing battery.

 

you shouls also check the ground wires for poor connections