No power...dead batter?

So today I decide to go out and grab a bite for lunch. I jump on my motorcycle and take off. When I get out of the burger joint, my bike won't start.! I push "start" but all I hear is what sounds like a dead battery! WTF??? There was no indication the battery was even going dead.

I push start the bike and she turns on. At a red light, she shuts off. Crap! I push her into a gas station. A couple of guys help me push start her and I'm off....about a mile up the road, she starts to studder....and then she shuts off. Dead.

I call AAA and get towed home. Crap! I pulled the battery out and check the water level. It is low, but could it be anything else? There was no idication the battery was going dead. I am currently charging up the battery to see if it will hold a charge. Let's see what happens.

I'm hoping it's something simple as just a low or dead battery.

 

Possible the battery is just toast and won't hold a charge.

But then there's the ever popular R/R failure. If you're not familiar with it, speak up and we can explain. Or just do a search.

If you are familiar with the R/R, then you know where, what, and how to check.

Give us a few more details. What year bike? How many miles? How old is the current battery? Any other "symptoms"?

Fingers crossed its just a battery.

 

Hi and thanks for the reply.

The bike is a 1986 VFR 700. I just bought the bike a week ago, so I have no idea how old the battery is. She has 56K miles and was running just fine. No start up issues. Like I mentioned, there was no indication the battery was dying out. When I turn the key, the dash lights come on...very dim, but the do light, so there is some power flowing thru the system. Just seem strange that the it would just die out like that.

I have read a bit on the R/R problems, but not too sure what the symptoms are. Is the R/R problem with all VFR's or just certain years? About how much does a new R/R cost?

Thanks.

 

Have you inspected the three pin connector from the stator to the regulator?

 

Ok, so I charged up the battery, put it back into the bike and she started up. It took a few tries, but she is running. All lights and dash lights are bright.

So if the R/R was damaged, would the bike not start even with a good battery?

I also check the R/R for heat and it got hot with in 2 minutes of starting the bike. Really hot. "I could not touch it hot".

I'm guessing it's the original one that come with the bike.

 

Like everyone else said above, you'll need to check a few things. Go through the wiring, especially from the R/R and the stator. But I'll try to answer your questions, and throw in a few comments.

1. If it is, indeed, the original R/R, you're probably on borrowed time.

2. When you replaced the battery, even if your R/R was fried, you have plenty of new juice in that batter (to start with). However, you will find that it will soon be going dead if the R/R is not doing its job correctly. So its important to do what Mello Dude said and check the voltage and ohms.

3. If your R/R is too hot to even touch, that's bad news. I can run my bike for an hour, put a full load on the electrical system, and I can still touch my R/R.

4. Symptoms vary - on newer bikes its easier to tell because they have the F/I light that will throw codes. I'm not familiar enough with yours. But the fact that you went from a "perfectly fine" battery to one that died 3 times in the course of a day could be a symptom.

5. The R/R was an issue with most, but I don't know about all.

6. A new one would run you about $110 to $150. Look around. Check Wire My Bike If you have to buy one, make sure its at least the MOSFET type. (research Google, or go to wiremybike as mentioned above. It'll explain).

 

You guys are great.! Thanks.! I will check all this stuff when I get home. Yesteday, I called the guy who sold me the bike and asked him about the battery. He tells me it's no more than a few months old and that he always kept the bike hooked up to a battery tender. Perhaps the R/R has been damaged for some time, but keeping it on a tender has been keeping the batter alive?

I don't mind paying the $150 if it means a good and reliable R/R. I'm a true believer in "you get what you pay for", so if I have to pay a little more for a better quality products, so be it.

BTW...I found this on youtube. Your thoughts please.

R&R'ing a VFR's dead R&R part 1 - YouTube

 

If the battery is only a few months old, and the owner was diligent about trickle charging, it sounds like you're the next contestant on "Replace your Rectifier".

I'm not trying to sell the guy at wiremybike - its your call. But, he's a member on this forum as well as the other VFR forum. He knows his shit when it comes to replacing the R/R on these bikes, he's super friendly and helpful, and his prices are very reasonable. If you add in the VFRness (designed by the guy at wiremybike), you're looking at about $190, but you will probably never have to worry about it again.

The VFRness forms a "T" between the battery/regulator connections, and the single 30amp fuse gets replaced by 2 twenty amp fuses. If you spring for the VFRness along with the R/R, all you need to technically do is plug and play. Without the VFRness, I think most of us would strongly recommend you solder all the connections, especially the ones from the stator to the R/R. (Don't use crimps or try to just twist and tape; you'll have problems). I soldered my connections even with the VFRness. Not taking any chances!

The guy in the video makes some good points. I don't know if the heat sink plate he designed is necessary, but it certainly can't hurt.

 

You could possibly have a crapped cell also, check your voltages at the battery after a full charge on a motorcycle charger, check battery voltages at different RPMs- 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000.
And check the connections, test the stator and rectifier with a voltmeter.

 

I called the local Honda service dept and the service manager told me the part was no longer sold thru Honda, but offered to a source and offered to check it for free. I will charge up the battery and ride it over today. He also mentioned if it's not the R/R, it could be a faulty stator.

Let's see what happens. Thanks again guys

 

No, just havn't had the time to stop at a hardware stare and pick up an electrical meter. Since the dealer offered to do it for free, I figured I would jump on it.

I will try and take notes and report back.

 

Hey, would you guys recommend this one from Rick's? I like the idea of being able to just pull it out of the box and plug it in.

Rick's Motorsport Electrics

 

Yes. Its the same one you get from Joshua at wiremybike.

You still need to check your wiring, especially to and from the stator and R/R. You can put the best R/R "ever" in there. if you're wires are fucked, so are you.

 

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Owning a multimeter and battery charger are mandatory prerequisites to ownership of ANY motorcycle but Hondas especially and newer Hondas the most.



The amazing thing about the melted plug is that the bike was still charging !!

 

Thanks Squirrel, :thumbsup:
I know what I am doing tomorrow, when I get a spare moment! :tongue: (Pulling side cover off my bike to see if my connectors for the charging system are good)