Battery/charging help

[opds9091]

About a 4-6 weeks ago i had to buy a new battery and trickle charger because the bike sat for 9 months and wouldn't start. I plug the bike in everyday after riding it. Today i was out to the DR.'s and the bike was dead. I am asking everyone, 'PLEASE HELP AND EXPLAIN THE CHARGING SYSTEM". Why is this happening. I know on a car the alternator is charged by the belt, on a motorcycle how does it work. Any info would help. If and when i charge it it starts and i go wherever, if i shut the bike of it wont start, i would have to jump it again. "HELP."

 

[Fred]

Well, like the car, the engine drives a generator to produce electricity and charge the battery.

After you've been riding for a while, the battery should be fully charged and able to start the bike.

If that's not happening, then you have one of two problems.

1. Bad charging system. This can be checked with a multimeter. Check the battery voltage when the bike is off. Then start it and check the voltage again. Did it increase? Next, rev the bike up to about 4000 RPM. Did the voltage increase again? It should be around 14 volts at this point. If it's not, your charging system has a problem. Post back and I can go into detail about the charging system.

2. Bad battery. If the battery is bad, you can charge it for years and it still won't start the bike. Your battery is new, but it sounds like it may have a problem. Charge it all the way up, then check the voltage. Now, while watching the voltage, try to start the bike. What did the voltage drop to? Below 10 volts is probably bad.

Recharge the battery, then take it off the charger and wait 12 hours. Check the voltage and try to start the bike again. What's it doing this time?

 

[wolfc70]

About a 4-6 weeks ago i had to buy a new battery and trickle charger because the bike sat for 9 months and wouldn't start. I plug the bike in everyday after riding it. Today i was out to the DR.'s and the bike was dead. I am asking everyone, 'PLEASE HELP AND EXPLAIN THE CHARGING SYSTEM\\\\\". Why is this happening. I know on a car the alternator is charged by the belt, on a motorcycle how does it work. Any info would help. If and when i charge it it starts and i go wherever, if i shut the bike of it wont start, i would have to jump it again. \\\\\"HELP.\\\\\"

You do not need a trickle charger, you need a battery maintainer/smart charger. The most common brand is Deltran's Battery Tender. A trickle charger can overcharge a fully charged battery. The VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) batteries in these bikes are sealed. They condense the moisture given off during the chemical reaction to eliminate any maintenance. If these batteries are over charged, they can vent causing the electrolyte level to drop ruining the battery. If you ride the bike often, the charging system should keep the battery full. A trickle charger will keep charging a full battery. A smart charger will see that the battery is charged and only maintain it if the charge drops.

The charging system on bikes is similar to a cars, just on a smaller scale. The stator is located on the end of the crankshaft and hence spins at engine speeds. On a car, the rotor is turned by a belt, usually at twice engine speeds. So on a bike you need 4-5000 RPM to put out maximum amperage. You could have a bad ground also, check all cable connections. My guess is that either the battery is bad (most likely) or you have a bad rectifier.

Here is a link that shows how an alternotor works. HowStuffWorks "Alternator Components"

Here is one showing most motorcycles.Technical Article: How a Motorcycle Charging System Works - ElectroSport Industries

This link helps explain the differences between VRLA and flooded cells.VRLA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps!

 

[SovietRobot]

Fred pretty much said it all. But if you want more details on how the FZ's alternator works, you see the left side "crankcase" cover, the one that gets scratched easily when you drop the bike? Under that is a copper coil called a Stator, which is the motorcycle equivelant of an alternator. The crankshaft makes it spin, which produces a current that changes the battery. The Yamaha manual suggests an RPM of around 5,000 to keep the battery fully charged. So if you constantly keep the RPM low and rarely go up around 5k, there could potentially be a charging problem.

However since you are charging the battery with a trickle charger, either the battery is bad, or there's a problem with a part in the electrical system on your bike.

 

[racerws]

Sounds to me like your battery sulfated in the nine months while sitting.
(sulfated shorts out the lead plates and ruins the battery)
It is probably time for a new one. And yes, use the battery tender to keep
the new battery from sulfating too.
Battery tenders do have a quick connect that attaches to the battery so
you don't have to raise the gas tank all the time. Very handy.
Happy riding to ya!:Flash:

 

[cashcrzzy]

Being a Tech for Ford I can tell you that Ford uses a fuse in the alt circut we sometimes get customers comming in with the alt not working and find that the fuse is blown .. "cust was trying to charge the battery"!!

I do not know and have not checked to see if their is a fuse inline on our bikes because I have not had any problems with charging .. but others may know .

sorry if this doesnt help .
Greg A.

 

[08fz6]

sounds like he cooked the battery......

 

[opds9091]

when i first tried to start the bike, they(the dealer) told me to buy a new battery, so i did. I called them and when i bought the bike i bought the 5 year warranty along with the 5 year service plan. So for the next 5 years i don't pay a penny unless i want to go with better plugs, syn oil. So the bike goes in on Friday. They said the service is about 4-5 hours. I looked in service book for our bike and there are like 30 point test area, change all fluids, throttle bodies, oil, injectors, everything and it's free. There is alot more that they check as well. So i will let everyone know when i get the bike back Friday evening. Thanks for all the help, till Friday.

 

[wrightme43]

What kind of battery tender did you get?

Please state name and model number.
How is it hooked up?

You the old saying?

New means New. It does not mean good. You may of got a bad charger, bad battery, or you may have some other problem. Have you had a alarm installed?

 

[opds9091]

i bought a GS Y'usa battery
GS Y'UASA GT 12B-4
DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER
model # 021-0123
output : 12 VDC @ 750mA
input : 120VAC @ 60Hz 12W