Problem like Nadine had!

[hazelann38]

Having read through the entire thread of Nadine's problems I find myself in the same position. However, I don't think I would have the balls to play around and do what she did and I take my hat off to her! Fantastic job!

My problem is similar and I've got the readings which my RAC neighbour has got off it today!

Amps drain on battery with bike turned off 0.4amps
Charge on tickover 13.8V
Charge at 2500 rpm with lights on 13.2V
Charge at 2500 rpm with light off 14V

I will say that this is completely over my head. I can start the bike one week and it's fine, leave it a week and the battery is dead. Other times I can leave it a week and it's fine. Battery is showing 100% condition but today it's at 60% charge.

My bike fixing mate has said it could be the light turner offer and onner switch that's the problem as it's a switching earth or something like that. It's all so frustrating as it's never died on me while out, it simply decides to have a flat battery off and on!

I do start it up every week and leave it running for 30 mins or so which sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't.

Any ideas or have I got to go through that awful palaver which Nadine had?

[SoulKiss]

Having read through the entire thread of Nadine's problems I find myself in the same position. However, I don't think I would have the balls to play around and do what she did and I take my hat off to her! Fantastic job!

My problem is similar and I've got the readings which my RAC neighbour has got off it today!

Amps drain on battery with bike turned off 0.4amps
Charge on tickover 13.8V
Charge at 2500 rpm with lights on 13.2V
Charge at 2500 rpm with light off 14V

I will say that this is completely over my head. I can start the bike one week and it's fine, leave it a week and the battery is dead. Other times I can leave it a week and it's fine. Battery is showing 100% condition but today it's at 60% charge.

My bike fixing mate has said it could be the light turner offer and onner switch that's the problem as it's a switching earth or something like that. It's all so frustrating as it's never died on me while out, it simply decides to have a flat battery off and on!

I do start it up every week and leave it running for 30 mins or so which sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't.

Any ideas or have I got to go through that awful palaver which Nadine had?

New battery, best if you can borrow one from a friend, it sounds like yours doesnt hold a charge.

Also I dont think that running the engine with no load for 30 mins will do that much to charge the battery, you get more power from the generator at higher revs such as when you are riding.

But I am not an expert, someone who know better will probably be along in a bit.

[monkey]

I don't know how I know this but I think I was told that batteries on bikes or the SV at least wont charge properly until about 5K revs or something like that. It's for the same reason doing a few miles to work and back every day will wear down a battery.

[Ruffy]

Welcome to the org. Don't forget to put a newbie Hello in Idle Banter.
Amps drain on battery with bike turned off 0.4amps
Charge on tickover 13.8V
Charge at 2500 rpm with lights on 13.2V
Charge at 2500 rpm with light off 14V

Just a gut feel but 0.4A when off seems very high. That's 400mA, which will flatten a fully charged bike typical 12Ah battery in 30hrs. I'd have thought a more realistic figure would be 10-20mA (unless you've a hungry alarm installed)
As a result, my first suspicion would be a sticking switch/relay (ignition switch?) or a worn through wire insulation on the loom.

Charge figures look reasonable, though, so I wouldn't be looking to change battery or reg/rec just yet.

[embee]

..................
Amps drain on battery with bike turned off 0.4amps
Charge on tickover 13.8V
Charge at 2500 rpm with lights on 13.2V
Charge at 2500 rpm with light off 14V



I presume you don't really mean 0.4 amps, should that be milli-amps (mA) ??

Current drain with the bike off should not be more than just a few mA, ideally down near one or two.

On the face of it those voltages appear OK.

Do you have an alarm/immobiliser? They are the usual culprits.

It's not really a good idea leaving a bike idling for long periods. Either ride it, or if it's not in regular use then use a battery charger to keep it topped up (lead/acid batteries should be kept fully charged as far as possible).

(Edit - typing while Ruffy was posting............)

[Ruffy]

(Edit - typing while Ruffy was posting............)
It's good to know I wasn't alone in my thinking!

[monkey]

I didn't spot the 0.4 amp thing! Either his tester was out, it's been recorded wrong or there's a nasty little short somewhere.

[hazelann38]

Hmm, well I must say, I did stand and watch what he was doing and it did say 0.4 on the amp drian tester thing.
Re the new battery idea, well, I only bought it about 8 months ago when this problem first started. I've also tried my son's battery and the same thing happened. I've even tried my other half's battery and again, the same thing happened. (We all have the same bikes)

My problem is, if the bike is kept in the garage, there's no electric in there as it's in a block. I've got it in the garden for the summer and again, there's no electric.

I don't ride it that often but it's nice for it to be there so that when I do need it (due to no car), it's there for me. When I do go out on it, it's usually for a good 20 miles rather than short hops. Not been using it so much recently as the other half decided to see what it was like to travel along the road on his back side and so his bike has been off the road for 4 weeks. Hopefully he will be collecting it on Saturday and we can get back to some fun riding again!

What did seem strange is that even when revved high, the charge rate just went lower and lower with the lights on. Plus, he put his battery condition tester on it and it did say it was 100%, just that the charge it had was at 60%

So turning it on and leaving it to run for 30 mins basically is doing nothing?

[monkey]

It seems to be doing something. If I had a battery in mine I'd test it. I'll have a go on my Daytona when I get to it just to see the difference.

That 0.4 amps is gonna drain the battery pretty quick if it's correct. Have you got an alarm fitted or anything which can be left switched on when the ignition is off?

[hazelann38]

No, not got an alarm!

[monkey]

I've got to say I don't know what a switching Earth means but the light switch should be a simple switch the same as the others. Earth on a bike or car is the same as Neutral so there is no Earth as such. Basically all you have is Positive and Negative. To try and put it simply the juice goes up the positive to the lights, horn, , coil, whatever, and then when it's 'used' goes back down the negative. However, if there is a leak or a short from a switch, bulb holder, dodgy wire etc, some juice will go straight to neutral and drain the battery needlessly. If it was pulling more amps it should pop a fuse and make it easier to diagnose a fault, if there is one. If your RAC mate has an amp clamp you might be able to pinpoint that 0.4 amps to a particular circuit which could point towards a fault by clamping the main live cable at the battery and pulling fuses systematically until the tester shows no amps are being drawn.

To be honest auto electrics can be a right pain in the bum. I'd get your bike fixing mate to test it and maybe get a haynes manual or look in the owners manual to see what results you should get. It might be that the RAC fella's tester was out and that hopefully the only problem is that the bike hasn't been ridden enough.

If I were you for now I'd try and get out on it at least once a week and do a good twenty miles at normal rev speeds. I've gone through so many batteries on my pointy in the past because of not riding the bike and laziness.

Hope this helps a bit.
:)

[Raf]

I'll agree with Ruffy on this one. It sounds very much like a problem I had with my 650 which turned out to be some chaffing on the loom. Easily checked as you only need to take the fairing off (The hard part is getting the courage to do it, it is quite easy) and inspect the loom for wear.

[Blue_SV650S]

is that 0.4 amps with the ignition off or with the ignition on, just the bike not running?

If it is the former, then you have a 'short'. As Raf just said, you probably have a exposed wire in the loom that sometimes touches earth/shorts, other times when you park up, it doesn't ... (hence why some weeks it is fine, other weeks it is not).