99 curvy electrical issues

Hi Folks

the SV has been sitting idle for a couple of months (got a gixxer for the summer ). Prior to that the sv had some electrical issues. if i rode it with the lights off everything was fine but with the headlight the battery ran flat.

today i charged the battery up and tried to start it so i could determine if the reg/rec or something else was faulty. when i tried to turn it over it almost caught first time but then i just got a clicking sound.

any ideas what the probelm could be? duff battery or something else?

when the battery was charged it was sitting at 12.91v but after the failed start it was at 12.2. after waiting a few mins it was at 12.6v but again, just clicking noises.

[jambo]

Well first things first:
You need a battery strong enough to start the bike to get the other readings you need. Charge it up again and try again, if needed, give a jump start from another battery (car / bike is fine, provided it's 12V)

Now it's running, check your charging system. I had a similar issue a little while ago that turned out to be a slightly weak battery & weak regulator / rectifier, meaning the battery wasn't being given enough power to charge the system up when the lights were on. But it could be the alternator being weak or a few other things, so do a proper set of charging tests with a volt meter, both at the battery, and at the alternator outputs with the bike running.

Jambo

thanks Jambo

just put the battery on again. it was at 12.97v when circuit switched on it went to 12.8v. it turned the engine but nothing again. now back to the clicking noise. I think the battery is knackered.

looks like i'll give spannerman a call to come pick it up!

[jambo]

Try fitting a new (or borrowed) battery and get yourself a £10 multimeter.

This isn't tough stuff, I promise!

Jambo

[mister c]

Yup, I'm with Jambo on this one. If the battery is goosed, then you will need a new one anyway, so nothing lost. Curvy's are known for killing the reg/rec, so that was my 1st thought. There are loads of threads on here about how much voltage should be & how much there is with a buggered regulator

There is one thing about batteries don't some people don't know, a battery could be top charged, show 12.9V, but still be fubar'd, and will not give enough amps while on load. A easy(ish) diy way of load testing a battery, find a 12W 12V bulb connect it by itself and see if it lights it up for as many ah(amphour) it's rated for. if it's a 6ah it should be lighting up for 6hours minimum.