Battery on final legs?

Hi guys.

I struggled to start my bike earlier in the week.

I turned the ignition on, the lights came on etc as normal, but when I pressed the starter button there was just a 'PUT' sound. It didn't try to start/turn over.

All the lights were still on. Then it started on the 3rd try. All was fine.

I rode for over 30 miles, was parked up for maybe an hour. Then it did it again, but maybe 10 times. I was actually worried it wasn't going to start. But then it did, and I rode home with no issues.

My bikes been in the garage since October. It's a K6 with no alarm fitted and no trickle charger. Someone said I should have taken the battery out if no charger, but I thought that was only if you had an alarm sucking power etc.

It was laid up in the garage from October to March last winter and there were no issues at all.

Does this sound like the battery? Or maybe starter motor? Would you recommend buying a trickle charger now, or do I need a new battery first?

Thanks very much in advance

[maviczap]

Typical dead battery syndrome, especially during this cold snap.

New battery & trickle charger

[Biker Biggles]

A battery will self discharge very slowly over several months even if there is no drain on it like an alarm so they need a charge every few weeks or so.When a battery becomes discharged it causes it to sulphate and become damaged so it eventually wont hold a charge.Yours has probably had this happen.
Having said that,Im surprised it will start the bike eventually after ten failed attempts.I would have thought the battery would have just died completely after a couple of tries.

Thanks for the replies.

Hopefully it's just very low and a trickle charger will resuscitate it.
Local garage said to take the battery into them and they can do a 'drop test', see if it holds its charge or if it's duff.

[Craig380]

I just replaced the original Yuasa on my own K6. It was fine in the warmer summer / autumn months and when the engine was warmed up, but in December it REALLY struggled from stone cold, even after being on the trickle charger immediately before trying to start.

It would light up the lights etc but thumb the starter button and it would turn the starter once (slowly), then **pause** turn it again **pause** turn it again then the motor would JUST catch and start.

New battery spins it over no trouble, whether stone cold or hot.

Might be worth spraying some proper switch/contact cleaner (not WD40) into the starter button and kill switch, and operating them a few times to clean up the contacts in there, just in case they are getting a bit mucky.

[DJ123]

Check you haven't blown the charging fuse

I'll check the charging fuse, after I've looked in the Haynes manual and found which one it is!

When I pressed the starter button NOTHING happened. It didn't try to turn over at all. (Not like in a car when the battery is dead, and it tries to start but gets slower and slower till it stops trying altogether and nothing works!) The lights still worked on the SV, it just didn't want to try and start!?

Originally Posted by ZER0

The lights still worked on the SV, it just didn't want to try and start!?

Could be the bushes in the starter motor and not the battery. When it starts does it start normally? If so I'd strip the starter motor. It's a pretty simple job. Mine did that a few years ago and I threw away a perfectly good Yausa...