How do I check the charging circuit?

Originally Posted by Warren

i would love to, but taking the bike means i get an extra 30 mins in bed.

cool, new battery arrived today, which is nice.
now do i need to charge it or prepare it in any way before sticking it in the bike ?

ive got a 60 mile ride tomorrow

Sounds like it always was the battery. 6 years is an old battery. When you dump the acid into the battery(presuming that is what you got(a kit)) there will be a lot of charge in there. I changed my battery last week and I put it on charge for an hour. I could see it was full of juice though because the charger could only pump less than an amp flow into it.

John

Originally Posted by roger

I agree, it's the battery.
But regs are prone to failure, and...

It's unusual, but the problem can also occur with a tired starter motor.
Basically the starter draws way too much current while your battery is OK, so the headlights are bright when the engine isn't running (battery voltage about 11.5 volts or so); but when you try to start it the voltage drops dramatically.
You can check the starter motor, it's in the electrical section of the workshop manual.
Brushes are available, but the rotor cannot be replaced as a spare. Buy the whole thing from a breaker.

i have a CBR,
that is something i have thought about, but straight after charging the battery,. the starter sounds fine.
my voltage drops to 7.5 across the terminals when i start the bike.