dead battery - possible reg/rec + battery?

Hi All,
got some bad news, the trusty blue curvy is sick... so sick it needed a trailer to get home from asda in lekwith last night.

Went out for a ride with my par in law and when we stopped so he could get petrol the bike simply refused to start.
Symptoms:
turned on ignition, pressed start button, then the starter turned but bike wouldnt start, ok, try again i thought. This time, the starter turned slower then stopped.
lights will come on, dash lights come on.
although with the lights off if you turn on an indicator when the indicator flashes the dashboard lights dimm.
Also, when you press the start button no you hear the relay clicking but nothing else and all the lights go out on the dash.

I think it's a dead battery but not sure, bike wouldnt jump off a car (could be duff cables they've given us other problems recently) .

Does anyone have an ideas to a fix?

I'm thinking:
1) replace battery
2) replace reg/rec (just for good measure)

I'm going to borrow a charger an charge the battery when i can to see if it will start or even charge the battery, then i can track down the problems.
is there any easy ways to spot if the the reg/rec is stuffed? apart from an obvious dead battery.
Unfortunately i dont own a multimeter so cant use one of those at all.

cheers all, collis

i think you should aquire a multimeter before you start...... they are more than usefull when it comes to diagnosing electircal problems, they cost less than £10 anyway. And when you do get the bike started it will be able to tell you if the reg rec is ruined! and if your battery is dead.

Originally Posted by warrenhewitt10

i think you should aquire a multimeter before you start...... they are more than usefull when it comes to diagnosing electircal problems, they cost less than £10 anyway. And when you do get the bike started it will be able to tell you if the reg rec is ruined! and if your battery is dead.

any idea where i can pick one up this cheeply?
all the ones i commonly see are around £40 or more.

is there a maplins near you?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=37279

if not try ebay or something, theres lots on there for very little money.

Originally Posted by warrenhewitt10

is there a maplins near you?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=37279

if not try ebay or something, theres lots on there for very little money.

there is, last time i went in there they only had £40 ones, just checked stock and they got 16 of them and a not too bad trip down the road form me, can be gotten there on foot if i'm feeling fit.

[embee]

As part of regular maintenance, check that all the connectors are clean, and pull out all the fuses to check for good contacts (including the main one under the green cover behind the right side black triangle). If you're off to Maplins, pick up some dielectric silicone grease while you're there, it's ideal for lubing electrical contacts and sealing the front plug cap too.

Originally Posted by collis

is there any easy ways to spot if the the reg/rec is stuffed? apart from an obvious dead battery.
Unfortunately i dont own a multimeter so cant use one of those at all.

Not without a multi-meter

Remember that batteries can die without the reg/rec going - they are not unlimited life components. I had a battery that was fine until the weather turned colder; then it wouldn't provide the cranking amps but the reg/rec was fine.

i'm tempted to do both, i recon the battery is probably fried and the rec i've no idea on it's history, so better safe than sorry etc.

---Edit---

Will this battery be ok? Link
anyone got any other suggestions for it and amybe any links for replacement rec/reg?

[Biker Biggles]

MDS is the place to buy a battery,but before you buy anything listen to the good advice being given to you on here.Buy a multimeter and find out whats wrong.