Battery/Starting problem - new battery hasnt fixed it! - Page 2 - SV650.org

24-01-05, 04:17 PM

Thanks for the advice guys

Sid - it turns over a couple of times but wont fire, then it wont turn over at all as it has sucked all the juice from the battery trying the first couple of times. It has had new plugs in a recent service.

Phil - thanks for the tip on the nip point, I will try to take it apart as soon as i get 5 minutes spare and its not dark!!!

Cheers

24-01-05, 04:51 PM

when you got the new battery - did you ensure that it was fully charged up before you connected it to the bike ?

as i thought that they needed charging first.

embee · 24-01-05, 04:53 PM

Hi Aaron
since this is clearly giving you grief I'll just add my 2p, though it's basically what the others have said.

Your battery appears to have only a part charge left after a couple of days, so either it is not charging fully or it's discharging when the bike's off. The other possibility is that the battery is duff, not impossible even for new batteries to fail but probably low on the list. You could have a wiring fault in the generator circuit so it can produce enough voltage to charge with no load, but not enough current to run lights etc.

You need to determine which of these is the problem.

It'd be worth getting a cheap multimeter, Maplins do them for less than £10 which will do fine. Make sure it has a DC current capability of 10Amps, then it will be more useful.

Do what Philbo recommends, measure the "quiescent" current from the positive terminal on the battery to the pos cable with the bike switched off as it would normally be left (disconnect the battery cable and put the meter on "DC Amps" between them, check it's the right way round, start with it on a high current range and switch down as necessary to get a proper reading, and don't short anything out on the frame!!). As said, if it's more than single figure milli-amps it could well be your problem.

If it's OK, check the charging. Run the bike, lights on, DC Volts measuring the battery voltage. At 1300rpm idle you should see somewhere round 11 or 12 volts min, depending how well charged the battery is.

Rev it up to 4000rpm or so, and you should see over 14volts (the service manual says 13.5-15V at 5000rpm).

Regulator/rectifiers are known to be a weak item, so could well be the culprit.

There's a good trouble-shooting guide in the Electrical section of the Service Manual.
http://www.sv650.org/sv_manuals.htm

24-01-05, 05:21 PM

thanks again for all the advice chaps

The battery was indeed fully charged - I put it on an Optimate for 24 hours before fitting, and its been fine for about 3 weeks until today....

Will try to pick up a multimeter on the way home (not so easy when dont have a bike to get to the shops!!) and have a look on Saturday.

Am off on holiday on Sunday

but will let you guys know when I get back how its gone.....

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24-01-05, 04:17 PM	#11
Aaron Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks for the advice guys Sid - it turns over a couple of times but wont fire, then it wont turn over at all as it has sucked all the juice from the battery trying the first couple of times. It has had new plugs in a recent service. Phil - thanks for the tip on the nip point, I will try to take it apart as soon as i get 5 minutes spare and its not dark!!! Cheers

24-01-05, 04:51 PM	#12
Warren Guest Posts: n/a	when you got the new battery - did you ensure that it was fully charged up before you connected it to the bike ? as i thought that they needed charging first.

24-01-05, 04:53 PM	#13
embee Member Mega Poster Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 2,804	Hi Aaron since this is clearly giving you grief I'll just add my 2p, though it's basically what the others have said. Your battery appears to have only a part charge left after a couple of days, so either it is not charging fully or it's discharging when the bike's off. The other possibility is that the battery is duff, not impossible even for new batteries to fail but probably low on the list. You could have a wiring fault in the generator circuit so it can produce enough voltage to charge with no load, but not enough current to run lights etc. You need to determine which of these is the problem. It'd be worth getting a cheap multimeter, Maplins do them for less than £10 which will do fine. Make sure it has a DC current capability of 10Amps, then it will be more useful. Do what Philbo recommends, measure the "quiescent" current from the positive terminal on the battery to the pos cable with the bike switched off as it would normally be left (disconnect the battery cable and put the meter on "DC Amps" between them, check it's the right way round, start with it on a high current range and switch down as necessary to get a proper reading, and don't short anything out on the frame!!). As said, if it's more than single figure milli-amps it could well be your problem. If it's OK, check the charging. Run the bike, lights on, DC Volts measuring the battery voltage. At 1300rpm idle you should see somewhere round 11 or 12 volts min, depending how well charged the battery is. Rev it up to 4000rpm or so, and you should see over 14volts (the service manual says 13.5-15V at 5000rpm). Regulator/rectifiers are known to be a weak item, so could well be the culprit. There's a good trouble-shooting guide in the Electrical section of the Service Manual. http://www.sv650.org/sv_manuals.htm

24-01-05, 05:21 PM	#14
Aaron Guest Posts: n/a	thanks again for all the advice chaps The battery was indeed fully charged - I put it on an Optimate for 24 hours before fitting, and its been fine for about 3 weeks until today.... Will try to pick up a multimeter on the way home (not so easy when dont have a bike to get to the shops!!) and have a look on Saturday. Am off on holiday on Sunday but will let you guys know when I get back how its gone.....