Stranded

[Skywagon]

Ride 400 miles yesterday. Got on bike today, started normally, went  to gas station 2 miles away, fuel up, zero electrical as in none. Local Leo gives me ride home. Bike still at station. Come back, check battery, all looks ok, jump start and it starts. Won’t stay running not enough juice. No auto supply has anything close enough to fit. Don’t care how good just need to get home. Wally World has small AGM that looks like it will fit. Get to bike open battery and have to add acid. Crap. Bring battery home, fill up, put on charger. 5 min battery hot and I smell acid. Read the fine print. Says after adding acid must sit for 30 minutes before charging. Crap. Hope I didn’t ruin it. Now waiting on it to sit and will charge an hour and see if enough to get me home

Battery in bike is 3 years old, shows 14v at rest surface charge. Must be direct short. No way to push home too much traffic

 

Suggestions

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[DaveCinNO]

Safe to assume you cleaned the battery terminals?  Jump starting usually connects directly to the harness wires bypassing the battery.  14v tells me the battery isn’t that bad.  

[dirtrider]

9 minutes ago, Skywagon said:

Ride 400 miles yesterday. Got on bike today, started normally, went  to gas station 2 miles away, fuel up, zero electrical as in none. Local Leo gives me ride home. Bike still at station. Come back, check battery, all looks ok, jump start and it starts. Won’t stay running not enough juice. No auto supply has anything close enough to fit. Don’t care how good just need to get home. Wally World has small AGM that looks like it will fit. Get to bike open battery and have to add acid. Crap. Bring battery home, fill up, put on charger. 5 min battery hot and I smell acid. Read the fine print. Says after adding acid must sit for 30 minutes before charging. Crap. Hope I didn’t ruin it. Now waiting on it to sit and will charge an hour and see if enough to get me home

Battery in bike is 3 years old, shows 14v at rest surface charge. Must be direct short. No way to push home too much traffic

 

Suggestions

?

Afternoon David

 

When you get it home make sure the charging system is working properly, sounds sort of like the alternator isn't charging properly.

 

14v open circuit is somewhat high for a failed battery (if a direct short then it would be 0 volts showing in no time).   What is the voltage with key ON? 

[longjohn]

What is the onboard charge when it’s running?  It should be 14.1, 14.2ish. 

[Skywagon]

When I had the jumper on it would start. I left them in about 2 minutes. Looking at the bike instrument panel after removing cables it showed 14.2 charging. Could not take measurement key on without engine running as zero juice. No panel. Once jumper was off engine would die within a few seconds even at 2500 rpm. Will head back up there I 30 minutes and see if this Wally World lawnmower battery will get me home

[Skywagon]

Update.. bike is home. Little Wally World battery charged 1 hour. Charger said 80% full. Installed in bike, Hooked up jumper cables to assist with start and take load off of small battery. Bike started fine and I drove home with wife in tow  I will probably keep the Wally battery with me for the next few rides after I put in a new battery

The panel Volt meter showed 14.2 all the way home.

I had charged the old battery for about 2 hours. Green light on charger. Surface charge said 13.1. Tried it in bike first. Wouldn’t even fire up the panel so pretty sure it’s sick

Here is a picture of the old battery and Wally battery on chargers… just in case you ever need a get home battery

Two last things. 1. Appreciate you folks jumping in to help. Always appreciated

2nd my service light is on now. It was just service about 3 months ago. No other lights. I guess going in and out of power caused it. The local Houston BMW club has a GS911 we use so will reset and look for codes

 

[lkraus]

2 hours ago, Skywagon said:

 

2nd my service light is on now. It was just service about 3 months ago. No other lights. I guess going in and out of power caused it. 

The current time and date used to calculate the interval since last service was probably lost when the battery was disconnected. If you set the clock, you may not need the GS-911.

 

[Skywagon]

Thanks Larry....will give that a try in the morning.

[realshelby]

David, that is pretty much how one of my V Stroms acted. And the RT...except it would not start even by jumping. Sounds like you are good to go with new battery. I walked about two miles in New Mexico to get a battery at NAPA ( waited on them to open...) then back to the hotel. Started and run perfect through DVD and Los Angeles trip. That was all it was, an internally shorted battery...