Gerard Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I tried to start my bike this morning (1100RT. The lights come up nice and bright but when I press the start switch, it makes a "ratchet" noise such as "clic.click.clic...". Is this the sign of a bad battery? I have no clue and am looking for advice. Thanks a million. Gerard Link to comment
Deadboy Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Provided that you have eliminated the obvious (switch is in the right position, not in gear w/the kickstand down) then yes that sounds like a bad battery....if you want to you can try to bumb start it, I like to use 3rd gear....or just slap it on a charger. No big deal, just annoying... Link to comment
steve404 Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Or poor cable connections. Link to comment
Little_Brit Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Gerard, Could be a low battery. If it is DO NOT persist with trying to start it. My old K75s welded its contactors closed in this situation and all I could do was stand and watch as the battery died whilst the starter motor ground slowly to a halt and with me touching nothing! Mercifully the battery was so low that the main earth cable survived, it smoked well though and I didn't go near it for several minutes. I was lucky many others suffered more severe damage. I now keep my R850R on a Battery-Mate when I'm not planning on using it for a while, which keeps everything healthy. Good luck Derek Brown Link to comment
DavidEBSmith Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 The good news is that the Oilheads use a different wiring setup than the K-bikes did and aren't prone to the starter relay contacts welding shut. Link to comment
flars Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Yes. Bad battery. Put a meter on it and you should see more than 12.5 volts (probably about 12.9). I am sure someone will post the exact value, measured at sea level, with the correct temperature to measure it at, depending on the time of year and distance from the equator. If you haven't got a meter (about $10-15 for an inexpensive one from Sears or Radio Shack or your local auto parts place), you can take the battery over to the auto parts place and they will meter it for you. Link to comment
SWB Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Yes. Bad battery. Put a meter on it and you should see more than 12.5 volts (probably about 12.9). I am sure someone will post the exact value, measured at sea level, with the correct temperature to measure it at, depending on the time of year and distance from the equator. If you haven't got a meter (about $10-15 for an inexpensive one from Sears or Radio Shack or your local auto parts place), you can take the battery over to the auto parts place and they will meter it for you. For about $40 or $50, there are some nice battery chargers out there that (a) have meters, (b) "recondition" the battery (drain/full charge), and © can be plugged in to a socket to act as a "battery tender" if the bike isn't used much. A good chargers is one of those tools you don't use much, but when you need it, nothing else works. It's a "must have" in the garage tool kit. If the problem is the battery, the next question is, why? Has the bike been out of service for a while? Battery getting old? Link to comment
Wooster Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 Gerard, A new battery will do wonders for your bike; no more clickity click. Many use the odyssey (named after greek hero odysseus, wiliest of men); other use panasonic. Both are maintenance lite, no fluids to add. While I'm big fan of beemers, I can't think of anything nice to say about stock gel battery so like ShovelStroke's Mom, I'll hush. Wooster w/panasonic what did grape say when stepped on by elephant ? nothing, just let out a little wine. Link to comment
Gerard Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 May be a silly question but is a battery tender (which I have!) can also act as battery charger or are we talking about a different animal here? Thanks Gerard Link to comment
Wooster Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 Battery Tender (BT) certainly does function as a charger, only at low rates of charge (1 amp/hr ?). So, if battery is good (not a certainty), ten hours of BT should bring it up to par; on the other hand, if battery is not good, charging is like pouring water into a leaky bucket, nothing stays. Battery BT is charging must have a few volts left (3, I think) otherwise BT won't do a thing. Given that your lites are brite, it's very likely you've got at least 3 volts. BTW, Last year, my car wouldn't start in early AM (8 am in Winter). I attached my BT for 30 min and vroom, off to work (and wally world for new battery) I went. Wooster secretary who can't shift for self types lower case letters Link to comment
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