Step 5. They have longer lifespans than lead-acid batteries. Look for Bad or Broken Wiring – observe the wiring in your motorcycle. … In today’s modern motorcycles that have tons of wiring a quick example would be a sensor that may not be working as it should. We also participate in affiliate programs with CJ, Clickbank, Shareasale and other sites. It is part of the electrical system of a motorcycle. You’ll want to test each of these items separately if you can to try an isolate which one is the culprit. It delivers this power within limits (similar to a trickle charger) so that the battery doesn’t get overcharged and damaged. Q. I have all sorts of electrical problems with my bike. Placing too big of a load with accessories can stress the battery and reduce its lifespan (motorcycle batteries are supposed to last two years, but you usually don’t get all of that). Make sure that when you store the battery that it’s in a place warmer than 32 degrees and not sitting directly on a concrete floor. It’s just plain done, and no amount of hooking it up to any machine will bring it back to life. It severely damages some internal components of the batteries. The accessories that are stealing power can be anything from the stock accessories your motorcycle came with to aftermarket items like GPS power supplies anything extra on your bike that uses power. My battery drains (sometimes) while I'm riding my bike. Check the batteries instruction manual if you still have it. If you plan on doing any cleaning whether with a product or a do it yourself remedy, make sure that you disconnect your battery from the system so you don’t get yourself zapped. Disconnect light and do test! Sometimes your battery is just in a weak condition. A faulty voltage regulator spells doom for your motorcycle’s battery. This problem will give you a dead battery faster than you can imagine. The leaks can form accessories … The source of the damage can be heat and vibration or the battery draining out on one occasion or more. Whenever I thought of adding something to my bike that wasn’t functional, my mechanic friend put it to me like this: The more accessories you add, the more that has to be removed when there is a problem. Install the quick connect to your battery terminals. Some motorcycle batteries cannot take on heat and vibrations. If you have your motorcycle plugged into a tender when your not riding it, you may not notice the extra power draw as long as the tender is keeping up. Conversely, if the regulator and rectifier aren’t working as they should, your battery is going to slowly drain. Examples are GPS, alarms, different types of lights, especially high beam lights, among others. You made some inspection and then discovered that the battery is dead. Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of starting your bike, and it refuses to come on? Look for bad or broken wiring – Any wiring that doesn’t look protected, has bad connectors or the wiring’s exposed could be causing you a short in the electrical system. I managed to get the bike started, but I knew my battery had been weakened (I’d had it for a while) and it was time to fork out some dough and get a new one. When it comes to tolerance of heat and vibrations, there are different degrees different motorcycle batteries can take. Having a bad regulator is problem that happens frequently in motorcycles that have high mileage. 4865, I'm Earl and I enjoy riding and traveling on my Honda Gl1800 as much as I can get away with. Want to incorporate electrical accessories like heated vests, mp3 player and auxiliary lights? Anon A. If something is draining the juice, I'd start looking at the starter and relay, in case you shorted or fused something. Clean and tighten electrical connections at battery - they tend to loosen up. Deer whistles are a possible solution to ward off the animal, but do deer whistles work on motorcycles? I only have two wires coming out of my VR and both plug into the stator. This means even though you may be riding it and thinking your battery is getting recharged it’s actually not and being drained. – Video Guide: Tip of the Week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWU2TbEePsY). With the key off, place the multimeter in the amps mode and place a lead between the terminal and the cable. A Short in the electrical system. Riding around town at 20 mph in Eco mode will give you an approximate 62-mile range. In this post we’ll take a look at some reasons your motorcycle battery died overnight. Need a basic toolkit? Check Your Main Fuse – A faulty main fuse will shut down all the electrical components of your bike. As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases. No accessory goes on my motorcycle that doesn’t serve a function. This also applies to motorcycle batteries and, as batteries grow older, they get closer to the end of their useful life. The more accessories you put on your bike, the higher the chances of experiencing a battery-related issue. The bad news; You may have to take a deep dive into your motorcycles electrical system, which can be really confusing if your unfamiliar. Motorcycle Touring Tips is reader supported and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You've just seen one page. This motorcycle USB charger has a power of 2.1A and features a manual switch that prevents the bike's battery from draining when it's not in use. Generally, the reading should be zero, but if the draw is over an amp your going to need to take a closer look at what’s going on in the system. That is why you have to inspect them regularly and repair or replace them and one you find faulty. This issue usually occurs in bikes that have relatively high mileage. If you’re going to be messing with your bikes electrical system and wiring extra’s into it, you may want to consider adding a voltmeter into the mix so you can keep a close eye on the electrical system. Ensure you are carrying out safety procedures while cleaning battery terminals such as wearing gloves and preventing contact with the chemicals in your battery. Perform a current draw test Adding too many accessories on your motorcycle tends to cost you much apart from the effect it has on your battery. If it is a bad regulator, or in the case of a Harley-Davidson, regulator-rectifier, the alternator output would not keep the battery charged, to again restart the next time. Only ever riding short distances (this does not allow the bike’s charging system to fully recharge the battery) Running excessive electrical accessories on a bike (these drain the battery much quicker than a stock bike would) Faulty or incorrectly installed accessories or wiring; Using the wrong type of charger and over/undercharging Take some to check any of your motorcycles wiring that you can either see or get to easy to see if the wiring is connected properly or corroded. Consult your mechanic, but you may want to consider connecting all of your extras into a distribution box and using the voltmeter monitor them. Do NOT use tap water. Riding range is dependent on speed – that is, higher speeds drain the battery faster. We like adding some stuff to our bikes, some are necessary, but most are not needed. Other problems that can cause problems with grounding are corrosion, rust, ground straps that are connected properly. 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