Help!!!

batman911 · Posted: February 7, 2009, 4:00 pm Post subject: Help!!!

OK I gots a problem... I finished cleaning the carbs and got them back on the bike. Put the battery in and turned the key on. Dummy lights were real bright for a second the dimmed out. Turned the key off and put my volt meter on the battery. Volts were low but were coming up slowly. Once they got back up to about 12.3 volts I turned the key back on. Volts immediately dropped to 6 something and then leveled out at about 5.4. Pretty sure that means something is wrong... Any Ideas???

BigGeorge · Full Member Joined: Apr 13, 2008 Posts: 267

Sounds like your battery is just shot..... You can take it to almost any Auto parts store and they can load test it for you..... You can also try to trickle charge it for a few days on 1 amp or less..........BG

xsleo · Posted: February 7, 2009, 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: Help!!!

could you have a short to ground somewhere?

Retiredgentleman · Posted: February 8, 2009, 12:25 am Post subject: Re: Help!!!

BG and leo may both be right.

If you have a bike with 4 fuses, you can try a few tests. I would charge the battery overnight first.

Remove the fuses from the Ignition, Signals and Headlight fuse positions. Put your meter across the battery terminals to get a starting voltage. Turn on the ignition, and see what the voltage does. Insert one fuse at a time while watching the voltage. In this way you may be able to see which circuit is drawing a high current.

batman911 · Posted: February 10, 2009, 1:09 am Post subject: Re: Help!!!

I got to do some tracing this afternoon and found that the drain is coming from the blinker system. Now I just have to figure out what part of that system is doing it. I love chasing out wires Sad

Retiredgentleman · Posted: February 10, 2009, 3:13 am Post subject: Re: Help!!!

If the high current drain is happening with the turn switch in the neutral position, then the switch is likely defective internally (grounding out). Old switches get gummy inside and parts just plain wear out.

If the drain happens when you select left or right, then one of the turn lights is shorting out. Remove each bulb, check the bulb filament, then inspect the socket for dirt,corrosion, rust etc.

batman911 · Posted: February 10, 2009, 3:04 pm Post subject: Re: Help!!!

It starts draining as soon as I turn the key on. Last night I noticed my oil pressure light wasn't comming on when I turned the key on. If the bulb is burned out or somthing could that cause it to short out?

Retiredgentleman · Posted: February 10, 2009, 4:07 pm Post subject: Re: Help!!!

Take the turn signal switch apart for cleaning and check for broken parts.

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