Appears to be an electrical issue?

[luvtoride]

I just installed a new battery on my bike. Before dropping it in the bike, I'd hooked the battery up to a trickle charger to be sure the battery had a full charge. The charger displayed a green light indicating a full charge. So, I put it in my machine.

The bike presented a fairly slow turn when I fired her up with the new battery. I figured "well, she started. Maybe the battery is indeed a little low & running the bike will cure the issue".

The battery insertion was Sunday. Today (Tuesday) I went into the shed & started the bike to move it outside. I let it warm to full operating temps before shutting it off. Just for giggles, I hit the starter switch to restart the bike to see how it would do.

It turned slowwww... I mean really slowwww. The gauges reswept & all after the starter completely stopped turning. In a non mechanic mind, the gauges re-sweeping sounds possibly like loose terminals.

This continued a couple more times. When the bike sits for a few minutes, it will start right up. I can likely go outside & start it right this minute. It seems the act of starting it, shutting it off & attempting a restart is not working like it should.

Any suggestions? Should I just bring it to the dealer? I am a woman with limited technical skills when it comes to working on the bike.

 

[papaseven]

Do you have a voltmeter?

If so check the voltage at the battery terminals after the battery has sat for 10 minutes. On AGM batteries you should see around 13.0-13.2 volts on a fresh one.

Sometimes older or non motorcycle specific trickle chargers have too low of a delta peak cutoff voltage for AGM batteries

It sounds like a low or bad battery assuming the connections are clean and tight.

 

[TomInPA]

Without using a simple digital volt meter, you are working blind. You need to be able to take voltage readings from the battery at rest and with the bike charging. The trickle charger light is not an adequate indication of your battery charge. If you are willing to invest a few dollars, get a volt meter from Radio Shack, Home Depot, Harbor Freight or the outlet of your choice, and use the simple operating instructions to get some real readings. The multimeter can also help you trace voltage leaks, shorts, resistance from bad connectors and other common problems.

 

[Geezer]

It sounds like a bad starter to me, but that is a lot of work and $$$ to repair so you need to rule out wiring and relays and charging system before you go there.

Do you have a volt-ohm-meter (VOM)? If not you can get one pretty cheap at any tool store. Get a digital one to keep it simple.

 

[luvtoride]

About voltmeter... guess I should mention (sorry) I have a voltmeter on the bike. Idling volts are reading 13.6. I just had it started. I am going to let bike sit for 10 minutes to check the resting voltage.

Also to mention... I just ran it out of the driveway just to turn it around the other direction in the driveway. I turned it off & tried to restart immediately. The bike spun normally & started immediately. WTF!

Edited to add: Greg, I am surely hoping it isn't the starter. I am aware of how much work it is... not mentioning the expense.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Luv,

There seems to be many New Battery Problems as seen here:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=135518

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=135442

Hopefully this is causing your problems...if it is the Starter, lookup Wfooshee's Starter Diagnosis/Install.

Good Luck with your fix.

 

[luvtoride]

Silver, I've seen the 2 threads of which you speak. I thank you greatly.

Resting volts are 12.47

idling volts are 13.6

Is this normal voltage?

 

[papaseven]

Cant really check the voltage at idle but you're probably ok there.

The battery is low for sure. A good AGM will show 13 or a tad over at rest when fully charged.

Charging systen should put out 13.8-14.2 at 3000 rpm with a fully charged battery. Don't sweat it if it's a tenth or two either way.

I would charge it at two amps for a few hours or ride it for 20 miles or so. Bet that will get it topped off.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I would re-check and clean the connections to the battery. Can't hurt.

 

[luvtoride]

I vote for riding it 20 miles or so. Gonna do that pronto. That seems to be the cheapest fix in this case. It always appears to start even if it's an "eventual" start. Gonna try riding it first.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

Silver, I've seen the 2 threads of which you speak. I thank you greatly.

Resting volts are 12.47

idling volts are 13.6

Is this normal voltage?

**************************

Yes, that is within the range. A strong, 100% battery will be closer to 12.8 volts, but 12.47 is well within the range for a charged battery.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

The chart below is for traditional plate batteries, but it's very close to AGM batteries also.

 

[luvtoride]

I'm going to take it for a ride. I will report back in awhile. Really hoping for an ok starter. I just looked at woofoo's thread. Do not want it to be that!

 

[papaseven]

I vote for riding it 20 miles or so. Gonna do that pronto. That seems to be the cheapest fix in this case. It always appears to start even if it's an "eventual" start. Gonna try riding it first.

Just remember to ride fast. I've noticed the world gets kinda rosy at 80. At 100 things become clearer. But at 130 such harmony exists that all must be right with the world.

And at 150 with nickleback ringing in my earbuds I'm pretty sure I catch a glimpse of god every now and then. :goatee:

 

[HaulinAshe]

The chart below is for traditional plate batteries, but it's very close to AGM batteries also.

That's a handy chart. Thanks for posting it.

I've found that the Yuasa brand follows closer to traditional voltages than the Westco. The Westco batteries I've installed tend to have a slightly higher voltage reading.

Heidi, if you continue to have starting problems, don't forget about the starter relay. It tends to fail much more often than starter motors and it's cheaper to replace than a starter motor. I'd go there before attempting a starter motor replacement.

 

[wfooshee]

I was thinking that her voltage was a bit low for idle. With the engine running, I see 13.9 to 14.1 at idle (no accessories beyond a GPS) and 14.2 to 14.3 at speed.

I don't have the same battery, though, so grain of salt and all that.

The non-start, slow crank until it sits a while sure sounds familiar. As does the immediate restart. My bad starter would start immediately, or after 15 minutes or so, but not in between.

 

[SkooterG]

Silver, I've seen the 2 threads of which you speak. I thank you greatly.

Resting volts are 12.47

idling volts are 13.6

Is this normal voltage?

**************************

Yes, that is within the range. A strong, 100% battery will be closer to 12.8 volts, but 12.47 is well within the range for a charged battery.

I am going to disagree here. I have never seen my battery at 12.47 volts fully charged. That is low.

My battery at rest always reads between 12.8 - 13.2 volts. That is just my experience wit several batteries over the years. I am assuming the Voltmeter is connected directly to the battery terminals.

If you have a DVM, see what it reads while cranking. Remove a fuse so the bike won't start so you can see what the cranking voltage drops to. Also, you can use the DVM to test the starter though you'll have to get ionbeam to help you there. When my I suspected my starter was going bad he instructed me on where to put the DVM leads to test the starter while it was cranking. And while replacing the starter is a PITA, it isn't too bad. Check salvage yards and ebay. Two years ago I was able to get a salvage starter shipped for $90. Which is significantly cheaper than new.

Based on what is happening, I suspect you battery is not good, or your starter is going. Loose connections could be the culprit too. How many miles on your FJR?

 

[ionbeam]

Silver, I've seen the 2 threads of which you speak. I thank you greatly.

Resting volts are 12.47

idling volts are 13.6

Is this normal voltage?

**************************

Yes, that is within the range. A strong, 100% battery will be closer to 12.8 volts, but 12.47 is well within the range for a charged battery.

I am going to disagree here. I have never seen my battery at 12.47 volts fully charged. That is low...

If luvtoride has a volt meter like a Datel which is relay switched and connected directly to the battery, she has to have the ignition switch ON to read the voltage. Meeting all these criteria, 12.47 volts isn't bad. If this reading is with the ignition key off and the meter connected directly to the battery, 12.47 volts is not good.

A new AGM battery that meets the specifications in the owners manual should read 12.8 volts or higher. Ideally, a new battery would be trickle charged at 1.2 amps maximum and allowed to charge for 24 hours completely disconnected from everything but the charger. While charging, the battery voltage should be a minimum of 13.2 volts, it could take an hour or so to reach this voltage if the new battery was partly discharged. After 24 hours disconnect the battery from the charger and let the battery sit with no connections for 30 minutes or more. The battery should read 12.8 volts or higher. Failure to meet this test indicates a bad battery.

With the engine running, roughly 5 minutes after starting, measuring directly across the battery posts, you should read 14.0 to 14.5 volts at idle with everything off and only low beams on. If this voltage is low you should go to the R/R and back-probe the Red and Black wires directly on the connector. This has to be over 14.0 volts at idle. If the R/R voltage is low the stator output should be checked and/or the motorcycle should be checked for excessive current draw. If the voltage is indeed >14.0 volts at the R/R but the voltage is low at the battery, the wire terminals on the starter relay should be cleaned and reconnected. Retest the battery voltage at idle, measuring between the two battery posts directly.

The battery tests in the motorcycle should be done by probing the battery POSTS and not the cable terminals. This way you are seeing true battery voltage which eliminates measurement errors due to poor battery connections.

 

[Geezer]

Going out for a ride is always a good idea, but you are very optimistic thinking that will solve the problem.

Regarding the voltage readings you posted, are the numbers the same as before you noticed a problem or have they changed?