fan and battery my fault?

[CALSI]

I have read the theads regarding the battery and the fan and need to know if I caused the battery to go dead.

07 with 400 miles. Went to see Delta and Dawn (whales) and was in line waiting for the ferry to cross river.

Fan came on and instead of allowing the engine to run I turned it off while I was waiting in line. Went to start her up and dead.

Was this my mistake? Should I have kept the engine running since it was hot?

Tow truck driver jumped the battery and said it might not have been fully charged to begin with and stated that the dealer should supply me with a new battery and pay for service.

How should I have handled this? My mistake or dealer?

Karen

 

[Silent]

I have read the theads regarding the battery and the fan and need to know if I caused the battery to go dead.
07 with 400 miles. Went to see Delta and Dawn (whales) and was in line waiting for the ferry to cross river.

Fan came on and instead of allowing the engine to run I turned it off while I was waiting in line. Went to start her up and dead.

Was this my mistake? Should I have kept the engine running since it was hot?

Tow truck driver jumped the battery and said it might not have been fully charged to begin with and stated that the dealer should supply me with a new battery and pay for service.

How should I have handled this? My mistake or dealer?

Karen

Turning the bike off when hot with the fan running shouldn't kill the battery on an '07. With only 400 on the clock, I'd suggest taking it back to the dealer and having them check it out. It could be either a faulty charging system, or a bad battery. B)

 

[S76]

Whether the battery was fully charged or not from the dealer doesn't matter. The fact that you rode it for 400 miles should have charged the battery up no matter what.

I agree, it is either a bad battery, a bad charging system, or a loose connection. Take it back to be looked at.

You could not have done anything to cause this and it's probably nothing the dealer could have foreseen, unless he left the battery cables loose.

 

[CALSI]

Whether the battery was fully charged or not from the dealer doesn't matter. The fact that you rode it for 400 miles should have charged the battery up no matter what.
I agree, it is either a bad battery, a bad charging system, or a loose connection. Take it back to be looked at.

You could not have done anything to cause this and it's probably nothing the dealer could have foreseen, unless he left the battery cables loose.

Thanks for the input. I have never experienced that on the road before. Will now look into tow service.

 

[wallypiper]

I don't know about your battery and charging system but shutting the bike off while the fan is running seems backwards to me. The fan comes on when the coolant temp hits a peak and shuts back off when it cools back down a bit. If the fan is running on a bike (or in a car for that matter) when I stop, I wait for it to turn off before shutting the engine off. Its probably not a big deal, engine temp wise as the deadband is pretty small, but when the fan is on you don't really know how high the temp is, just that its over the set point for the fan. When it turns off, you know the temp is under the set point for the fan and that's as cool as its going to get sitting still.

 

[Geezer]

I don't worry about whether the fan is on or not when I shut mine down. One thing to be careful about is leaving the key in the on position while the engine is not running. Not only will the fan draw your battery down very quickly, but even with the fan off on a cool engine the running lights are on and will kill your battery in a short time. Been there.....

 

[FJRottie]

I don't worry about whether the fan is on or not when I shut mine down. One thing to be careful about is leaving the key in the on position while the engine is not running.

Ditto. The fan is merely for cooling. Shutting the bike off is cooling as well, just not as fast.

Something is wrong with your battery, a bad connection, or you turned the bike off but had the ignition switch to "On" and drained it.

Be careful when boosting a motorcycle battery.

Make sure that the battery you boost from has a simliar voltage. If boosting from a car/truck, do not have it running. The starting current is not harmful, but the current used to recharge your battery can ruin it. I ruined one bike battery a few years ago because I was impatient and boosted it. A battery tender is the best idea.

Head right back to the dealer and get a new free battery. IMHO

 

[Constant Mesh]

The dealer assembler should charge the battery before the FJR's battery leads are connected. The battery won't be at full charge when the shipping crate is opened.

At the factory after the battery electrolyte is added the new battery is approximately 80% charged. I don't know if the factory charges the battery to 100%. But the dealer should connect a charger after uncrating and bring the battery to 100% charge.

 

[quietguy]

The dealer assembler should charge the battery before the FJR's battery leads are connected. The battery won't be at full charge when the shipping crate is opened.At the factory after the battery electrolyte is added the new battery is approximately 80% charged. I don't know if the factory charges the battery to 100%. But the dealer should connect a charger after uncrating and bring the battery to 100% charge.

No electrolyte in the batteries of new 07s, they use an AGP (dry/sealed battery). But you're correct, assembler needs to charge battery before delivery. Also correct, battery won't be fully charged at delivery - ride it for 30 minutes, will get it about 80% there.

Fan came on and instead of allowing the engine to run I turned it off while I was waiting in line. Went to start her up and dead.Was this my mistake? Should I have kept the engine running since it was hot?

What was the end result to your situation here, can you update us please?

 

[ponyfool]

Wait a second. The fan doesn't run when the key is off, does it?? On my '06, when I pull into my garage, kill the engine with the little red button, dismount, and start to take my gear off, the fan inevitably turns on because I haven't turned the key off yet. When I do turn the key off, the fan shuts down immediately, regardless of how hot the engine is.

Did you turn the bike off with the little red kill button so the engine wouldn't run, but leave the key in the "on" position allowing the fan to keep running? Cuz if that's what you did, not only did you have the fan running, you also had your headlights on. Both of those running will kill even a well charged battery pretty quickly. How long were you in line???

 

[CALSI]

Wait a second. The fan doesn't run when the key is off, does it?? On my '06, when I pull into my garage, kill the engine with the little red button, dismount, and start to take my gear off, the fan inevitably turns on because I haven't turned the key off yet. When I do turn the key off, the fan shuts down immediately, regardless of how hot the engine is.
Did you turn the bike off with the little red kill button so the engine wouldn't run, but leave the key in the "on" position allowing the fan to keep running? Cuz if that's what you did, not only did you have the fan running, you also had your headlights on. Both of those running will kill even a well charged battery pretty quickly. How long were you in line???

You win! I now have 1600 miles on the bike. My mistake. I was hitting the "red" button without turning the bike off completely. Now I make sure the key is turned to the correct "off position" as well as I have learned the technique of placing bike on center stand (took a couple times, but never dropped the bike). I have to say, it is only from all the information I have found from you kind folks that has enabled me to continue to enjoy this new ride. I do have the surging problem, but working on that and keeping a positive approach. Now to learn to ride the bike the way it wants to be ridden may take sometime (and guts)

Karen

 

[madmike2]

So we are to assume you are home from Yosemite?!?! Everything ran fine on your trip?

 

[CALSI]

So we are to assume you are home from Yosemite?!?! Everything ran fine on your trip?

Hey Mike. Well the start wasn't so great. Bike starting surging really bad at Sly Park on 88 to Yosemite. Downshifted to 2nd to take a corner and bike loss power. Pulled over shut down bike and restarted. No other problems for the entire trip. Boy, seeing Yosemite from that bike was almost a spiritual experience. Can't wait for the next trip. Speaking of which....when are we going? Have to take the bike in for the surging problem, hopefully within the next two weeks. Zac has been real good and I'm trying to be a positive, understanding customer. I just don't want the bike to die on me when going up hill. Too much weight for me to hold up.

Karen

 

[madmike2]

Karen, expect a PM over the weekend.

 

[ELP_JC]

Okay, so it was Karen's mistake (kill switch should never be used to turn motor off), but still want to add a comment about our batteries. Battery is already installed on '07s from the factory, and only cables need to be connected, as said earlier. Assembly manual says NO charging necessary (but also says open-circuit voltage of 12.8V or higher; go figure). My dealer didn't charge it, even per my request. However, when I charged mine as soon as I got home, it was less than 80%, so I suggest you folks charge yours ASAP if your dealer refuses to charge it (the preferred option). My bike was 6 months in the crate; seems stupid not to charge the battery IMO, even if manual doesn't require it. A battery will last the longest when charged 100% before it's first start, but just one cranking episode shouldn't affect it that much.

Oh, and fan shuts off with key in 'OFF' (and not overheated), and headlights don't come on until engine is started. Later gang.

JC