Perplexing electrical problem

Poida-12 · Dec 2, 2013

Queensland Ken said:
Don't know why, but they seem to loose their cranking ability when warm.Like one of the battery cells failing.

That's because the resistance increases with temperature thus less current flow

Greb · Dec 3, 2013

Okay thanks, I figured it was along those lines of basic terminology. My first start of the day seems slower, and once the bike is warm it starts just fine

Donal · Dec 3, 2013

Greb said:
Okay thanks, I figured it was along those lines of basic terminology. My first start of the day seems slower, and once the bike is warm it starts just fine

That sounds interesting - reminds me of a mini years ago with similar symptoms; very difficult to start in the morning, often required a 'bump' start. Eventually found that 'someone' had left off the grounding strap from chassis to engine. The engine (& starter motor) were grounding through the transmission and gearbox which didn't conduct very well until it had been turned over a few times!

No idea where the parallel with your problem lies but interesting............................

RaYzerman19 · Dec 3, 2013

Your battery is aging, and I'd recommend giving it a load test. Take it (fully charged) to a shop and have this done. Most will test for free. At least you'll know if it's the battery or not.

HotRodZilla · Dec 3, 2013

Greb said:
Okay thanks, I figured it was along those lines of basic terminology. My first start of the day seems slower, and once the bike is warm it starts just fine

That's exactly what the battery in my '07 was doing when I replaced it earlier this year. As the starts got noticibly slower, the bike started doing funny things. I brought it home from a trip and replaced the battery. I was surprised at how fast the starter spun. As soon as the battery was replaced, all weirdness went away. I didn't freak out, because I knew my almost 6 year old battery was toast.

Chuck35 · Dec 3, 2013

My 08 had the original battery when I bought it. It seemed a bit weak when it was cold out last winter but the gauges had never reset.

I had saved a search on ebay for our oem Yuasa battery and bought one when it popped up @100 delivered.

They store on the shelf for years

It proved to be a great thing to have on hand.

I was gassing up after work (headed home for a short pit stop then out of town) when my battery took a dump.

I limped home with abs and engine lights on, filled and installed the new battery and hit the road.

Voltage had climbed to normal levels by the time I was north of Atlanta.