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Tested my battery. Check my numbers please!?

  • Thread starter Thread starter UncleMike
  • Start date Start date
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UncleMike

Guest
Went for a 25 mile ride today, and the bike stalled when coming to a stop off of high revs a couple of times. Toward the end of my trip, it stalled and wouldn't start again. I could feel the battery draining, so instead of cranking and cranking and cranking, I popped the clutch in second and she started right up. (Would never have known to try that had it not been for the GSR!)

So I decided to test my battery. I didn't charge it first, so keep that in mind.

With my multimeter set to 20v, I got:

Off:12.68v
​
Lights on: 12.03v
Idle: 13.40 - 13.50v
2500 rpms: 13.40 - 13.45v
5000rpms: It was steadily climbing, starting at 13.40v and it made it up to 13.65v then settled immediately down to 13.30v.

I decided to try it again then, so then I got readings of -

2500rpms: 13.75 - 13.90v, finally settling at 14.00v
5000rpms: 13.45v

So,...how's she look? I'm still planning on going through and cleaning all the connections, but I've got some questions for that, which I'll bring up in another thread.
 
Last edited:
When you say 13.XX - 90V, do you mean the V intermittently spikes up to 90V??!!
 
crc1214 said:
When you say 13.XX - 90V, do you mean the V intermittently spikes up to 90V??!!
Click to expand...
No. 13.75-13.90v

Wavering .15v

Fixed it in the original post.
 
You'll get weird numbers if your battery isn't fully charged and in good condition.

Charge her up using a trickle charger, and let the V level off. The battery should hold 12.6V or higher.

Then test. If the numbers are still wierd, have the battery load tested.
Believe it or not I had a Honda once that showed undercharging. The battery would hold 12.6V. All the charging system components bench tested out OK, so I had the battery load tested. It was bad. Got a new battery and everything was solved.
 
So this is pretty pointless, given that I didn't give the battery a full charge first?
 
I hate to say it - but you hit the nail on the head. Definitely charge up that battery and make sure it's in good shape before you diagnose any further.
 
Damn. I was hoping those secondary numbers would be okay to go by, since the bike had been running a bit by then.
 
As CRC said, voltage numbers don'ttell the whole story. I had an '88 Honda Hurricane 1000 that had a strange battery problem. The battery would read good voltage and spin the engine reasonably well but it was very difficult to start. It would start immediately with a push start. I also noticed it would sometimes start when I released the starter button. I did some research and found this is not uncommon. The battery was weak under load which reduced the voltage to the ignition enough when the starter was engaged that it didn't fire. When the starter switch was released the motor was still spinning a bit and the ignition got some voltage back and the bike would fire up. A new battery resolved the problem.

Thanks,
Joe
 
Ditto. My last battery had good numbers when charged, but it lost power very rapidly.
 
Yeah, but going by the Stator papers, this one has good numbers when it's not been charged.

Looking at the secondary readings for 2500 and 5000 rpms, which I got after the bike had been idling and revving for a bit, the voltage is right where the Stator papers say it should be for a good charging system.

I did, however, charge it about two or three weeks ago.
 
My bike doesn't charge when at idle , it maintains voltage and that's about it, usually about 12.0v , and starts charging at 1500 and increases the charge with rpm, and my stator will kill you at 5K 92-97 volts and the r/r is a honda shindegin (sp) . But my battery is loosing it and needs replaced soon, if it sits a week it may or may not start it and after a full night of 1amp charge it falls to 12.57 volts.
 
12.68 when off seems pretty well charged to me. I just bought a new battery and the instructions say only to charge if voltage is below 12.8. Maybe charge it briefly to get back to 12.8-13 when off. Then see if it drains over time.
 
rckrzy1 said:
My bike doesn't charge when at idle , it maintains voltage and that's about it, usually about 12.0v , and starts charging at 1500 and increases the charge with rpm, and my stator will kill you at 5K 92-97 volts and the r/r is a honda shindegin (sp) . But my battery is loosing it and needs replaced soon, if it sits a week it may or may not start it and after a full night of 1amp charge it falls to 12.57 volts.
Click to expand...

HOLY CRAP!! You are getting 92-97V at the battery at 5K?? If so, I strongly urge you to park that sucker and diagnose ASAP. You may have ran with that bad battery too long, and fried the R/R. Just get a new battery, that may even solve it completely!

If you keep throwing 92-97 V at that battery, you may soon have a TEXAS BATTERY MASSACRE!!!
 
relax Chad!!! LOL he said he was getting 92-97 volts FROM the stator.
 
focus frenzy said:
relax Chad!!! LOL he said he was getting 92-97 volts FROM the stator.
Click to expand...

Exactly, so be careful when checking those stator output lines, it's enough to shock you good or bad depending .
 
fuel?

fuel?

those numbers sound right on the money for a functioning battery and charge system.

Maybe you have a fuel flow problem if it's stalling after high revs. Large throttle openings = low vaccuum = fuel tap may not be opening properly, or sticking in the closed position. Try testing with the tap on "prime" i.e. bypassing the vaccuum operation, and also make sure your fuel tank and carb air vent lines are not blocked.
 
rckrzy1 said:
Exactly, so be careful when checking those stator output lines, it's enough to shock you good or bad depending .
Click to expand...

LOL! I was was worried man! I thought you were getting 90V at the battery! I kept thinking of two scenarios - either the battery was so boiled dry at this point that the plastic casing would just melt away....... or..... if you had a sealed battery you may have soon been the first GSR member to ever have a battery uquipped ejection seat! BOOM!!

Not to get off track.. but you bring up something I've always wondered.... is a volt a volt a volt, or does AC have to be converted to DC in order to shock you?
 
rkubik said:
those numbers sound right on the money for a functioning battery and charge system.

Maybe you have a fuel flow problem if it's stalling after high revs. Large throttle openings = low vaccuum = fuel tap may not be opening properly, or sticking in the closed position. Try testing with the tap on "prime" i.e. bypassing the vaccuum operation, and also make sure your fuel tank and carb air vent lines are not blocked.
Click to expand...

By "tap" are you referring to the petcock?

I'm pretty sure my carbs were a little dirty, but with some Berryman's B-12 in the tank, she's running smooter everyday.
 
crc1214 said:
LOL! I was was worried man! I thought you were getting 90V at the battery! I kept thinking of two scenarios - either the battery was so boiled dry at this point that the plastic casing would just melt away....... or..... if you had a sealed battery you may have soon been the first GSR member to ever have a battery uquipped ejection seat! BOOM!!

Not to get off track.. but you bring up something I've always wondered.... is a volt a volt a volt, or does AC have to be converted to DC in order to shock you?
Click to expand...


Both shock but AC is worse on you and your heart. DC normally is kept
to lower voltage so most think DC won't shock But I can feel 48V and have been shocked with 96VDC accross my arm, not good. FYI the higher the frequency the worse , as in RF burns badly.
 
Well, Because the question is asked, AC and DC will both give you a poke. Think about putting a key in a power outlet...not good. Voltage is Voltage, but thats not what you need to worry about with electricity. Static Electricity from shuffling your feet is about 150,000 volts. I forget what it takes to make an arc jump a 1/4 inch...think its 100,000 volts. What hurts is the current...which is the measurement of "flow" of electricity.
 
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