Peculiar electrical problem

[lsuzuki]

Hello all, my bike is currently stranded in Michigan City behind a gas station pending my rescue, so I'm hoping you can help me determine the problem before I drive 60 miles to fix and drive it home!

I started a 180 mile day trip on my GS250 with a freshly charged battery, new stator and R/R, fully cleaned and well-connected electrical system. No problems early on, but after stopping for gas at mile 60 the starter was a little anemic on the cranks. I drove another 30 miles, rested for an hour (it was a hot day), and the starter did not have enough juice to crank. I push started the bike and took off home.

25 miles later the engine lost power and I cruised at 40mph for 2 minutes hoping for an interstate exit. Finally it died completely with absolutely no vital signs from the electric system - no oil pressure light, no cranking, no headlight, nothing.

The bike rest 2 hours (I went to the beach), then I was able to push-start it again. Rode 5 miles, then died again just like before. No lights, signals, nothing. (This time I had to get home, no time for the beach.)

While pushing it off the highway, after 10 min I started to see the oil pressure light dimly, and 20 minutes later I had power back to everything (although not enough to push-start the bike again.)

Any ideas? This would seem straight forward except I can't explain the power slowly returning to the systems. Thanks everyone!

[lsuzuki]

I will also add that my fuse is in tact and I can not see any obvious electrical issues

[Big T]

Your charging system is dead somewhere and the battery is not charging up, that's why it died

Batteries can get back some charge over time, that's why you could push start it the second time

Charge your battery, read the Stator Papers and go from there

[lsuzuki]

Thanks for the tip. Although, I have trouble believing that a battery can spontaneously regain that much charge, especially considering that the environment did not change between the two incidents (typically temperature will affect the battery output more than anything else.)

Is there a chance that there is a system draining the battery power while the engine is hot/engaged, but not after it has sat a while?

[Big T]

Anything is possible on why it's draining power

You just need to charge up the battery and break out the multimeter and start testing

[BassCliff]

Hi,

How old is the battery? After a rest, batteries can regain a little of their charge due to chemical reaction. How much it regains depends on the size/age/type of the battery.

If you are sure about the cleanliness of your charging system and have installed a new r/r and stator, then I would suspect the battery has reached the end of its useful life. Some batteries can last 4 or 5 years or longer. Others last less than 2. It depends on how it was initially charged and subsequent maintenance.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[lsuzuki]

As a matter of fact I do not know the battery age, so I suppose I will buy a new one, drive out to Michigan City and hope for the best.

Even with a bad battery, would the engine be able to support itself electrically (assuming a good charging system)? Or is there something special like the transistors that run off battery current?

[Hap Call]

As a matter of fact I do not know the battery age, so I suppose I will buy a new one, drive out to Michigan City and hope for the best.

Even with a bad battery, would the engine be able to support itself electrically (assuming a good charging system)? Or is there something special like the transistors that run off battery current?

If your charging system is up to speed and you have a weak battery, it should be able to run indefinitely if you don't turn it off. Notice I said weak. If the battery has a dead short or a complete open (dry cells, broken post) then it will not keep the bike running.

I would replace the battery and use the Stator Papers as previously advised.

Hap

[DanTheMan]

Ground your r/r to the battery ground post when you put the new battery in.

[Hap Call]

Ground your r/r to the battery ground post when you put the new battery in.

Double thumbs up on this. Also, if there is any way to get more air to the R/R for cooling then do it.

[lsuzuki]

Thanks everyone for the tips. As it turns out, my beautiful brand new Stator is fried. It was shorting the circuit when the motorcycle was hot, but functioned normally when cold. This resulted in the battery being under-charged and the system shorting out at high temp.

I am going to go ahead and say a GS250 was not designed to ride 60mph for 4+ hours straight. Be warned, everyone else.

[posplayr]

Thanks everyone for the tips. As it turns out, my beautiful brand new Stator is fried. It was shorting the circuit when the motorcycle was hot, but functioned normally when cold. This resulted in the battery being under-charged and the system shorting out at high temp.

I am going to go ahead and say a GS250 was not designed to ride 60mph for 4+ hours straight. Be warned, everyone else.

You are right the electrical system can not handle that, however this will solve the problem of over stressing the stator.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=161397