battery charging

[gearhead13]

I disconected the DB gauge. I am seeing higher voltages at the battery now at idle and low rpm. Starts ok cold, very hard to start when hot. Thinking of wiring in a switch to turn off the headlight when cranking. Maybe also doubling up (or higher gauge wire) on the ground and starter wires

[duaneage]

Bikes make lousy battery chargers. I use a real battery charger on 2ma slow setting to do it right.

The bike charges the battery at too high a rate and it's hard on the stator to boot. Nobody wins.

[tkent02]

Just use the car battery to start the bike.

[4jsdh]

could someone call me I'm not much of a computer guy easier to talk on phone got a voltage loss question and battery one too call 732-740-5124 text 1st saying you'll be calling so I know thanks RIDE SAFE

[lonerider00]

The battery was new last year. It has almost 12v with the bike off. Just not enough juice to turn over my new (tight) 1327 with 11-1 CR.

From experience, you get about two really low discharges on these cheapo batteries before they're dead and gone. If it's only a year old, a charge might just bring it back. Don't hook it up to a car, put it on a charger at 2 amps for about 8 hours. Also get yourself a float charger. If your riding every day, there shouldn't be a need for it, but if mine sits for more than a week (which, albeit is rare), I put it on.

Just my $.02

[tom203]

could someone call me I'm not much of a computer guy easier to talk on phone got a voltage loss question and battery one too call 732-740-5124 text 1st saying you'll be calling so I know thanks RIDE SAFE

Have a go at typing here (it's easier than texting) - lots of members will see it and offer advice; someone might have had a similar problem and can point you in right direction.

[mechiah]

i'm doing other reading, and will probably start another thread, on starting in general, but, what exactly are the can-go-wrongs from jump starting from a running car on these older bikes? i caught the poster above mentioning ruining the battery itself (possibly with explosion, okay, that's bad). but what other devices are there to ruin that the fuses won't protect?

i ask as a dude who has jumped all three of my bikes at one time or another from my wife's car. i'm not saying that's evidence there is no problem, i'm just wondering if there is truly a potential problem, and how lucky i got off by not facing it.

[tom203]

Car alternators today can push out more than 100 amps at 14.5 volts- if you have a weak bike battery, it could be overwhelmed by the surge of juice.Some could "spill" over into harness into delicate stuff like R/R and ignitors. Better to be safe and leave vehicle "off" - the car battery by itself is more than enough to boost a weak bike battery.

[tkent02]

i'm doing other reading, and will probably start another thread, on starting in general, but, what exactly are the can-go-wrongs from jump starting from a running car on these older bikes? i caught the poster above mentioning ruining the battery itself (possibly with explosion, okay, that's bad). but what other devices are there to ruin that the fuses won't protect?

That's not it. The bike's regulator works by running excess current back through the stator. The car's alternator is huge in comparison, 100 Amps or so maybe? If the bike's regulator sees this 100 amps from the car's alternator, it tries to regulate it by running it back through the bike's stator, which simply cannot handle all of this power. It will fry everything in there.

If the car is not running, it is safe to jump the bike, as far as the bike is concerned it's just another 12 Volt battery.