Will it run without a battery?

[Anonymous]

I am planning on using my car battery (out of the car, and fully charged) to try to start my bike for the first time. If the bike starts, will I be able to disconnect the battery and the bike will keep running or are bikes not like cars in that regard? Hope it will stay running because I will want to ride it :twisted: Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Gavin

[gspaul]

No fraid not.

[its only paint]

it will not keep running because there is a little do hicky for a better name that will shut when you disconect the battery the same do hicky can also be used to jump start them if you bridge the connections, if you listen carefully when you try to start it you will here it click

[gspaul]

That remind's me...........Must get new do hicky! ('')

[Anonymous]

Phooey... so I guess I have to splurge for a $50 battery for the bike. I wont do that until I know it will run. No point in buying a battery for a bike that may not be saveable. Ive been reading a lot of the posts on this forum, and it seems that the carburators on these bikes are tempermental. What are the odds that my carbs are gonna need rebuilding considering the bike hasn't been running for at least 2 years, but more likely 13 years?

Gavin

[gspaul]

Depend's if last owner drained the fuel before he stored it.
But on a positive side , no reason why you can't start it up useing a car battery,first put little bit of penertrating oil down your spark plug holes and leave overnight.
Make shure there is some oil in the top end.Fresh fuel in the tank.
If you use a car battery the car must NOT be running, or you will fry the electrics!

[gspaul]

Just read another post you made a short time ago, just to make thing's clear, a 12v battery is just that no matter if it's from a bike, car,aircraft carrier,your system will only take what it can use.
Try to be positve, I met a guy once who bought a bike that had been sitting around in some ones barn for 8 year's, changed the oil, 2 day's later he set off on a trip across Australia.
OK he was nut's,but it got him there and back.
Nothing certain in life!

[retrex]

Start a long time sitting idle bike

I have had some experience with this as my bike sat for about 10 years without being started, with gas in carbs. Please save the unkind remarks, I really do know better. I just gave up riding until recently.

Anyway, you should definately unscrew your spark plugs, clean and gap them, and spray some type of oil in each cylnder. I used a teflon lube with penetratin properties. Let sit over night. Do an oil and filter change. Drain gas tank and use fresh gas. It will be worth the cost if the engine is a runner.
If possible, reach under the carbs and remove old fuel in float bowls by unscrewing fuel drain plugs. Again if possible, using a can of carb cleaner with a plastic extension to spray out the float bowls to try and get some of the varnish out. This might help clean the mains a bit. If at all possible hand crank your engine at first. This is usually done by removing the ignition cover and putting a racheting socket wrench on the large nut located on the shaft. Not the small one. Engine turns clockwise when looking at it from the ingnintion cover side. Your engine may not want to turn at first. If not put a teaspoon of regular engine oil in each cylinder sway bike from side to side to try and coat cylinder wall/ring interface and let sit another day. Try to hand crank again. If engine cranks by hand keep hand cranking until you notice that it is turning easier.

At this point you can use your car battery to try and start the bike. I have done it with car engine running and not running, in and out of the car. All have worked with no problem, for me. After I get it started I shut off the car. At the battery terminals 12v is 12v. Regulators take care of what is not needed on both sides.

Do not crank more than 10 seconds at a time. Let cool 30 or more seconds, hand crank during cool down periods.

If you get it started you will still have to clean and resync the carbs. The bike will probably run on wider open throttle but not so good on low throttle. New air filter, plugs, and do another oil change with filter.

Good luck

[bexabarr]

...

Hello everyone, this is my first post even though I?ve been reading through this forum for many months now.

I have a 1979 GS500L, which I got last fall. I started it up with a car battery, disconnected it and rode it around my yard on various occasions. The only thing is (since I am a new rider) every time I stalled it I had to push it back to the garage to start it up again. So it worked for me?

I?m actually having trouble starting it now, but I?ll leave that for another post.

[gspaul]

Running without a battery can cause expensive damage to the electrics!

[bexabarr]

anything in specific? because now you've left me worried... I hope I didn't fry anything. I tried to fire it up yesterday, and all the electrics seemed to work... I was getting electricity to all four sparks... so I'm assuming I was lucky and backed away without damage.

but I won't do it again... I promise!

[IanFrancisco]

car motor running or not

At this point you can use your car battery to try and start the bike. I have done it with car engine running and not running, in and out of the car. All have worked with no problem, for me. After I get it started I shut off the car. At the battery terminals 12v is 12v. Regulators take care of what is not needed on both sides.

Consider that the average car battery is rated at around 60 amp/hrs and the bike battery is 10 or 15. Overkill, in other words. True, the bike will only use what it needs but the thought of the 60 to 100 amp car alternator adding to the amps available makes me a little nervous. I would always leave the car turned off when jumping a bike.

[retrex]

Post subject: car motor running or not

IanFrancisco [Consider that the average car battery is rated at around 60 amp/hrs and the bike battery is 10 or 15. Overkill, in other words. True, the bike will only use what it needs but the thought of the 60 to 100 amp car alternator adding to the amps available makes me a little nervous. I would always leave the car turned off when jumping a bike]

Ian makes a good point, what works for one bike may not for another, it depends on specific circumstances. For the short period of time they are connected my bikes' electricals abilities may be far more able to sink the excess energy of a cars output than yours. But I don't push my luck. That's why I always shut off the car imediately upon the bike starting. To play it safe you may want to try to use only the charge in the battery to start. You may find as I did the car battery electromotive force tends to die off after repeated attempts to start the bike.

One final warning, make the final ground connection to the frame far away from the battery. A dead lead acid battery produces lots of explosive gas. A spark near the battery is very bad.

[gsBert]

buy a 20 dollar trickle charger, never get this problem again.

[Anonymous]

will it run without a battery?

Go to Wal-Mart, I just paid $20 bucks for a new battery and after starting it time and time again because of carb issues, my 86' 550L is still firing right up! Jake