The Battery doesn't seem to hold

[Guest]

I have a 750t that was given to me so I am learning its quirks. I put a new battery in it this spring, but seems to die quickly. I don't know if the carb is dirty and should start faster or if the battery just dies too quick. I put in new plugs and seafoam in the carbs this week. Could I be flooding it, even if I don't touch the throttle?

Maybe I have two issues 1. Dirty carb. 2. A trickle of drain over two days of non-use. What do you think?:-k

When cold it's a bit "sticky" when the throttle is turned. When warm it starts very quick, runs smooth and is a thrill to drive.

 

[Billy Ricks]

I have a 750t that was given to me so I am learning its quirks. I put a new battery in it this spring, but seems to die quickly. I don't know if the carb is dirty and should start faster or if the battery just dies too quick. I put in new plugs and seafoam in the carbs this week. Could I be flooding it, even if I don't touch the throttle?

Maybe I have two issues 1. Dirty carb. 2. A trickle of drain over two days of non-use. What do you think?:-k

When cold it's a bit "sticky" when the throttle is turned. When warm it starts very quick, runs smooth and is a thrill to drive.

It doesn't take much cranking to drain a battery. If it's hard to start then the carbs probably could use a good cleaning. One thing to try when starting is to put the petcock on prime for about 20-30 seconds so the bowls will fill. Give it full choke and don't use any throttle. Make sure you get a full charge on the battery using a 1 or 2 amp charger. With a 1 amp charger it will take about 12 hours to get a full charge on a weak battery, 6 or 7 with a 2 amp charger. Once you get your starting technique down check out the charging system.

 

[Guest]

Check your timing, it's very easy and could help your starting problem. How are your plug wires? Run some carb cleaner like BG44k or techraline with a tankfull or two. Just a few cheap, quick things. Ray

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the notes guys and it will be wise to check the carbs and timing. Are thouse carb cleaners just an autoparts store item? Better than seafoam?

What is killing me :-( is that I once again trickled 2 amps to full charge, hit the starter and it started in a blink. Now if I let it sit for two days odds are the starter will turn but the bike won't start again.

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree, but .... 1. Is there a system that will trickle drain the battery? 2. Does the battery do more than just turn the starter and therefore certian amperage is critical? (Maybe that's why the plug wire question was asked - where do you get them from?)

Thanks in advance.
Eric

 

[Billy Ricks]

There shouldn't be anything consuming power when the ignition is off. If it sits for a few days make sure you use the petcock prime function to get the bowls filled with fuel. If that doesn't help the carbs could use a good cleaning. You can try some Berryman's fuel injector cleaner for a tqank or two to see if it helps. Otherwise they need a real cleaning. The pilot circuits sound like they are clogged.

 

[Guest]

It must be the charging system. Time to hit the books and explore.

Side note: As I sat with parts on the curb, waiting for my wife to bring me a jump start, a guy made several attemps to buy the bike. My bike was given to me free and has bad paint. Either he really likes these bikes or thought I would be upset enough to sell cheap. Regardless, I never blinked.

 

[marvinsc]

It must be the charging system. Time to hit the books and explore.

Side note: As I sat with parts on the curb, waiting for my wife to bring me a jump start, a guy made several attemps to buy the bike. My bike was given to me free and has bad paint. Either he really likes these bikes or thought I would be upset enough to sell cheap. Regardless, I never blinked.

Good Man, Once You get the Electrical Issue Solved, You Will LOVE The Bike!

 

[HiSPL]

I don't know how many times people tried to buy my 750T. It was like a money magnet.


My 1100 on the other hand, it's like I can't give it away!](*,)

 

[chuckycheese]

Timing?

Timing?

I was under the impression that 1980, and above, models have automatic timing that can't be adjusted....isn't that right???:?:

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Thanks for the notes guys and it will be wise to check the carbs and timing. Are thouse carb cleaners just an autoparts store item? Better than seafoam?

What is killing me :-( is that I once again trickled 2 amps to full charge, hit the starter and it started in a blink. Now if I let it sit for two days odds are the starter will turn but the bike won't start again.

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree, but .... 1. Is there a system that will trickle drain the battery? 2. Does the battery do more than just turn the starter and therefore certian amperage is critical? (Maybe that's why the plug wire question was asked - where do you get them from?)

Thanks in advance.
Eric

My uncle is gifting to me a GS550ES and he swears by the Battery Tender for maintaining the battery long term/low hassle. Check it out: http://batterytender.com/default.php?cPath=11_2

Of course, this addresses the sysmpton, not the cause, of your problem.

I've understood that many GS bikes have various electrical issues and I'm currently in the process of researching similar issues that may cause hard starting, particularly AFTER warm up.

 

[jscwerve]

One very simple thing to do is replace the plugs. When I bought my most recent 750 a few weeks ago, it wouldn't start at all at the place I bought it without starting fluid. After it warmed up it ran great, but same thing next time I tried to start it when it was cold. I figured the carbs were screwed and I was going to have to dig into them first thing, but after checking the plugs and they were pretty nasty, I replaced them and VIOLA! no starting problem at all any more, starts within 1 second on the starter every time, no matter what the temp is.

 

[Guest]

I lucked out. Not wanting to deal with it the charging system, I had a mechanic work on it. He found it was a wire that seemed worn and poorly connected. He was a bit vague other than to say it was under the battery.

I also lucked out that I didn't spend a lot of energy and time only to have some stupid faulty wire nowhere near the charging system.

It runs right and BRIGHT now. Bring on the (s)miles.

 

[Steve]

The Battery Tender (in either of its models) is a good idea for mid- to long-term storage. However, there are other chargers that are just about as good for a fraction of the price. Wal-Mart carries the Schumacher brand charger for about $17. Just make sure that whatever charger you get is only 2 amps or less, and make sure it is an AUTOMATIC charger/maintainer. They usually come with a set of leads that you can connect to your battery, then just hang the plug somewhere that is convenient so you don't have to remove body work to plug it in. There is another harness included that has alligator clips so you can do other batteries, too.

As to what might be causing your drain...
1) do you have any idea how new the battery is? An older battery can be hard to top off and will tend to self-discharge faster.
2) a faulty rectifier/regulator might have a bad diode that is bleeding the battery slowly. Check the diodes.
3) hopefully you are not using the PARK position when you turn off the key. I got my 850 from a girl who said the battery would drain from one weekend to the next so she could not go out for a ride. She gave me a brand-new battery along with the bike, and I could not find anything wrong with the electrical system that would cause a discharge. In fact, in letting it sit in my garage for over a month, the voltage on the battery dropped less than 1/10 of a volt. I suspect she was using the PARK postion to lock the forks instead of LOCK.

Keep us informed when you find something.


.

 

[trickyarcher]

The Battery Tender (in either of its models) is a good idea for mid- to long-term storage. However, there are other chargers that are just about as good for a fraction of the price. Wal-Mart carries the Schumacher brand charger for about $17. Just make sure that whatever charger you get is only 2 amps or less, and make sure it is an AUTOMATIC charger/maintainer. They usually come with a set of leads that you can connect to your battery, then just hang the plug somewhere that is convenient so you don't have to remove body work to plug it in. There is another harness included that has alligator clips so you can do other batteries, too.

As to what might be causing your drain...
1) do you have any idea how new the battery is? An older battery can be hard to top off and will tend to self-discharge faster.
2) a faulty rectifier/regulator might have a bad diode that is bleeding the battery slowly. Check the diodes.
3) hopefully you are not using the PARK position when you turn off the key. I got my 850 from a girl who said the battery would drain from one weekend to the next so she could not go out for a ride. She gave me a brand-new battery along with the bike, and I could not find anything wrong with the electrical system that would cause a discharge. In fact, in letting it sit in my garage for over a month, the voltage on the battery dropped less than 1/10 of a volt. I suspect she was using the PARK postion to lock the forks instead of LOCK.

Keep us informed when you find something.


.

Steve,
What is the PARK position vs. the LOCK position of the forks? I am having the same issue. After 3 hard rains in DC my bike would turn over ve-r-r-r-ry slowly like someone trying to hand crank ice cream. Charged the batterry for 5 hours and tried it again. Same thing. I charged it for 8 last night and just set it back in the holder for when I get home from work tonight. My light tester was solid, but the nipple on the hydrometer i bought was too big for the cell openings. BTW, I bought the battery in March and have charged it twice up to this point. Those previous charges were drain from me trying to get the bike started after purchase. I have since put on about 150 short-trip miles. The hard starting has only happened since the 3 days of downpour.

Thanks,
Damien

 

[Billy Ricks]

Steve,
What is the PARK position vs. the LOCK position of the forks? I am having the same issue. After 3 hard rains in DC my bike would turn over ve-r-r-r-ry slowly like someone trying to hand crank ice cream. Charged the batterry for 5 hours and tried it again. Same thing. I charged it for 8 last night and just set it back in the holder for when I get home from work tonight. My light tester was solid, but the nipple on the hydrometer i bought was too big for the cell openings. BTW, I bought the battery in March and have charged it twice up to this point. Those previous charges were drain from me trying to get the bike started after purchase. I have since put on about 150 short-trip miles. The hard starting has only happened since the 3 days of downpour.

Thanks,
Damien

Park position leaves the tail light burning when parked and lock is supposed to lock the fork at extreme right or left.

 

[Steve]

You are, of course, familiar with the ON and OFF positions for the key. You probably also know that if you turn your handlebars all the way to either left or right, and turn the key to the left, past the OFF position, you will LOCK the forks.

Did you know that instead of turning the key to the left, you can turn it to the right, to the PARK position? Yep. It also locks the forks, but turns on the tail light for nighttime visibility if you have to leave it on the side of the road. The bad part is that with the small batteries on our bikes, they don't last long. If you were to happen to notice the PARK position in the bezel around the key, turn the key to that position, then walk away toward the front of the bike when you park it in daylight, you will soon come back to a dead battery.

My two GSs and my Kawasaki Voyager use this lock arrangement. My son's Yamaha Venture Royale has the PARK position on the left, beyond the LOCK. My GoldWing, however, also has it on the left, but PARK is between LOCK and OFF. On the few times that I use the LOCK position on those two bikes, I always check the tail light to make sure it is off.

(Yes, we have a BUNCH of bikes around here, but they are all Japanese, except for the Wing. It's made right here in oHIo. )

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