can i safely assume it's my battery?

[boathead]

on another thread, i related how my bike wouldn't start. would not fire. ultimately, the battery was going dead from my repeated attempts to start it.

got a battery tender, charged it, and it fired right up. i rode it awhile, parked it, charged it up, and went to bed. this morning, again, it wouldn't start. so, while simply sitting in the driveway, the battery partially discharged to the point where i could not start it.

can i safely attribute this to the battery, and not the recharging system?

(it's an 82 gs650G. previous owner told me he had the stator replaced last year.)

[Dave8338]

Check the level of the electrolyte and yes...it sounds like a battery issue. However, the bigger picture may be what you need to be looking at. Stator--R/R--clean connections.

[boathead]

meaning that the recharging system could have resulted in a battery that won't keep a charge?

[seuadr]

it could hav something to do with it, as you may be charging the battery, and if the stator is putting out sub par volatage, or the r/r isn't properly converting it, you are running on battery power and it's draining it. if you've drained it dead and recharged it multiple times, that could also be the issue.

[IluvmyGS]

Replace the battery first. You clearly state that it is partially discharge overnight and couldn't start the bike.

Also, don't ever use the regular charger on motocycle battery, its battery need a low amp charger.

[tkent02]

You could have electrical current drain down the battery through a problem in the wiring while it is shut off, disconnect one cable from the fully charged battery while you let it sit overnight and see if it still goes dead. If it does not, it is not the battery that is bad. If it goes dead while disconnected the battery has an internal problem.

[rusty boltz]

My stator shorted and was draining my battery overnight . I'm sure your battery is probably sulfated and needs replacement, but I would check the charging system voltage once you replace it just to be sure. My rectifier was getting really hot all the time even when the bike was off as well due to this short.

[psyguy]

defionitely test the charging system as per the stator papers, but only once you have a battery that you know HOLDS charge well

[boathead]

i am going to get a new battery today, and would then like to check, with a multimeter, the r/r, and stator.

mind you, i never heard of these devices until 1 week ago.

where exactly do i find the r/r?

the stator is on the left side of the crankshaft, right?

[Redman]

Boathead,

Some comments about checking your charging system.
- R/R is often under the battery box.
- stator is inside the lower left engine case, yes, in the engine oil.
- you dont need to find these items as much as you need to find the wiring leads to/from them (under/near the left side cover).
- and you dont need to find these wiring leads untill you want/need to check the individual stator and the R/R.
- for a bassic test of the entire charging system, just need to check voltage at the battery. Chjeck battery voltage before you start engine, check at low rpm, check at mid rpm, check at high rpm. BassCliff has a picture tutorial of that on his web site.

Okay, now,
Where in general are you located?

I had a 82 650G that I got new in 82 and had for 20+ years (picture on my webpage link). Never had a probelm that requred much work, so never learnt much. Sold the 650 to someone that later moved south. But then also learned a few things with the 850G I had for 15 years, and now a few more things with this 1100GK.

[boathead]

never mind for now. i think i located the r/r. and mentioning the stator in the crankcase...well, i am not there yet. it seems i can check the output from the wires that lead to the r/r. right?

[boathead]

Replace the battery first. You clearly state that it is partially discharge overnight and couldn't start the bike.

Also, don't ever use the regular charger on motocycle battery, its battery need a low amp charger.

i bought a 1.5 amp recharger. that is correct?

[seuadr]

yep 1.5 is fine.

[Dave8338]

Battery should show 12V+ static; 13.5+- at idle; and 14.5 max at 4000RPM's. Anything over 14.5 and you may need to drop Duaneage a line.

[boathead]

thanks for the voltage specs. i got the battery, and straight out of the box it was 12.5 v. and i'm thinking wtf? that was static. didn't think of testing it with the bike idling.