intermittent battery failure

Hi,

I'm new to the VFR experience. I just purchased a used 1998 red
VFR800, my first VFR, 3 days ago with 22k miles. I rode the bike home
and it ran great, no problems. After about 45 minutes of driving,
mostly city speeds, and a brief ride at highway speeds i finally made
it home and parked the bike in front of my flat and shut her down. I
ran inside to grab my garage door opener and when I came back and
started the bike, it wouldn't start. The starter didn't even make a
noise, and the lights sort of flickered and were dim. Of course I
checked the side stand and kill switch and all were in the right
position to operate the bike. My frustration quickly mounted but I
just assumed the battery was bad and no longer able to hold charge.

After pushing the bike into the garage i removed the battery and found
it was some off brand, called Extreme Powersports, made in china. I
called the former owner and he said it was supposed to be a great
battery, that was recommended to him by a battery engineer. He bought
it the previous season, kept it on a battery tender all winter. He
installed it in the bike, a month or so before i just purchased it and
started the bike maybe 5 times over that month. If it was low, I
think the ride home would have charged it. Well after i took it out
of the bike, I charged the battery with the battery tender. Because i
wanted to ride the bike some more, i popped it in after it was
charged. It started great and I rode around the block a couple of
times. I even started it a few times to see if the battery would die
on me quickly. It was fine. I took it out, charged it on the battery
tender again, and took it to be tested at a local motorcycle dealer.
They said it was fine, which worried me a little because i was hoping
it was just a battery. I put it back in the bike, and haven't had any
problems since. I haven't taken it too far from where I live, or out
out on the highway, But I have probably run it for at least an 2
hours and started it maybe 15 times.

Has this happened to anybody before? Does it sound like a voltage
rectifier, alternator, or starter issue? Any suggestions? Could it
have been a one time fluke?

Thanks,

Lee

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Get thee a voltmeter, and all shall be revealed... My WAG is that your
OEM reg/rec has failed in "no charge" mode (which is the better one to
have, considering the alternative ruins a lot more stuff). Charge
your battery and then check the voltage across the terminals at idle
and again at 5,000rpm. Do this once the bike is good and warm,
though, as reg/recs sometimes work fine when cold, even when they're
otherwise toast.

Welcome to the wonderful world of VFR ownership, btw. This is your initiation!

Ciao,

JZH
London, UK
www.vsource.org

On 5/23/08, Lee Rothenberg wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to the VFR experience. I just purchased a used 1998 red
> VFR800, my first VFR, 3 days ago with 22k miles. I rode the bike home
> and it ran great, no problems. After about 45 minutes of driving,
> mostly city speeds, and a brief ride at highway speeds i finally made
> it home and parked the bike in front of my flat and shut her down. I
> ran inside to grab my garage door opener and when I came back and
> started the bike, it wouldn't start. The starter didn't even make a
> noise, and the lights sort of flickered and were dim. Of course I
> checked the side stand and kill switch and all were in the right
> position to operate the bike. My frustration quickly mounted but I
> just assumed the battery was bad and no longer able to hold charge.
>
> After pushing the bike into the garage i removed the battery and found
> it was some off brand, called Extreme Powersports, made in china. I
> called the former owner and he said it was supposed to be a great
> battery, that was recommended to him by a battery engineer. He bought
> it the previous season, kept it on a battery tender all winter. He
> installed it in the bike, a month or so before i just purchased it and
> started the bike maybe 5 times over that month. If it was low, I
> think the ride home would have charged it. Well after i took it out
> of the bike, I charged the battery with the battery tender. Because i
> wanted to ride the bike some more, i popped it in after it was
> charged. It started great and I rode around the block a couple of
> times. I even started it a few times to see if the battery would die
> on me quickly. It was fine. I took it out, charged it on the battery
> tender again, and took it to be tested at a local motorcycle dealer.
> They said it was fine, which worried me a little because i was hoping
> it was just a battery. I put it back in the bike, and haven't had any
> problems since. I haven't taken it too far from where I live, or out
> out on the highway, But I have probably run it for at least an 2
> hours and started it maybe 15 times.
>
> Has this happened to anybody before? Does it sound like a voltage
> rectifier, alternator, or starter issue? Any suggestions? Could it
> have been a one time fluke?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Lee
>
> _______________________________________________
> vfr mailing list
> vfr@xxxxxx
> For subscription and delivery options:
> https://lists.cs.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/vfr
>
_______________________________________________
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Lee;

That sounds like a R/R on it's last leg; but given the limited data, I can't say for sure. Those dang R/R's are notorious though, and they don't always fail outright. Don't let that get you down though. That may not be the problem; and if it is, the problem is fixable. Other than that, VFR's are damn good bikes. In any case, you may want to check some key electrical connections for corrosion as this may have a detrimental effect on the charging system. So, you want to Inspect and Test before even considering replacement. You'll need a multimeter for testing. Also, getting a voltmeter to permanently mount on the bike would be good.

Here's a link to a R/R troubleshooting guide/flow chart.


FYI: You can search the VFR Archives more efficiently using Google. Just enter your search criteria followed by "site:cs.wisc.edu".

Examples (i.e. try these, they will help):
check electrical connection corrosion site:cs.wisc.edu
OR
rectifier regulator test replace site:cs.wisc.edu
OR
Datel voltmeter site:cs.wisc.edu
Etc...

Good luck,

Ken in ATL

PS: Let us know how things go...
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>From the sounds of it, the battery had just been rinstalled by PO. It
hasn't failed since. Could have been a loose connection.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Sheffield"
To: "Lee Rothenberg"
Cc:
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 2:59 PM
Subject: RE: intermittent battery failure


> Lee;
>
> That sounds like a R/R on it's last leg; but given the limited data, I
> can't say for sure. Those dang R/R's are notorious though, and they don't
> always fail outright. Don't let that get you down though. That may not
> be the problem; and if it is, the problem is fixable. Other than that,
> VFR's are damn good bikes. In any case, you may want to check some key
> electrical connections for corrosion as this may have a detrimental effect
> on the charging system. So, you want to Inspect and Test before even
> considering replacement. You'll need a multimeter for testing. Also,
> getting a voltmeter to permanently mount on the bike would be good.
>
> Here's a link to a R/R troubleshooting guide/flow chart.
>
>
> FYI: You can search the VFR Archives more efficiently using Google. Just
> enter your search criteria followed by "site:cs.wisc.edu".
>
> Examples (i.e. try these, they will help):
> check electrical connection corrosion site:cs.wisc.edu
> OR
> rectifier regulator test replace site:cs.wisc.edu
> OR
> Datel voltmeter site:cs.wisc.edu
> Etc...
>
> Good luck,
>
> Ken in ATL
>
> PS: Let us know how things go...
> _______________________________________________
> vfr mailing list
> vfr@xxxxxx
> For subscription and delivery options:
> https://lists.cs.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/vfr


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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7:20 AM

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More likely, the PO was at wit's end about this problem and decided to
sell the bike to rid himself of it. The new battery was either his
last attempt to fix it, or a way of masking the problem in order to
facilitate the sale... Cynical, moi?!?

Ciao,

JZH
London, UK
www.vsource.org

On 5/23/08, Randy wrote:
> >From the sounds of it, the battery had just been rinstalled by PO. It
> hasn't failed since. Could have been a loose connection.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ken Sheffield"
> To: "Lee Rothenberg"
> Cc:
> Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 2:59 PM
> Subject: RE: intermittent battery failure
>
>
> > Lee;
> >
> > That sounds like a R/R on it's last leg; but given the limited data, I
> > can't say for sure. Those dang R/R's are notorious though, and they don't
> > always fail outright. Don't let that get you down though. That may not
> > be the problem; and if it is, the problem is fixable. Other than that,
> > VFR's are damn good bikes. In any case, you may want to check some key
> > electrical connections for corrosion as this may have a detrimental effect
> > on the charging system. So, you want to Inspect and Test before even
> > considering replacement. You'll need a multimeter for testing. Also,
> > getting a voltmeter to permanently mount on the bike would be good.
> >
> > Here's a link to a R/R troubleshooting guide/flow chart.
> >
> >
> > FYI: You can search the VFR Archives more efficiently using Google. Just
> > enter your search criteria followed by "site:cs.wisc.edu".
> >
> > Examples (i.e. try these, they will help):
> > check electrical connection corrosion site:cs.wisc.edu
> > OR
> > rectifier regulator test replace site:cs.wisc.edu
> > OR
> > Datel voltmeter site:cs.wisc.edu
> > Etc...
> >
> > Good luck,
> >
> > Ken in ATL
> >
> > PS: Let us know how things go...
> > _______________________________________________
> > vfr mailing list
> > vfr@xxxxxx
> > For subscription and delivery options:
> > https://lists.cs.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/vfr
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1462 - Release Date: 5/23/2008
> 7:20 AM
>
> _______________________________________________
> vfr mailing list
> vfr@xxxxxx
> For subscription and delivery options:
> https://lists.cs.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/vfr
>
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