I'm running right on time to leave for work. All geared up. Hop on bike and it doesn't start.
For the first time ever my bike will not start. The dashboard does not light up. No sign of life. I posted a few weeks back asking when I should change my battery. A few people made it sound like the bike would start to have trouble turning over before the battery would need changing. But maybe thats not all the time.
I pretty much ride when ever I can winter or summer and had ridden the bike less than a week prior to today. It is a 2012 all black CBR bought used and the battery most likely was never changed.
What do you guys think? Is it most likely the battery? I'm going to research and youtube how to change it. Any suggestions where to buy the battery from? Or any links of value?
did you try clutch starting it[?] mine similar after leaving the key in overnight,
no response, but clutch started ok.. my street is a good downslope so easier
to get a good run-up.. used second.. fired up jumping on dropping clutch
as weight hit seat.. kept revs up, including stopped at first intersection
[and until revs stayed at 2krpm at speed clutch in, just in case]..
clutch started next 5 runs with no use of starter,
then fired up normally [parked on a hill in case]
with no symptoms leading in first suspect
must be battery..
I had an auto battery die when I went into a store for 15 minutes. Came out and it was totally dead - not even a dome light.
You could use a volt meter to confirm before buying a new battery and finding out there are other problems.
For everything not to work the main fuse would need to be blown (EDIT: if the battery is good) - I would find it and check it.
In a pinch you can usually bump-start the bike. Turn the ignition to the run position, click it into 2nd gear, pull the clutch in, and push or roll down hill - and hop on. Let the clutch out quickly and be prepared to pull it back in or ride away when it starts. You may need to rev it to keep it running. Sometimes takes a couple tries. A friend is handy.
After it starts the charging system will usually keep it running, maybe not very well though. If it quits or you stall it you'll need to bump it again.
Not the best, but a way to get it running in a pinch.
My money is on the battery as well. Mine died without warning. Rode the bike home just fine one day (no problems cranking or anything). An hour later I wanted to ride to some place else, and the starter only made a weak "plop" sound. And that was that. No prior indication that the battery would fail and then all of a sudden it was just dead (though my dashboard came on...until I pressed the starter button that is...).
I will keep everyone posted on this. I am going to watch some youtube on how to change the battery, order one or look for one locally and then swap it out.
Chances are it is the battery, but you may want to buy an inexpensive multi-meter before buying the battery - just to confirm that's the problem.
A new battery isn't necessarily fully changed when you get it - another reason to have a volt meter to check before installing it. Fully charged is 12.7V or more. If you don't have a charger, now might be a good time to buy one.
You need a small charger for cycle batteries, probably no more than 2 Amps. It's just another tool that is handy to have right there when you need it.
Replacing the battery is a piece of cake. Just remove the clamp that's holding it in place (one screw). Then remove the "-" wire (one screw, make sure you're not losing the part in which the screw "bites"(?) as it is just loosely inside the "connector casing" (?hell, am I even using proper words here??? just unscrew the thing and make sure you don't lose anything...) ) and then the "+" wire (same procedure). Install the new battery in reverse order and you're good to go.0
Does your multi meter have a 15 volt DC option? If not use a larger DC voltage setting and then you will get a value rather than a "maxed out" reading.
My battery did the same thing to me one day about 3 years ago. After charging it up it has had zero problems since. Yours could have had the same thing happen. And for that multimeter, just use the 50v setting.
When I have the setting on 50 I believe the number the needle hovers over is the 5. If I am reading the correct area. Which I pretty sure I am for this setting.
If there is a small amount of charge in the battery would the dashboard work? What is the threshold in which the battery can still have a charge yet not be able to power the dashboard? Is this a sign it may be something else?
Most likely its just the battery, but I'm still going to explain what I'm finding just in case.
I bought a charger/maintainer from amazon and is came instantly. I have it hooked up. I'll let you guys know if the bike comes back to life in a few hours.
Update 2:
No luck with the charger/maintainer. The device seems to have a green light when it is on and the a red one when it is done. So far it seems to turn to red as if its done doing its job.
Next step is to buy a battery. I found the stock one on Amazon for about $50 shipped. The lithium ones look nice yet are over twice the price.
I don't know what kind of charger you have, but most are the complete opposite. Flashing red light when the charger is charging and a solid green light when it is charged.
My Battery Tender Jr. has a red light when first plugged in, indicating that it is charging. Once it starts charging a bit, it shifts to a flashing green light indicating that the battery is at least 80% charged, and when it has finished charging, it becomes a solid green light. A flashing red light indicates that the battery is not taking the charge.
Doesn't your charger have the code for the lights on it?
OK, well you guys got me... I don't know how to read the lights and didn't read the manual. I'll go do that now. I guess I kind of assumed what the red and green lights do.
Its been one night on the charger. I'll check to see if it starts and grab the booklet with the charger.
5 minutes later:
Ok. The flashing green light means charging and solid green means done. I end up with a red light after it blinks green for a while. The booklet never says what this means specifically yet it states that if the battery had less than 2volts it would not charge. Being that I never charged this battery and it looks stock from a 2012 bike I feel confident the battery would be needing replacement.
Again, I found one on amazon and will press the button in a few minutes.
See the attachment. The web site says it is the wrong battery. There are a couple of 7 amp-hour batteries and they have different dimensions. Do you have a ruler?
The one I posted is the one in my bike. Its also listed in the parts finder for my local dealer. Not sure why the Amazon thing you used said it was incorrect. Either my bike had the wrong battery and it works or its the right battery.
Goes to show that you can't always trust Amazon's parts fitment software to be correct. I've seen more than a few instances where they were wrong.
As TrueFaith points out, I would always double check before ordering any parts from Amazon, by cross referencing with the what the part mfg (in this case Yuasa) and/or vehicle mfg lists for the model in question.
The one I posted is the one in my bike. Its also listed in the parts finder for my local dealer. Not sure why the Amazon thing you used said it was incorrect. Either my bike had the wrong battery and it works or its the right battery.
Will pay for itself over the life of one battery, and if you alternate between batteries, will soon begin paying you back saving all those car/bike/mower batteries lives.
I've used Westco gel batteries for years, and, they always need a little topping off before installing. Usually 15 minutes on the charger is plenty. (my charger uses 0.75 amps)
This is what I bought the other day. Will this suffice for my battery needs? I hope I bought an ok device.
My battery is on the way from Amazon. Unfortunately all the beautiful farm land around me is being converted to horrible looking truck depots. It sucks. One of the companies is Amazon so I get items shipped very quickly though. The reader reviews state the battery will come with a liquid to add in. I figured I'd do this and then hook it up to the charger linked above for a few hours.
My battery should arrive 7/6/17. I hate waiting for parts. Anyone else?
Thanks for above replies. I appreciate all the advice.
Right now the CBR is sitting with both seats off and no battery. A buddy offer to let me ride his R1 while he drives his cruiser but I have to work tomorrow...
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