I can't keep the battery charged

D-BLOCK

Registered
Hey fellas and babes.....I have a 2000 Hayabusa and it won't stay charged. I can push start it sometimes but not all the time, or if I put a charge on the battery then it will start right away. But once its running, it could be running for hours, it won't start back up. Any ideas? ???


I figured I'd ask before looking at it myself or paying a ton of money to fix it.
 
Here is a check for the battery:

Batt Voltage.jpg
 
+1 sounds like a bad battery to me. Or it cold be a bad ground. Test the battery and make sure the ground is clean and rust free.
 
You gotta measure the voltage on the battery with a digital V-meter. You can get one online or at discount places for under $10 these days. Here is one on ebay.

Fully charge the battery (I assume you have a battery charger). If you measure within minutes after disconnecting the charger, you should have more than 12.65V, maybe around 13V. If you have less than 12.6V, the battery is no good. Also, when the battery is fully charged, try starting the bike a few times in a row - start her up and turn off a few sec later, and repeat a few times. If the bike starts up easy every time, the battery is good.

Start the bike, and while the bike is idling measure the voltage on the battery. It should be within 13.5V - 14.5V. Try at idle and at slightly higher rpm. If it's mostly below 13V, then this is a problem with your charging system. When measuring witih digital V-meter, the voltage will be jumping up and down a little bit when the bike is running - that's OK, just average it out.

Let us know the numbers, and then we can move further.
 
The on-line manual has a complete electrical / charging system troubleshooting area. I would check that out. It could be the battery. Most auto parts places can charge and test the battery for you. An open circuit test is a good quick way to find out if the battery is good or bad, but the only way to know if the battery is good once it passes that test is a true load test. From memory most of the checks performed on the charging circuit are done at 5K RPMs, but check out the manual. Good luck.
 
Battery..bike runs when pushed but won't start. Battery...do the checks like the posters suggested. Battery.
 
The on-line manual has a complete electrical / charging system troubleshooting area. I would check that out. It could be the battery. Most auto parts places can charge and test the battery for you. An open circuit test is a good quick way to find out if the battery is good or bad, but the only way to know if the battery is good once it passes that test is a true load test. From memory most of the checks performed on the charging circuit are done at 5K RPMs, but check out the manual. Good luck.

+1 , more than likelly its the battery, especially if the weather has gotten cold. The reason why your bike runs once it is started is because the charging system is providing the enough power to keep it running. Do the charging troubleshoot test, if everything works fine then it's probablly the battery.
 
You gotta measure the voltage on the battery with a digital V-meter. You can get one online or at discount places for under $10 these days. Here is one on ebay.

Fully charge the battery (I assume you have a battery charger). If you measure within minutes after disconnecting the charger, you should have more than 12.65V, maybe around 13V. If you have less than 12.6V, the battery is no good. Also, when the battery is fully charged, try starting the bike a few times in a row - start her up and turn off a few sec later, and repeat a few times. If the bike starts up easy every time, the battery is good.

Start the bike, and while the bike is idling measure the voltage on the battery. It should be within 13.5V - 14.5V. Try at idle and at slightly higher rpm. If it's mostly below 13V, then this is a problem with your charging system. When measuring witih digital V-meter, the voltage will be jumping up and down a little bit when the bike is running - that's OK, just average it out.

Let us know the numbers, and then we can move further.
I do have a volt meter, I will check it out with that.

Thanks guys for the tips. I'm not sure how old the battery is, I got the bike over the summer and it was there already. It could be the original but I'm not sure. I will def check it out.
 
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From memory most of the checks performed on the charging circuit are done at 5K RPMs, but check out the manual. Good luck.
Yup, battery should read 13.4v - 15.1v @5000rpm and stator should read 65v or more at 5000rpm.
+1 , more than likelly its the battery, especially if the weather has gotten cold. The reason why your bike runs once it is started is because the charging system is providing the enough power to keep it running. Do the charging troubleshoot test, if everything works fine then it's probablly the battery.

not always true. I had the same problem earlier this year, it was my rectifier
 
If you do end up putting in a new battery, I strongly suggest investing in a battery tender. Since I purchased one (10 years ago), none of my batteries have gone bad.
 
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Get a new battery. I had the same issue that went away with the new cell.
 
All the advice is great. I did exactly this, went out riding last week, and it was hard to start. Came home put it on the trickle charge, and it was all good. Did all the tests...just needed to be recharged fully. But I did not check the rectifier. So if it happens again, that will be the next step. :bowdown:
 
Ok guys, I changed the battery and I still get nothing. I get power, the lights come on but I don't have any turn over what so ever...any ideas?
 
Ok guys, I changed the battery and I still get nothing. I get power, the lights come on but I don't have any turn over what so ever...any ideas?

None at all? All the electronics work fine, but no start? Have you checked the starter? All the electronics work, you have a new battery, and it still won't start?... Check the starter.
 
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