Dead Battery.

Seems the batt in my '02 ZX6R decided to give it all away sometime either
last nite or this morning. The bike is ~13/14mths old. Reckon I have any
chance of a warranty claim? I'm about to read thru the manual etc to see if
there is any useful info in there. Symptoms are after being jump started by
another bike/car the bike will run fine until I turn it of, then is has
enough juice to turn the bike over a few times but it won't start. Ya can't
push start it. When the bike is running there is ~13V at the batt terminals.
After a ride of an hour or so the bike still wouldn't start. Is it likely to
be any aside from the battery?


Thanks for any info.

Aaron
ZX6R - batteryless.

 

Have you (can you) checked the fluid levels?)

 

Jump starting doesn't charge the battery.
Riding for an hour may not charge it enough.

Try putting it on a charger for a few hours (ideally 10 or 12 at a
lowish rate of charge).

A decent battery charger or a battery tender (trickle charger that can
be left plugged in for days - turns itself off to prevent overcharging)
will cost less than a new battery, and even if the battery needs
replacing, a trickle charger should save its cost by prolonging the life
of the new battery.

If it still won't start, the battery is stuffed.

Moike

 

if it doesn't hold a charge and the fluid levels are correct just buy a
new one , would be the sensible thing to do , what's it worth ?. $50.00?

 

You can't push start it!? A 600cc inline 4 has got to be one of the easiest
engines to push start.

I remember on the R6 I called a housemate out to give me a push, and I
accidentally started the thing rolling out the driveway!

Now the Peg, that's a real bastard to push start. I'm toying with the idea
of trying to work the starter circuit cylinder decompressor into my routine.
Or buy a new battery ;-)

 

Yeah fluid levels was my first thought. Once they're topped up charge it
overnight on a decent charger.

A day or so later check the specific gravity with a hydrometer. The actual
number is not that important, what you are looking for here is a difference
between the cells. If a cell has gone dead its sg won't pick up after the
charge. If so ditch the battery. If they're all pretty much the same just
use the check fluid level, charge, check sg routine to see if it settles
back down.

In my case the voltage regulator was overcharging, boiling the battery and
dropping the fluid level until eventually it wouldn't hold charge at all. If
your running voltage is around 13V as you say, thats probably not happening
to you but the recovery method will work the same.

--
Cheers
Dave (Mojo67)
FZR600 Brisbane
I used to never be able to finish anything but now I

 

Assuming the batt wasn't fucked I rekcon I could push start it. The thing
just turns over and doesn't fire.

I'll try to get hold of a charger and charge the batt overnight. See if that
helps.

Else I'll call Kawa and see if they'll give me a newie, if not I'll buy one.

Aaron
ZX6R

 

Hang on; if it's turning over but not firing then the battery's not the
problem.
(And I wouldn't whack a charger on it if you haven't checked the fluid
levels)
Clem
(or am I "Knob"?)

 

The engine turns over when ya try to push start it until the bike stops
moving...

Engine doesn't turn over when pressing 'start' button.

I can't check the fluid levels 'cause it's one of them sealed batts.

Bike starts fine when jumper leads from another bike/car are on batt. It's a
batt or charging issue, don't see it being a charging issue since when the
engine is running it's pumping ~13V into the batt. It does however move
aroud a bit (11v-12v-11v-13v etc) so I haven't ruled out something screwey
with the charging. Else the batt is fucked and that's causing the voltage to
vary.

I guess we'll see in the morn if charging the thing has had any effect.

Aaron
ZX6R

 

sounds like you have a dud cell,

 

Yes it could be a dead cell but I think the charging circuit is stuffed. If
the battery is sealed you can't test it, only by charging it and giving it a
go. The thing to watch charging a sealed battery is the voltage of the
charger. Some car chargers charge at 15V or so, and sealed batteries usually
don't like more than 14.4V max. Check whats written on the battery. Also if
the voltage drops when you rev it the charging circuit is fucked. The
voltage drop is usually the bigger drain of the fuel pump and electrics
drawing more juice, and the alternator doesn't sound like its supplying
anything. I also don't know how you'd go push starting a bike with (I
presume) an electric fuel pump.

My bet? Fucked voltage regulator. The bane of my existence on the Fizzer,
hope you don't have as much trouble as me.

Let us know how you go.

 

Aaron,

Is it fuel injected?

Steve

 

Charged batt o/nite. Bike started first go. Lets see if it starts this arvo
after work...

When revving engine (yesterday) the voltage went up, at idle is was around
11 I think, it went up to around 13.

The bike is one of them good old fashioned one's with carbs and no fuel
pump.

I assume with the lack of fancy electronics it's all good to jump start it
from a car or summat.

Aaron
ZX6R

 

nope.

 

Not necessarily... used to happen with my ZXR250 when it had a stuffed
alternator and, hence, depleted battery. The starter would crank as normal,
but the bike just wouldn't fire... not enough charge in the battery to drive
both the starter and the coils, perhaps?

 

Erm, stroll out into the carpark for a sec and peek in between the lip of
the tank and the frame beam to see where the bottom of the tank is in
relation to the float bowls.

 

Moike said....

Mo> Riding for an hour may not charge it enough.

Riding it for 10 mins should see it fairly well charged, if it's in good
nick.

On an overnight ride down the GOR recently, I had difficulty in starting
the bike on the Saturday morning. Had to jump start it off the car. Bike
was fine the rest of the day. Next morning in the Apollo Bay hotel
carpark, the battery was down to the point where it barely illuminated
the instro lights. We push started it.

Filled up at the servo. Still stuffed. Another push start. At the
Queenscliff end of the ferry I decided to check the battery. After an
hour or so of riding it was still fucked.

Seat off. Connections OK. Have a look inside the battery.

Hmm...

$3 and a bottle of Mt Franklin water later from the ferry kiosk, the
battery was fixed. As soon as I filled each cell, the battery had enough
kick restored in it to start the bike.

It's been fine ever since.

Maybe that's this fellow's problem, if he hasn't already checked the
water level in the battery.

 

Jules said....

Ju> You can't push start it!? A 600cc inline 4 has got to be one of the
Ju> easiest engines to push start.

I was able to push start my 235 kg Honda across the Queenscliff ferry
car park by myself. So, yeah, a 600 would be like starting a peewee 50
in comparison...

 

These are not all directed at you, but i don't want to write 5
replies.
1. My 14 year old carbed ZXR400 has an electric fuel pump
2. Push starting is a piece of piss on anything half decent. Doesn't
matter if you've got a flat battery or no battery it will still start.
3. Your 1 or 2 year old bike is only slightly less whizzbang than the
injected thingos. It is still possible to **** stuff up
4. Your engine can turn over but not start with a flat battery, I sat
and cranked over my motor for 5 minutes only to discover that if i
push start it, it will start on the first stroke. This has since
happened about 10 more times (not for 5 minutes though) usually if she
won't start in the first few cranks, a push start will get her going.
5. Glad to hear it's fixed

Mark

 

Bike started again this arvo. Something caused it to go flat methinks. I
hope it doesn't return...

Aaron
ZX6R