Paging the battery-chargisti and / or Lozzo

Decided to take the NC30 for a late-night bimble. Pressed starter.
Starter chugged very slightly then gave up and started clicking. Even
I know this means the battery is no good. Strange, I have ridden it at
least a couple of times a week so it should be charged. This battery
was new a month ago, but **** knows how long it had been sitting there.

1) Dodgy battery[1]?
2) Dodgy charging system[2]?
3) Something else?

[1] Loz, is it guaranteed? I can nip it back up to Beds if I can get
the thing started[3].
[2] Ignition light is off when riding. I have a multimeter and can test
things. I hear bad things about regulator / rectifier on Honda, could
that produce said fault?
[3] HTF do I get the seat off[4]? I can't even get to the battery to
measure the voltage and whack a charger on it.
[4] Loz, have you sent the Haynes?

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

Bad form. I realised you have to take the cowling off. Did so,
measured a whopping 10.1V. WTF etc... Put the charger on, still none
the wiser as to what's going on.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

Sounds like a cell has gone down to me

 

Reg /rec can be a weakspot on NC30's

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (COMING SOON)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (IT'S FOR SALE)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11
'S

 

Check the fluid levels in the battery. If it's a standard Honda rec/rect
failure, it may have boiled the battery almost dry. And if the battery's
been boiled, you've got a nice lump of lead to recycle.

 

So I understand. How can I test it? Look for x volts across the
battery at y revs[1]?

[1] Sane values for x and y appreciated.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

I took the charger off just now. It had switched from strong charge and
was trickling at 12.4V.

To check the fluid level, do I prise off the "DO NOT OPEN" thing across
the middle of the battery[1]? Even though it has warnings not to open
it, add water, etc?

[1] I know less about bike batteries than I know about most things.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

AFAIK the "do not open" indicates that your battery is a sealed type
"maintenance free" jobbie, which you, indeed, do not open.

I don't think I'm much better, which is why I suggest you wait for someone
who knows what they're talking about to tell you what to check/do next.


Geo

 

Yebbut isn't that notice aimed at "normal" people, not er, master bike
technicians like me who want to check that their battery hasn't boiled
dry?

I'm not surprised, apparently lots of people around here post drivel.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

sealed battery it sounds like, take it out and look through the sides if you
can, you'll see if a cell is lower than the others that way.

Test the charging system,

connect multimeter accross battery terminals to show voltage, start bike,
note voltage, give it a bit of a rev, voltage should climb upto around 14
volts if it's charging ok,

simpler test, start bike, put headlight on, at tickover look at headlight
light output, rev bike, if light gets brighter, charging system is doing
something, if it dont get brighter at all when reved, no charging's
happening.

 

Hate to be a pedant, but he's already stated the bike won't start. So
the procedure you describe won't work.

My vote goes with the reg/rec. Been there, had that happen. The
battery gets fucked at the same time, so at first it just looks like a
battery failure, but I'd put good odds on both down.

 

Erm, as I stated earlier, better wait for someone who knows their stuff to
tell you. In my knowledge, a sealed battery shouldn't/doesn't need to be
opened even by master bike technicians, unless they want to install a flux
capacitor inside. Either way, I mainly wanted to pre-empt a possible "let's
open it anyway and see what happens" attempt until someone gives more
complete advice.


Geo

 

Couldn't see anything. *thinks* I wasn't supposed to hold it to the
light, was I?

A few hours had passed since the charger came off. It was showing
12.6V. Started the bike, and it varied between 13.2-4 at idle, to 14.4
when revved. I think this looks okay from my limited understanding of
these things.

Looks good.

So, as my charging system looks okay, what's wrong here? Is my battery
shite i.e. incapable of holding charge for a reasonable time?

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

I started the bike after leaving the battery on charge overnight.

I'm not so sure, see my results in the other post.

<fx: fits battery extension wires and terminal posts below seat and puts
seat back on bike>

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

I've opened it and scooped out the goo with my fingers. They're
burning. Now what?
--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

That's a bonus, mine read 12.6 when I went out there just now.

I did, but reading about Richard Branson's life isn't the same as living
the dream.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

Lick them clean, quick!

 

Nngggmphwwwwurrrrrrrrrrr...

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

As I thought. Huzzah.

I'll try the easy thing. When I've fixed my car and can get my ZX9R out
the garage for a couple of days, I should be able to leave this one for
a couple.

ISTR Halfrauds have a battery tester. I wonder if it works on bike
batteries.

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer (but 9R is near enough)

 

Tears will counteract the burning, so just rub them in your eyes for a
minute.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`