Battery or what?

[flipper]

I need help fast. My 09 Heritage cranked this morning for me to move it a few feet to where I would wash it. Then when we got ready to ride, I hit the start switch and it burped and wouldn't start. We checked the battery and the tester said it was good. We checked fuses and they all looked good. Turned it on again, primed it, hit start and it clicked some. Repeated that and it clicked faster and stronger. Third time it cranked, but was sluggish. We rode about 13 miles to get fuel and we couldn't get it to start again. Friend hooked up battery cables from his truck, but we never could get it to start. Eventually, when you turned the knob to ignition, no lights at all would come on. I have an auxilliary tail light, a J&M radio with ipod, and 1 set of light pods. None of that was turned on whenever I tried to crank it. Original battery is the one in it. Would you think it's battery? If not, what else could it be? Does anyone use Autozone/Oreilly batteries, or is HD a must? Missed a great day of riding because of this and don't want to miss another one. Thanks y'all......

 

[HDDon]

Without load testing the battery you really can't tell if it is good or not. Given the age of the battery I would say it is shot. Don't know about the AutoZone battery.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Motorcycle Battery, ATV Battery, Snowmobile Battery, PWC Batteries - Power Sports Batteries They make OEM H D batteries , they wont have the bar and shield on them but will be 50 bucks cheaper:s

 

[STEVE07]

Start with the simple things.
Remove your battery cables,both ends and sand the ends where they attach to battery,frame and pos. lug.then reinstall and see if you have power.Could just be a corrosion problem

 

[fin_676]

Once you have the bike started check the voltage at the battery just to ensure that it is not to high or too low as a couple of weeks past i had the click click click from the starter but jumped it from a starter box and got 17.7 volts at the battery so the battery had been cooked by the charging system should be 14.7 volts at the most

Brian

 

[R_W_B]

Flipper all the above replies will get you going in the right diagnostic direction.

. . . . . With the truck running you run a risk of damaging the voltage regulator. . . . . .

Tank is this because the auto alternator puts out more amps than the bikes?

 

[Jack Klarich]

Flipper all the above replies will get you going in the right diagnostic direction.



Tank is this because the auto alternator puts out more amps than the bikes?

Exactly right Dave, if you find you must make sure the car is not running, use proper sized cables to carry the load

 

[flipper]

Start with the simple things.
Remove your battery cables,both ends and sand the ends where they attach to battery,frame and pos. lug.then reinstall and see if you have power.Could just be a corrosion problem

While I was waiting for some replies to get posted here, we went back out to the bike to look at different things. The cable connections liked fine, but when he started cleaning one of them, he found a fair amount of crud. Got that scraped off and worked it with a stiff brush, then put some die electric grease on. We hooked just the battery back up and the bike roared. Then we hooked all the accessories backup and it still started fast and strong. Unfortunately, the day was gone. We took that as a sign from the good Lord that we didn't need to be on the road today. I hope He's feeling better about tomorrow after church.
Thank you Steve. Glad it was just a simple thing like you mentioned.

 

[flipper]

When you said you used a truck to jump start and it failed to work I hope it was done without the truck running. With the truck running you run a risk of damaging the voltage regulator.

Attached is some good info for jump starting a bike...

Harley Davidson Community

Well, you live and learn. Our friend doesn't have a bike and was all too anxious to help. We didn't know any better, although we both had thoughts that maybe it might not be the thing to do. Yes, the truck was running I'll admit. I hope it didn't mess anything up. Thanks for the link. We will read and absorb it right away.
Thanks Tank....... and Steve, Jack, Fin, and everyone else!:small3d018:

 

[R_W_B]

Exactly right Dave, if you find you must make sure the car is not running, use proper sized cables to carry the load

Ok, I'm guessing some of these high Amp car batteries might also be a slight risk just by themselves, since they have so much more plate area. Even though they are limited to 12 volts by the Acid Cell reaction, more plate area can put out more amps.

But yes I can see now why you would want to leave the alternator off.

Well, you live and learn. Our friend doesn't have a bike and was all too anxious to help. We didn't know any better, . . . . . I hope it didn't mess anything up. Thanks for the link. We will read and absorb it right away. Thanks Tank....... and Steve, Jack, Fin, and everyone else!:small3d018:

Flipper get that battery tested at a Auto Parts store. If it's bad get another battery. Then after you install it check the voltage across the terminals without the engine running. You will get 12.x depending on the state of charge. Then crank the bike, rev it to around 2700 rpm and check the volts across the same terminals with the engine running. Should be getting close to 14 volts. If not you may have a charging problem.

If everything checks out, don't worry about it and just ride. There are varibles involved and there is no telling whether you may have damaged your regulator some or none at all. It happens to all of us, that's how we learn.