Question about battery charging

Constantinos · Sep 25, 2014

Hey guys! I came across this problem only yesterday. I have a new battery that was fully charged 2 weeks ago. I was using the bike to commute to work on a daily basis (a couple of miles really). Lights and all electronics work as they should. Lights do not dim when rpms are low.

DUring the last couple of days I noticed that the battery did not have enough juice to turn the engine on hard enough. It was still turning the engine on but it seemed to be weaker every time I was starting the bike. Eventually it completely run out of juice yesterday and had to use a booster to start it.

What do you guys think the problem is? Bad regulator maybe? Should I start thinking about an R1 r/r? Unfortunately I do not have a voltmeter to check voltage.

josephjhaney · Sep 25, 2014

Just my experience but that's exactly what happened when my first 85 vmax had issues with it's regulator. Replaced it with the newer type, and never had another problem.

alorio1 · Sep 25, 2014

Volt meters are very cheap and almost a must if you are going to work on your charging system. Harbor Freight has them, Ebay has lots of listings on cheap inexpensive ones also. From your symptoms , I would say your charging system is unhealthy. Buy a volt meter and follow this thread to the T and if your out come is like Rawarrior's you should have a healthy charging system.........http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=19108

MaxMidnight · Sep 25, 2014

Don't guess at the problem, work through Mr Ra's post of if you prefer flow charts, this.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

Ok I checked my battery and here are the results: 12.9v when the bike is not running. 14.5 v when idling at 1000rpms and 14.5-14.7 when rpms are at 2500. Other than that the battery goes flat after 2-3 days. I am baffled. I disconnected the alarm whi I installed 2 months ago to see whether it is responsible for the battery drain, however it is a simple 2 wire alarm, nothing fancy. Any thoughts?

jfeagins · Oct 1, 2014

Your charging system seems fine.

Either you have a draw on the battery with the key off, or your battery is not holding it's charge. You might try putting an amp meter across the main + terminal of the battery to the lead (disconnected for test), and with the key OFF, to see if there is any drain on the battery. If not (now that you disconnected the alarm system), then your battery may not be holding a charge properly, and be due for replacement.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

jfeagins said:
Your charging system seems fine.

Either you have a draw on the battery with the key off, or your battery is not holding it's charge. You might try putting an amp meter across the main + terminal of the battery to the lead (disconnected for test), and with the key OFF, to see if there is any drain on the battery. If not (now that you disconnected the alarm system), then your battery may not be holding a charge properly, and be due for replacement.

Perhaps you may have something there. I noticed that when i turn the switch i need to play a little with the key in order to get any electricity to come through. When i switch it off there are no lights staying on but is it possible that it is draining the battery still? The battery is new (a couple of months old). Come to think of it this whole thing started when the problem with the ignition switch started and had to fiddle with it to get the bike started.

Traumahawk · Oct 1, 2014

Simplest thing to do, is to disconnect the negative wire from the battery. (Its easier to see at night) if there is a bit of a spark jumping from the negative lead to the battery, there is a draw somewhere.

jfeagins · Oct 1, 2014

Note: New batteries fail to live up to expectations from time to time as well. Just sayin'.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

News...i rode the bike tonight for no more than 10 minutes. Parked it for 2 minutes. Came back to start it. Not enough power and ticking sound, sign of flat battery. I had to jump start it and rode it home. I will measure the voltage and report back.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

Battery is fully charged...bike is starting on first turn. Only minutes ago it looked weak to start...this thing is driving me nuts!

Traumahawk · Oct 1, 2014

At this point in time....I think its the battery.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

Traumahawk said:
At this point in time....I think its the battery.

But is it possible for a battery to be fully charged, then discharged and then charged again? :bang head:

Traumahawk · Oct 1, 2014

Well I do know its possible for a battery to not "HOLD" a charge.

jfeagins · Oct 1, 2014

Constantinos said:
News...i rode the bike tonight for no more than 10 minutes. Parked it for 2 minutes. Came back to start it. Not enough power and ticking sound, sign of flat battery. I had to jump start it and rode it home. I will measure the voltage and report back.

That right there sounds more like the famous "hot start issue" going on.....the one in which your starter is giving grief, rather than the battery at fault. You may need to read up on the "hot start issue", and/or remove your starter for a clean & dust. Then tighten up it's brush plate-to-ground connections before reassembling it. Well documented somewhere on this forum.

Two separate problems plaguing you at the same time can cause a person to run in circles trying, in vain, to make sense of things.

Constantinos · Oct 1, 2014

Traumahawk said:
Well I do know its possible for a battery to not "HOLD" a charge.

Well yes i know, but how can it lose charge while riding? And then once jumped started how can it charge while riding? :ummm:

alorio1 · Oct 1, 2014

I would think your new battery is bad. Charge it up and have it load tested at your local auto parts store.

johnblaid · Oct 1, 2014

I always keep mine on a trickle charger at night. The stators in these bikes are not really stators but plastic models of flying saucers. The voltage regulators are actually big mockups of computer chips made out of plastic and clay.

The charging system on these bikes DOES NOT WORK and WAS NEVER INTENDED TO WORK, only to be light weight. Don't try to fix it. Just keep the battery on a trickle charger and make sure the bike is in good enough tune to start instantly. Keep your phone and credit card handy when you ride across country.

Traumahawk · Oct 1, 2014

jfeagins said:
That right there sounds more like the famous "hot start issue" going on.....the one in which your starter is giving grief, rather than the battery at fault. You may need to read up on the "hot start issue", and/or remove your starter for a clean & dust. Then tighten up it's brush plate-to-ground connections before reassembling it. Well documented somewhere on this forum.

Two separate problems plaguing you at the same time can cause a person to run in circles trying, in vain, to make sense of things.

+1...I do think its 2 issues at the same time

Constantinos said:
Well yes i know, but how can it lose charge while riding? And then once jumped started how can it charge while riding? :ummm:

Basically the "hot start" issue is like driving my old Trans Am. It was a 1980 T/A with a 68 428 put into it....with headers. After driving it a while....I would pull into a gas station, put gas in, and then try to restart the car. It would BARELY turn over. The headers got the starter hot.....and it didnt want to spin. The older V-maxs only had a 2 pole starter...and so REALLY suffered from a hot start issue....the later ones....had a 4 pole starter. No more issues.

The 2 starters will interchange no issue.

davidon · Oct 1, 2014

May need to clean starter as well

Question about battery charging

Help Support VMAX Forum:

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!