Need new battery, old one supposedly damaged after tip over. Any suggestions?

[John Hopkins]

I've had no problems with my battery except for the time when I took it to a shop to have new tires and bearings and they switched on the heated grips and left them on..

However your problem sounds like a charging fault..

To check the charging circuit, buy a $10 DIGITAL multimeter from home depot.

Remove the seat..set the meter to dc volts..measure the battery voltage.. expect 12.6 volts dc...

start the engine and wait for it to warm and slow to idle speed..measure the voltage again and expect a slight increase in voltage...increase the revs to about 3,000 rpm and measure the voltage again, expect the revs to increase to between 13.6 and 14.8 volts dc.

If that is all correct the charging system is working ok..

An alarm system or tracking device will draw current at all times.. there is sometimes a LED indicator to show these or other devices are connected and even this single LED will discharge a battery over sufficient time..

John.

[Reveen]

Well I did some tinkering (checked all connections, removed battery/reinstalled battery, checked battery power, etc.) and charged the battery up overnight. Started instantly this morning when I took it to work, and thankfully, started instantly when I left work to come home as well. I'm going to do some test again this evening and see if I can't figure it out. I decided to make a habit of hitting the switch on my light bar as sometimes I've left it switched to the on position (not sure how much that could drain a battery). I'll report back after some additional tinkering.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[DC]

Make sure the (-) battery connection to the block is secure.  That was the problem I had and I went and bought a new battery for nothing.  Turns out I use the original battery as a standalone test mule to try out different circuits, without risking anything to the in-bike battery.

[chief]

Let's go back to the beginning. You had no start problems before you dropped the bike. After that you have problems. You replaced the battery and now you have problems again.

I would go through the bike and ensure all connections are secure. Check the connections on the handlebar and kickstand. A loos connector could cause a problem.

[greenbarn]

The other thing I forgot to mention - you could have a poor connection someplace between the battery and the starter.  But it really sounds more like a battery problem (or draw)

[Troll]

I've heard some weird things about those L-I batteries...There have been lots of questions about them in Motorcycle Consumer News...

[Bucko]

My understanding is that the batteries don't work that well when they're cold.  But that is easily remedied by just turning on something like a headlamp or whatever to get some current flowing through the battery to warm things up - maybe that's what you're experiencing?

[greenbarn]

sounds like you have what is called a parasitic draw.  Either that or you have a defective battery.

Any number of things could cause a small draw on the battery, but the good news is on a bike there are a lot fewer things than on a car.  The best way to test is to unhook the battery (negative terminal) and then put an amp meter between the battery and the cable you just un-hooked.  Do this with the bike turned off (not running).  This measures any current going through the circuits.  I have no idea what the spec would be for a Vulcan - but I'm guessing it needs to be near "0".  50 mA (that is 0.050 A) is the spec for most modern automobiles - the reason they are not 0 is b/c some of the computers never really turn completely off - they just go to sleep. I suspect on the Vulcans, it should be closer to 0.  You need a fairly decent multi meter to read this small of an amp draw.   However, most likely, if you have a problem, it will be more like .2 to 1 amp (200-1000 mA).

Once you determine if you have an amp draw, then it's a matter of finding it.  You have to pull fuses to see what causes the undesirable power draw to go away.  Then, once you have the fuse identified, you must further trace it down to see what on that fuse circuit can be causing a drain, and find it.  It's a time consuming process.

Anything that has current going to it could be possibly causing the problem - but on this system, almost everything is "supposed" to have power cut off when the key is off.  For that reason, the ignition switch would be a good place to start.

[Reveen]

Having an issue today . . .

Haven't ridden in over a week due to bad weather and just being extraordinarily busy. Went to start it just now and it tried to turn over a few times and then just a click. I know I didn't leave the keys in it (really anal about checking that). Pushed the "Test" button on the battery and it is showing "LOW" so I have it on a battery tender currently. Any ideas how the battery could be dead after just a week of not riding? Are there any other things I should check? I'm having trouble finding the 'vehicle down sensor' and I've also heard about something with the clutch lever that can become loose and prevent the bike from starting . . . what should I be checking? (can you tell I know next to nothing? 

[Bucko]

Please keep us posed on how that battery works out.  I'm still reading about occasional cold temp power output limitations and some inconsistent information about charging (both on the bike and with an external charger) with LI batteries.

[Reveen]

What was the price compared to a standard battery?

The standard battery they had was $99 and the lithium ion battery that I bought was $139. Sure, more expensive and probably unnecessary, but I like the feeling of having more than enough 'cold cranking amps' to fire up the drifter. If the battery lasts a year longer, it will be totally worth it to me, as it's not just about the money, but the hassle of finding the right battery in stock and buying, installing, etc.

[pcarrell]

Yeah, what's with the holding out on us deal?

[49Reo]

What was the price compared to a standard battery?

[Reveen]

Bike started yesterday, went to go visit my 7 week old nephew, and bike wouldn't start after that without a jump. Picked up a new Lithium Ion battery today... Can't believe how light it is! Came with a 1 year warranty, stronger starting power than the other options, and had a button with little LEDs to check the charge level. it probably weighs 1/5 of a regular acid battery. Hope it works out well!

[John Hopkins]

It sounds very unlikely that tipping the bike over would damage the battery, it's pretty well protected in there..

But if I have to guess from all the way over here..

The bike tip switch tripped, you tried the starter button a few times and emptied what fuel was in the header..

This needed to be replenished before the injectors would work..

Switching on and off didn't give it enough time to fill the headers but by the time your mate jump started the bike there was either (a) low voltage from the bike battery due to trying to start it or (b) the attempted starts had filled the header ready for the injectors to open.

However in conclusion if you can afford it the bike will benefit from a new battery and it won't do your confidence any harm..

John.

[wack01]

Best battery for the price 500ca I have one for my 117ci engine it starts easy Power source lightning start
http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-WPX20L-LS-Start-Battery/dp/B00C15M4WO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1407611241&sr=8-4&keywords=20lbs+battery

[Reveen]

Was the FI light flashing after the tip over? The tip over switch will kill the engine until the key is cycled off and on.....I can speak from personal experience, since it happened to me while demonstrating ERC exercises. I had the bike leaned over far enough in a double S turn to trigger the switch, and it killed the engine right there...right in front of the class.....

I don't really remember any flashing lights, as I was concentrating on pushing the bike out of the street and into a parking space. I removed the key several times and tried to start it many times over about 15 minutes.

[Troll]

Was the FI light flashing after the tip over? The tip over switch will kill the engine until the key is cycled off and on.....I can speak from personal experience, since it happened to me while demonstrating ERC exercises. I had the bike leaned over far enough in a double S turn to trigger the switch, and it killed the engine right there...right in front of the class.....

[Reveen]

Tipped bike over last night trying to pick up someones iPhone I found laying in the street (last time I try to be nice!), and wouldn't start after that until a friend jumped it with his bike battery. He informed me that sometimes tipping your bike over can ruin an old battery. Is this true?

I don't mind spending a bit more cash for a reliable battery. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for a good replacement battery?