So I rode in to work on Friday. I came out to ride home, turned the key, pushed the starter button, and click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click.
So I'm wondering what's going on. . . . . bad battery, short, loose connection? I checked the battery terminals and everything was tight. But I pulled on the Battery Tender line and the cap was off the end, exposing the metal contact. So then I think maybe this either shorted to ground or a battery terminal. So I put the cap on, let the bike sit for a while, then tried starting it every few minutes. After waiting about 15 minutes altogether, one of those click-click-click-click sessions turned into a turnover and it started. So I figured that's all it was. The bike was running, but the battery was weak. I had to keep the revs higher than normal to keep it from dying. I rode home on the back roads and figured it would be fully charged by the time I got home. When I got home, I put it on the battery tender over night.
The next day, Saturday, I took it off the tender, and got ready to start it, hoping to go to a bike meet that afternoon/night. I went to turn it over and click-click-click-click-click-click-click. I tried a minute later and it turned over. Again, I checked the bat leads and tender leads. . nothing out of the ordinary. I let it run a while at higher idle in the garage trying to decide whether or not to take it to the meet. I decided not to, not wanting get stranded and have a three ring circus trying to get my bike home. I left it on the tender again last night.
This morning I tried starting it and it fired right up. So I figured again, maybe all it needs is lots of riding to charge it. So I ran around doing errands and such. Toward the end though. . . click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click, and then it finally turned over.
So I'm at a loss as to what the problem could be. Any ideas?
Sounds EXACTLY like mine did when the original battery bit the dust. Sometimes it would start on the second try, sometimes on the third, and then it would turn over like there was nothing wrong. I got the next size up (amperage) battery, and everything has been fine all year.
A battery tender will not charge a low battery, it is meant to maintain a good charge. I would put the battery on a trickle charge at 2 amps for 24 hours and do a load test on it. Sounds like you have a dead cell or two. Clean all the connections and check your grounds. How old is the battery?
Quote from: Drifter1500 on September 08, 2013, 16:45:30 PM
A battery tender will not charge a low battery, it is meant to maintain a good charge. I would put the battery on a trickle charge at 2 amps for 24 hours and do a load test on it. Sounds like you have a dead cell or two. Clean all the connections and check your grounds. How old is the battery?
Depends upon the tender... both mine will bring a low battery to full charge and maintain it there.
Quote from: Drifter1500 on September 08, 2013, 16:45:30 PM
A battery tender will not charge a low battery, it is meant to maintain a good charge. I would put the battery on a trickle charge at 2 amps for 24 hours and do a load test on it. Sounds like you have a dead cell or two. Clean all the connections and check your grounds. How old is the battery?
A dead cell would show up as 1.2 volts down and two cells would be 2.4 volts down , etc... So it's not a dead cell, if the solenoid clicks but there is no current draw it would have to be something like a dirty connection somewhere. It starts sometimes so that eliminates any battery problems... I'm reasonably sure it's a starter/solenoid issue, I'd rapp on the starter a few times the next time it acts up.
Quote from: Troll on September 08, 2013, 16:29:54 PM
Sounds EXACTLY like mine did when the original battery bit the dust. Sometimes it would start on the second try, sometimes on the third, and then it would turn over like there was nothing wrong. I got the next size up (amperage) battery, and everything has been fine all year.
Was it the 270 CCA battery? What's a good place to get it from online?
Same thing mine did as well. You either have a battery problem, starter problem or wiring problem. Most likely battery as others have said. Do you have a volt meter? The battery, when charged should have over 12 volts, nearly 13. When you put a load on it (i.e. try to start the bike), the voltage will drop a bit, but it should not drop very much. You need a load tester to do an exact test - the "motor cranking" test is pretty variable, but it probably shouldn't drop below 9-10V. If it drops way below that, the battery is bad. Also, if the charge doesn't come right back up to at least 11 1/2 or 12 volts, then it's bad.
Starter solenoids also act that way- click-click- then maybe they'll start. However, I've not heard a lot of problems with these Kaw starters so I'd tend to think the battery is more likely. Every battery eventually goes bad.
Wiring issues will not be nearly as common on these as on cars. Corrosion is the culprit, usually on the wiring going to the solenoid, and it's usually caused by road salt, which isn't nearly the issue as on cars.
I think any of the on-line bike stores should have a battery. I'm partial to Interstate, but the originals Japanese batteries are very good. I'm not nuts about Walmart or parts-store batteries. They're usually cheaper, but they are a cheaply made battery.
Quote from: DC on September 08, 2013, 20:26:22 PM
Was it the 270 CCA battery? What's a good place to get it from online?
I got it from the local dealer. He had the oem, the next amp capacity up in the oem (YUASA) and the standard and upgrade batteries in a "generic" brand, like parts unlimited house brand. They all had the same warranty..one year, so it came down to price. I bought the uprated battery but the parts unlimited brand because it was significantly cheaper than the Yuasa in the oem capacity. All were AGM and all were probably made in the same shed in China, so why not save some money. I'm thinking it was about $70....
Okay, thanks. I just ordered this one . . . MotoCross(by Yuasa) High Performance AGM Battery - USPS Priority Mail FRB-1. Should be here in a couple of days.
Quote from: Troll on September 09, 2013, 07:54:26 AM
I got it from the local dealer. He had the oem, the next amp capacity up in the oem (YUASA) and the standard and upgrade batteries in a "generic" brand, like parts unlimited house brand. They all had the same warranty..one year, so it came down to price. I bought the uprated battery but the parts unlimited brand because it was significantly cheaper than the Yuasa in the oem capacity. All were AGM and all were probably made in the same shed in China, so why not save some money. I'm thinking it was about $70....
You forgot to mention hand made!
Nobody has mentioned this so I will
You discovered that one of the leads to the battery tender connection was bared and possibly shorting somewhere..This could have caused the battery to drain enough to damage it and that might be the only thing to worry about but..The short could have damaged your battery tender so that it no longer works..or even worse if it has damaged the rectifier in the tender it may put out an a/c voltage instead of dc and this will ruin the new battery very quickly..
Although battery tenders do a good job of maintaining a battery over the winter months and for people who don't use their bikes very often, I find a cheap 4 amp car battery charger very handy for those times you need a full charge fairly quickly..I should point out that I keep a $10 DIGITAL multimeter handy and if I have a battery problem I check the dc voltage across the battery with the engine running, I expect to see at least 13v dc which is a few millivolts volts more than I would expect from a good battery with the engine off..by increasing the revs slowly I would expect that to rise to 14v but never more than 14.8v..
We spend a lot of money on these bikes so spending a few dollars on tools and test equipment seems a good idea to me..
John.
Your battery tender lead should should have the hot shielded, and the ground bare;(coming from the battery), the lead from the tender should be the opposite. It should never short out on the bike if it is done this way, other than wires rubbing through on the bike. However, it does sound like a battery or loose lead to me. Good luck with it, and keep us posted. :)
I know I wired it according to the instructions. So it should be good then. I guess that's not the problem.
The new battery should arrive tomorrow.
The battery arrived today. I'm assuming it needs to be charged, but I have not put it on the charger yet. I'm reading that you need to have an AGM type charger or the higher charging voltages on non-AGM chargers )14.2v) will toast one of these batteries, or at least reduce the longevity. So now are we saying my Diehard 71222 charger is not good for this? Mine is the older 71222 without the AGM setting. The new ones come with that.
I also have a Battery Tender Plus and in the FAQ it says it will initially attempt a charge at 14.5v.
So now I have to go out and buy an AGM charger? What else do I have to do? File some forms in triplicate, pat my head and rub my belly at the same time as I am walking and chewing gum? Why so complicated? I'm just trying to put a new battery in.
It's not the voltage, per se that will kill the battery, it's amperage. The battery charger will only put out what the battery will accept. When I used a standard car charger for motorcycle batteries, I put a tail light bulb in series with the battery. It doesn't matter which terminal you choose, the bulb will act as a damper for the current. A side benefit is that the bulb will almost be out when the charge is complete....
Quote from: Troll on September 11, 2013, 18:08:28 PM
It's not the voltage, per se that will kill the battery, it's amperage. The battery charger will only put out what the battery will accept. When I used a standard car charger for motorcycle batteries, I put a tail light bulb in series with the battery. It doesn't matter which terminal you choose, the bulb will act as a damper for the current. A side benefit is that the bulb will almost be out when the charge is complete....
......now that's good intel....learn something new every day.
DC if you had a double twist 'stach this would not have happened......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 11, 2013, 19:41:22 PM
DC if you had a double twist 'stach this would not have happened......
I'm guessing I would be able to use the 'stachy as a shunt. I'm thinking when I glue on my Fu-Manchu, I can hook the charging cables to either side, just sit there in the lounge chair, and charge myself up for the day.
Quote from: Troll on September 11, 2013, 18:08:28 PM
It's not the voltage, per se that will kill the battery, it's amperage. The battery charger will only put out what the battery will accept. When I used a standard car charger for motorcycle batteries, I put a tail light bulb in series with the battery. It doesn't matter which terminal you choose, the bulb will act as a damper for the current. A side benefit is that the bulb will almost be out when the charge is complete....
I decided to put it on the Battery Tender Plus. The label on the battery says to charge it 1.2-2 amps for 5-10 hours. hmmm . . . kinda broad range there. I put it on last night until I had to go to bed. I didn't want to leave it on overnight. So when I took it off, after 4 hours, the red light was steady and the green light was blinking. When I get home from work today, I'll put it on the tender to charge again. Then I have to go out to the butcher for my follow up root canal appointment. Sorry, I meant dentist.. By the time I get back, the battery should be fully charged. We'll see what happens.
I'm going to take readings from the old battery. First, just sitting there, then with the bike running, if the bike will even start again. Then I'll pull it and put the new battery in and we'll see what happens. This is all assuming I'm in a sane state after this second root canal appointment. The first one didn't go so well. I've had a few of them in the past, and they were tolerable, but this last one, last month, was over the top. So I'm telling the guy to gas me this time. I told him last time when things were going horribly wrong half way through, when he hit an unknown raw exposed nerve that I should have been gassed ahead of time.
Okay, I just found this on the Battery Tender site.
"In calendar year 1999, Deltran introduced the Battery Tender® Plus into the marketplace. The main reason was that many more AGM style lead acid batteries were being used in a variety of power sports engine start applications. Many of the answers to the following questions directed at the Batter Tender Plus battery charger also apply to the original Battery Tender® battery charger as well as other chargers from Deltran in the Battery Tender® product line."
So I should be fine with charging it on that.
I came home from the root canal and it was still charging. After having some relaxing beverages, I checked it again right before I turned in for the evening. At that point, it was about 80% charged according to the blinking green light. So I decided to just leave it on overnight. This morning I checked on it, and it was fully charged. So I pulled the power on the charger. When I get home from work today, I'll pull the old battery, put the new one in, and hope for the best.
The Battery Tender will charge AND store the battery, so you don't have to worry about overcharging etc. You can leave it on all the time if you want. That's what I do in the winter when there are weeks between rides.
All good info above, but will add this:
- don't have pigtails for charging the battery in place, but agree they should be shielded(covered) when not in use, so they do not drain the battery.
- the easiest thing to do when you suspect the battery(and I do) is to try to charge it, like you did....after that, take it out and take it somewhere that they can put a load check on it....auto zone, battery warehouse, etc.
- while it's out...batteries are marked with date of manufacture...if it's older than you think...it's probably done....if it drops a cell (which it can do without warning), regardless of the reason..it's also done.
Look forward to a good result....
So here's the latest . . . . .
The new battery was completely charged as of Friday. Before I pulled the old battery out, I took some readings as follows:
OLD BATTERY
- Bike not running = 12.82v
- Bike running = 14.34v - 14.46v
- Disconnected from bike = 13.16v
Then I installed the new battery.
NEW BATTERY
- Bike running = 14.5v
After installing, I started it up without any click, click, click, and it was off and running. So I took the bike for a good healthy ride, to give it some exercise. Again, this was Friday.
Saturday I did not run the bike, but kept it on the Battery Tender Plus(tm) overnight.
Sunday morning, I go to take it for a ride. Press the starter, then click, click, click. It did not start. Pressed it again, then a couple of clicks and it turned over fine.
So now it's not a battery problem? ???
I'm assuming you purchased an appropriately spec'd battery.
If it was on the tender, it would have to be a massive parasitic power drain to exceed the charging capacity of the tender - or a problem with the connection. It sounds like it might be a power connection problem.
http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/drifterparts.html
It's almost the same exact battery that was in there to begin with, spec'd as an upgrade to the stock battery.
The original was a Yuasa YTX20CH-BS. The replacement was the Motorpsort version of the Yuasa.
Sounds like you most certainly have a connection problem.
If you have 14.5 running, then the battery is charging (i.e. your charging system is working).
If you have 12.5-13 V not running and/or disconnected, then that indicates a charged battery (but not necessarily a GOOD battery)
You need to check the connections on the starter. You could have a loose wire, or corrosion problem. Look for a connection that looks like it's been hot - discoloration, melted plastic, etc.
Say,.... what's the odds of a guy calling himself "DC", having a battery problem??
Must be a guy on a refrigerator forum going by "AC" having a wiring problem, I suppose... ::)
Quote from: chief on September 15, 2013, 19:06:14 PM
It sounds like it might be a power connection problem.
Quote from: greenbarn on September 15, 2013, 20:53:55 PM
Sounds like you most certainly have a connection problem.
If you have 14.5 running, then the battery is charging (i.e. your charging system is working).
If you have 12.5-13 V not running and/or disconnected, then that indicates a charged battery (but not necessarily a GOOD battery)
You need to check the connections on the starter. You could have a loose wire, or corrosion problem. Look for a connection that looks like it's been hot - discoloration, melted plastic, etc.
Dumb question, but how do I get to where that's connected? Do I have to remove any side covers?
Not positive on the 1500. On my 800 its in the front, under and behind the lower radiator mount, right next to the road - = subject to corrosion. It looks like a small electric motor.
The relay is the under the right side cover, towards the rear and should have a pretty beefy cable attached. The relay also houses the main fuse. The starter motor is between the front of the engine and the lower part of the radiator. This design uses a relay for current switching, and a roller clutch on the starter that is constantly engaged, but freewheels when the engine is running...it has no "solenoid" in the automotive sense of the word. Check for loose main cable at the starter, and the relay, but there is also a ground wire from the battery to the frame to the engine. If the ground cable is loose at either connection, you will get a significant power loss. Putting power from your battery with a jumper cable, directly into the terminal on the starter will get the motor to crank the engine. The starter relay does this for you at the push of button
Thanks Troll. I will pull the cover and check out the connections.
If you have fitted an AGM battery it has two round screw in plates on the top, one for + and one for - you have to screw the adaptor into these before you can attach the ground and live wires, the adaptor can work loose without you noticing it, leaving the connectors and leads tight..I would start there because if one of the connectors is loose the resistance will not allow enough current to reach the starter motor..
Next is the starter solenoid behind the right cover..one of the battery leads goes straight to that if that is loose the same thing happens..
Now imagine the starter solenoid is an ordinary switch..when it is in the 'start' position that battery lead connects across to the only other thick wire connected to the solenoid..after checking that the wires are tight in their solenoid connectors you can bridge the two connectors with a thick piece of wire..If the solenoid is faulty the starter will turn the engine over even with the ignition switched off..If that happens you need to replace the solenoid and at least clean the contacts..If the starter does not turn the engine over you need to check the starter motor connection which is quite a job on these bikes..it is possible that the motor needs removing and to do this you should have to remove the radiator.
Starter motors can be damaged in all sorts of ways..A poor connection can cause the voltage to arc and overheat the wiring, brushes wear out and the brush holder can slip against the commutator and damage that, bearing wear can cause the rotor to sieze and short against the stator..
All in all it's not as difficult as it sounds and a loose connection is usually the cause..
John.
Quote from: John Hopkins on September 16, 2013, 11:27:13 AM
Now imagine the starter solenoid is an ordinary switch..when it is in the 'start' position that battery lead connects across to the only other thick wire connected to the solenoid..after checking that the wires are tight in their solenoid connectors you can bridge the two connectors with a thick piece of wire..If the solenoid is faulty the starter will turn the engine over even with the ignition switched off..If that happens you need to replace the solenoid and at least clean the contacts..If the starter does not turn the engine over you need to check the starter motor connection which is quite a job on these bikes..it is possible that the motor needs removing and to do this you should have to remove the radiator.
John.
MAKE SURE the bike is in Neutral - If you jump the relay/solenoid you will bypass the keyswitch and ALSO THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH. It will start in gear.....
Quote from: Troll on September 16, 2013, 08:05:54 AM
The relay is the under the right side cover, towards the rear and should have a pretty beefy cable attached. The relay also houses the main fuse. The starter motor is between the front of the engine and the lower part of the radiator. This design uses a relay for current switching, and a roller clutch on the starter that is constantly engaged, but freewheels when the engine is running...it has no "solenoid" in the automotive sense of the word. Check for loose main cable at the starter, and the relay, but there is also a ground wire from the battery to the frame to the engine. If the ground cable is loose at either connection, you will get a significant power loss. Putting power from your battery with a jumper cable, directly into the terminal on the starter will get the motor to crank the engine. The starter relay does this for you at the push of button
Okay, I'm not sure which right side cover you mean. Do you mean the small one inside the larger cover with the socket hex cap screws (3 or 4 round head ones, I can't tell)? Or do you mean the entire right side cover with the oil filler cap on it? I know this sounds dumb (I'm not sure how it's constructed) but won't all the oil come out if I take the entire cover off?
To get either off, it looks like I would have to remove the highway bars, floor board, bracket, one or more of the exhaust pipes, and a bunch of other stuff. Is this right? I tried undoing one of the socket hex cap screws but it seems frozen and if put much more oomph behind it, I'm afraid of stripping the head out.
Are there pics of the innards under that cover anywhere?
The plastic side cover with the single chrome screw holding it. The coolant reserve tank and all the electrics are hiding back there.
Quote from: Troll on September 16, 2013, 20:28:29 PM
The plastic side cover with the single chrome screw holding it. The coolant reserve tank and all the electrics are hiding back there.
Okay, I figgered that out, when I went back out in the garage. Thanks.
Not that it matters, but I also figgered out how to take everything off the left side. :o Just curious as to where everything went.
But anyway, here's what I found. The connection from the battery to that relay block is rock solid. Then I happened to see the negative black going to the engine block. I touched it and it was loose. So I figgered, before tightening it up, I would take the screw out, clean up the inside face and also clean up the round loop connector. There was some corrosion on each, but not much. But I sanded them until they shined. So now I know when they are in contact, there is a good connection. When I had the screw out, I noticed some curly wire around the screw. . . almost like an attempt at a makeshift helicoil. Hmmm. . . Anyway, I figgered time to put it back on and test. As I'm trying to tighten it up, it just keeps spinning but not tightening. I'm not even giving it much muscle. Now it's starting to make sense. Someone else had an issue with it coming loose, tried to make a helicoil to tighten the fit, and I guess it worked for a while. Well, it doesn't anymore.
So the head is a 10mm. How do I size a helicoil for this? It's been too many years, I can't remember, since I worked in a shop. Do I need to drill and tap, or just fit the next size up? What would I get? I can't see drilling that out. There's just no room.
And yes, I did test it out after tightening it up. Started first time. no clickety click. But I think the jury is still out, until I can firmly button down that negative on the engine block.
10 mm head is M6.
(https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noblefix.com%2Fhelicoil%2Fimages%2Fdrill-chart2.jpg&hash=ecd1c8d5485384491188bd9063ec49afa92b2d33)
Is there any other place on the block you could connect to.
You just have to establish a good ground.
aralph
Is the helicoil the way to go, or is there something else I can do with the screw that would create enough grip in the hole?
I'll also try to scope out another grounding point on the block.
Quote from: aralph on September 17, 2013, 05:32:43 AM
Is there any other place on the block you could connect to.
You just have to establish a good ground.
aralph
This is the easiest option - in order to put in a helicoil, you would have to drill out the existing hole, and tap it to the size of the helicoil. Then the helicoil screws into the hole, giving you new threads on the inside of the coil. NOT a good option if you can't get to it to drill it out. You may have to extend the cable, and move it to a new location. LIke aralph said, just about anywhere on the block would work.
Electricity is extremely logical. It will only go if it can get back...and the ground path is how. The engine ground is only necessary because the engine is rubber mounted. Saw the braided cable on a Harley come loose like that going down the road. Stopped right there.... I believe I mentioned that ground problem possibility..glad to know my brain is still working. Choosing an alternate bolt to attach to seems to be the easiest, quickest solution.
I guess that's what I'll have to try then. So I'll find a location, then go out and get a cable long enough to reach it.
Before I do that, I'm wondering if I could wrap the bolt threads with some thin metal, to try to get a better grip. Something like aluminum foil, but not aluminum, as mixing it with copper can cause problems.
You might, just might, be able to find a self-tapping bolt to fit. You would have to take the original to a HW store. I would not try this unless that's the only purpose for the hole (i.e. just a ground strap, not holding anything else on). Keep in mind most threads are "stripped" from aluminum b/c of over-tightening and/or cross threading, but mostly over-tightening.
Quote from: greenbarn on September 17, 2013, 11:38:37 AM
You might, just might, be able to find a self-tapping bolt to fit. You would have to take the original to a HW store. I would not try this unless that's the only purpose for the hole (i.e. just a ground strap, not holding anything else on). Keep in mind most threads are "stripped" from aluminum b/c of over-tightening and/or cross threading, but mostly over-tightening.
I'm going to Lowe's tonight to try to find a self-tapping bolt.
Last night I tried something I heard elsewhere. I cut up some paper clips and tried to use them as grip material for the bolt. Basically, the paper clip metal is too soft or won't stay in place. I worked on that for a couple of hours last night, to no avail.
Then I tried using a larger bolt in the hole, but it was too big. It looks like a 1/4 20 might work in there.
So on to the self-tapping bolt idea.
Loc-tite used to sell a product called "thread restore" or something like that. I had a harmonic balancer fail on a 454 chev engine; when I changed it, the threads in the end of the crank shaft failed. Anyway, I tried the loc-tite stuff, it said would give 80% strength of the original thread. Put a release agent on the bolt, filled the end of the crankshaft and coated the bolt with the Loc-tite stuff, put it in, waited overnight. Unscrewed the bolt, cleaned everything up and pulled the balancer on with it. If you tyr this, just make sure you clean the engine case to bare metal where the connector sits when the bolt is tight after using the Loc-tite stuff.
Okay, here's the latest. Yesterday I went to Lowe's and got a metric bolt and a lag bolt, in a larger size. Thought about it a while, then bagged using those. Went to the hardware store today. Explained everything to an old guy there. He methodically zeroed in on how to fix this.. . . pretty much what you are all saying.
First get a self-tapping screw the next size, 1/4 20. Then we got a 1/4 20 bolt. So I used the self-tapping screw to clear a way in and make new threads. Then I used the 1/4 bolt in place of the original M6. I had to use some washers underneath the head to reduce the effective length, since it was a bit longer than the M6. Put it all together and tightened it up. Works great!!!!!
Started right up. No clickety click. So far. Went on a chilly ride for about 2 hours running errands. I'm deliberately NOT going to put in on the Battery Tender Plus(tm) for a week or so.. I want to determine if there is something draining the battery when the bike is off. If no clickety click after a week or 2, then it was just the loose ground cable causing the problem.
So now what do I do with the original battery, which apparently is still good?
I think you found your problem.
How old is the old batt anyway?
You could try to sell one of the batteries.
Or you could keep the new one safe and warm and dry, and use the old one until it does crap out, as it will sooner or later.
The old battery is from 2008. Maybe I could try selling it on CL locally.
A car battery from '08 is pretty old! Most H-D types get a year or 2 tops out of a battery...
If it were mine, I wouldn't bother to try to do anything with a 2008 battery. 5 years is a long life for a battery. That's like 72 in human years. Like Troll says, even in a car that's about average for battery life. Right now at the shop we're replacing batteries from a lot of 2007, 2008, and some 2009's already.
WOW 1908 think you should replace it Mr. Benny, Sir time to let it go and get a new one.....
Keep the old battery fully charged, you never know when you might need it, even if it only helps someone else get home..
John.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 21, 2013, 15:38:55 PM
WOW 1908 think you should replace it Mr. Benny, Sir time to let it go and get a new one.....
On that note, what I was thinking to do to keep from using my battery on start-ups was to have one of those gerbil exercise wheels hooked up to a small generator motor. When I want to start my bike, I lure the gerbil into the treadmill wheel with some food and he starts running. This, in turn, will rotate the shaft on the generator, thus creating the 12v I need for start-up. Once I get the bike started, I give the gerbil a treat so he doesn't have to run anymore. This way I can make my battery last longer from not having to use it for start ups at home. I haven't yet figgered a way to bring the gerbil and treadmill with me for start ups when on the road.
Quote from: DC on September 23, 2013, 07:01:52 AM
On that note, what I was thinking to do to keep from using my battery on start-ups was to have one of those gerbil exercise wheels hooked up to a small generator motor. When I want to start my bike, I lure the gerbil into the treadmill wheel with some food and he starts running. This, in turn, will rotate the shaft on the generator, thus creating the 12v I need for start-up. Once I get the bike started, I give the gerbil a treat so he doesn't have to run anymore. This way I can make my battery last longer from not having to use it for start ups at home. I haven't yet figgered a way to bring the gerbil and treadmill with me for start ups when on the road.
Just park on top of a hill. Gerbil food costs money...
and we now have heard from Scrooge McDuck.......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 23, 2013, 16:31:17 PM
and we now have heard from Scrooge McDuck.......
A guy's gotta learn to save where he can, gotta pay for toys SOMEHOW. On the other hand, if I had all your money, I could burn mine...