Flat

[smartbear]

After 6 years good service I felt my original gs battery was getting past it's best so I got a new bosche one from hellfrauds
After sitting in my garage for one week it was totally drained!
Changed with no quibble and new one fitted again, one week later-that's right flat as a fart. Wtf is going on here?

 

[cookie]

you've got a constant drain somewhere on your bike electrics.

 

[smartbear]

that would be a bit of a coincidence as i never had a problem before with the old battery,i changed it as a precautionary move before i got caught out by the original going bad!
i did have my sat-nav plugged into the power socket by the seat but i know this turns off shortly after the ignition is off as my sat nav tells me "external power lost"
both times the voltage has dropped to aprox 4v & unable to illuminate dash?

 

[Spike]

Unplug the sat nav charge the battery and see what happens.

Did you leave the sat nav plugged in with the old battery????

spike

 

[smartbear]

no, i usually leave it disconnected-as i mentioned does turn of with the key though-think both times its happened the bike has been on steering lock, i cant recall this incorporating a parking light i havent noticed?
Anybody shed any light (pun) on this?

 

[littleredrooster]

You did charge the battery up before you left it standing, didn't you? Batteries don't come fully charged...

 

[Fanum]

no, i usually leave it disconnected-as i mentioned does turn of with the key though-think both times its happened the bike has been on steering lock, i cant recall this incorporating a parking light i havent noticed?
Anybody shed any light (pun) on this?

There are two positions for the steering lock......one locks the bars, the other one (the furthest one around from full on) locks the bars and leaves the rear light on (and I think, a light on the dash, but I couldnt swear to that.)

The parking light is quite hard to see, particularly if you have a topbox on and it's sunny or something.

 

[Mr K]

There are two positions for the steering lock......one locks the bars, the other one (the furthest one around from full on) locks the bars and leaves the rear light on (and I think, a light on the dash, but I couldnt swear to that.)

The parking light is quite hard to see, particularly if you have a topbox on and it's sunny or something.

Not on a 1200. You have to push the LH indicator switch for 3 seconds after you switch the ignition off (don't ask - it's a burden we bare)...or was it the RH switch...

 

[Fanum]

Not on a 1200. You have to push the LH indicator switch for 3 seconds after you switch the ignition off (don't ask - it's a burden we bare)...or was it the RH switch...

I humble myself in your presence Mr K.

You are correct, and it's either button

LINKY TO SOME "TRICKS"

 

[smartbear]

You did charge the battery up before you left it standing, didn't you? Batteries don't come fully charged...

i charged it with my optimate for a day or two before i used the bike, i certainly didnt press either of the indicator buttons after putting on the steering lock so i guess that rules out the parking light coming on.
its on charge again now (hope the discharge hasnt knackered it) il try it tomorrow to check for mystery lights coming on.
regards

 

[Fanum]

Presumably you have a multi-meter? (under a tenner from ebay, or your neighbour will have one)


Make sure everything is off (EG GPS, parking lights, autocom or whatever)
Disconnect the battery positive terminal, set your Multi meter to amps and put it inbetween the terminal and the end of the lead you took off.

You shouldn't get a draw or more than about 50ma, which will be the clock. (that's just a guess, but it'll be way below that I imagine, or a GS battery would be flattened in 2 days by the clock ))

If it's more than that, you know you have something draining the battery when it shouldn't be

 

[smartbear]

Presumably you have a multi-meter? (under a tenner from ebay, or your neighbour will have one)


Make sure everything is off (EG GPS, parking lights, autocom or whatever)
Disconnect the battery positive terminal, set your Multi meter to amps and put it inbetween the terminal and the end of the lead you took off.

You shouldn't get a draw or more than about 50ma, which will be the clock. (that's just a guess, but it'll be way below that I imagine, or a GS battery would be flattened in 2 days by the clock ))

If it's more than that, you know you have something draining the battery when it shouldn't be

Thanks for the info, i shall give it a try tomorrow

 

[Engineer]

After 6 years good service I felt my original gs battery was getting past it's best so I got a new bosche one from hellfrauds
After sitting in my garage for one week it was totally drained!
Changed with no quibble and new one fitted again, one week later-that's right flat as a fart. Wtf is going on here?

Sat Nav can drain the battery - it happened to me. I believe that the sat nav cradle power supply holds up the voltage on the accessory socket for a while after the socket has turned off - especially if the sat nav is turned off - there could be a largish capacitor on the input to the regulator - if the power supply is held up when the bike is switched off, the electronics in the bike thinks that you have plugged in a charger, this keeps the bike electronics 'alive' and drains the battery.

I keep meaning to put a series diode and a bleed resistor in the sat nave cradle plug but haven't got around to it yet. Unplug the sat nav and see if the battery stays charged.

 

[smartbear]

i had the sat-nav unplugged from the cradle but the cradle transformer plugged into the bike power socket so no power drain possible into the sat-nav but maybe the transformer is sapping the power?

 

[Engineer]

i had the sat-nav unplugged from the cradle but the cradle transformer plugged into the bike power socket so no power drain possible into the sat-nav but maybe the transformer is sapping the power?

I don't think the transformer/regulator actually saps power from the battery, but rather the bikes electronics being fooled into thinking there is a charger plugged in because the sat nav cradle 'holds up' the voltage on the socket as the accessory socket turns off. If the bike thinks there is a battery charger plugged in it then the bikes electronics are kept live at some low level (to monitor the charging?) and it is the bikes electronics that actually drain the battery.

It has happened twice to me when the bike was left for a week after switching off with no sat nav in the cradle. My dealer tested the battery both times and found no problem with the battery

Interestingly this never happened on my 2005 bike but does on my 2010 twin cam. It is very confusing! but it hasn't happened since as I unplug the cable from the accessory socket when I park up the bike for more than a day or so.

My sat nav is a Garmin Quest II and cradle.

P.S. I measured the current drain of the cradle at work while running it from a bench power supply and it is negligible maybe a few micro-amps which would take years to drain a battery

 

[smartbear]

after a charge on the optimate the battery has been fine using it the last few days, it seems that even if your sat nav is not connected, leaving the cradle hooked up to the accessory socket is enough to completely flatten the bikes battery over a week or so.
Mine is a 56reg bike if thats helpfull
Thanks for the advice

 

[Blackal]

So - it appears that it is your Satnav which is draining the battery?

Halfords exchanged the first one without a quibble........... but you insist on calling them Hellfrauds.............

That grips my shit

Al

 

[Spike]

after a charge on the optimate the battery has been fine using it the last few days, it seems that even if your sat nav is not connected, leaving the cradle hooked up to the accessory socket is enough to completely flatten the bikes battery over a week or so.
Mine is a 56reg bike if thats helpfull
Thanks for the advice

Can I say I told you so

Pleased you got it sorted.

spike

 

[smartbear]

i have personal reasons from previous dealings to give me my opinion on halfords, i presume i am allowed an opinion?
Without knowing all the facts maybe its not wise to conjector.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Best thing with a sat nav is to wire it straight into the bike via the plug by the headstock