Not starting no display unless jump packed

notoriusb.e.n

notoriusb.e.n

Active member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
123
Reaction score
100
Location
Chesterfield
Morning.

On Friday, went for a long ride, pulled in for a quick drink of water and then the bike wouldn't restart. Turned the key, fuel pump noise, pressed the button and "clack" and a dead screen.

Hooked up my boost pack which I take everywhere with me and managed to get it to start using that and got home safe.

Went to start it yesterday morning and same again, turn ignition key, everything lights up all looks good, press starter and "clack" dead screen.

I'd have jumped it and took it to a garage but it turns out my number plate has also fallen off on Friday, so I'm waiting for the replacement to turn up before I try and take it anywhere.

So just running through likely candidates for the issue:

1) Battery - This is what I'm thinking, but its kept hooked up to an optimate each night, used regularly, and when it failed I had just done 60-odd miles of spirited riding, so I would have assumed the battery is being kept healthy and topped up by the optimate.

2) Fuses - but then why would I be able to "boost" it and it start and ride perfectly normal?

3) Charging system - I don't know enough about this to know what it could be. Same thing though, the fact I can get it to start on a boost pack, and that its showing green/green on my optimate each morning as fully charged and healthy.

Just looking for ideas from learned experienced owners who could have been through this and help me identify what it could be, whether i can possibly fix myself or if it needs garage intervention.

Thanks
Ben
 
Ok so replace battery. That I can live with, I'll get one ordered. Any ideas what could have caused it to die so suddenly?

I'm using an optimate 3 to keep it charged and maintained, it gets connected back up each night - is it normal for a Motobatt to die in about a year? or is it just "one of them things" - I know it probably sounds daft to you lot that know better but I was worried it might be something serious. If its just a battery and that's it, I'm happy as long as I get more than a year out of the next one.
 
I had an odyssey battery last 11 years.
My motobatt had been on ever since I replaced the Odyssey.
About 6 years I think.
My bike has never been kept on a trickle charger, ever.
Even in winter.
I'll give it a quick boost around the end of January. I don't ride it Dec, Jan and february.
Read into that what you will.

My other 4 bikes are never on a charger there and their batteries are healthy too.
 
Thanks Gazza, well I had it on the optimate because it kept going flat if I didn't ride it for a few days, so was needing to use a boost pack to start it, (previously kept in an unpowered garage so my bikes always went flat over winter, now I have power in there), and I thought optimates were meant to be good kit that kept the battery healthy. Since I put it on the optimate it always started every morning and I thought i'd cracked it, till it did this.

Is it possible that leaving it on charge all the time It's killed it? or that it was already knackered and the optimate has just been masking the issue? I did ask the garage that serviced the bike in May, to test it and they said the battery was showing healthy.
 
I hate trickle chargers. Everyone treats them like a magic bullet that will keep any battery in perfect condition.

The real truth is that they can show a green LED saying a battery is charged, despite that battery have little to no remaining capacity, which is no measure of charge of a degraded battery.

Just because the battery tender tells you it’s good with a green light doesn’t mean it is.

If you were down South I could put my drop tester on your battery and show you just how fucked it really is.
 
Thanks, that's what I was thinking reading the replies above, so basically its sounding like I had a fucked battery from being left sat in the cold for the winter months, that was then masked by the charger for a bit, but now has decided its too fucked to keep going without being shocked by the booster. Which in itself can't be doing it much good, either.

ordered a battery from nippy normans anyway so will try that and see what's what. I can always keep the optimate and just put it on in winter time when its really bloody cold or if I need to leave it parked up for longer periods rather than just putting it on every night. might be kept a bit warmer now its in a different building as well so that might help.
 
I believe that “Optimates” are best used intermittently to keep batteries charged, rather than just leaving it to trickle/absorb.

I know how they are MEANT to work but I’ve had a failed battery on a tender device myself many years ago, once I used the battery tender intermittently I’ve had no further issues.

Interestingly, if your battery is an AGM type, you need an AGM compatible battery tender such as a CTEK MultiXS 3600 or its newer version.
 
My last motobatt battery came with a 2 year warranty from Tanya. 1 year and 11 months in it failed, sent it back to Tanya and they replaced it under warranty with no quibble.
 
I agree the battery tender idea being a bad one. Known a few vehicle batteries that have been ruined on trickle chargers. You will probably need to look into why it is going flat after a few days to truly solve the problem.
 
notoriusb.e.n said:
Ok so replace battery. That I can live with, I'll get one ordered. Any ideas what could have caused it to die so suddenly?

I'm using an optimate 3 to keep it charged and maintained, it gets connected back up each night - is it normal for a Motobatt to die in about a year? or is it just "one of them things" - I know it probably sounds daft to you lot that know better but I was worried it might be something serious. If its just a battery and that's it, I'm happy as long as I get more than a year out of the next one.
Click to expand...
WHY on a charger/maintainer, ALL The time????

Stick it on a couple of times a month

But if you have something draining that much power that it flattens your battery there is a bad drain or it was never charged correctly in the first place

LINKY
 
Replacement number plate fitted and whaddya know...flashing red test light on optimate. Battery is most certainly knackered then. I do prefer when hooves mean horses not zebras.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bike not starting no fuel pump whine
Replies
19
Views
4,607
TLSgazza
TLSgazza
Help- R1150GSA not starting - no cranking - battery good.
Replies
5
Views
1,854
dcd87
kallie121
R80GS not starting (North London)
Replies
14
Views
2,569
kallie121
kallie121
RSavage
'99 1150GS starting/not starting + battery charging/not charging
Replies
5
Views
1,880
RSavage
RSavage


Back
Top Bottom