Hi all, Just got back from a week away and on firing up my 749, on the dash says battery voltage is 12v even though its been on optimiser. When fired up raised to 13.9. Would you agree batt is dead? thanks all
Sounds low to me, should be around 14.3-14.5 on the dash when the engine is running and no lights, etc are on. May.be 0.2V lower with lights. Did the engine fire up OK? If it did, maybe the battery is OK and there's an issue with the on-board voltmeter. Hope not! Better that the battery is fried. How old is it? Someone with real knowledge will be along soon
Thanks Loz, don't really know how old battery is only had the bike a few months, seeing as no receipt in history think gonna change as matter of course. just wanted a few opinions hoping not going to be any other major issue.
My 749 Shows between 11,6 and 11,9 depending on how long since last ride. 11,6 was with a break on 14 days. When it is running it says 13,9 / 14,0 all the time with lights on.. Never have had any trouble starting it. Lowest it has been down is 11,4 and it started... So i do not think the battery is dead yet ;-)
Don't think you got any probs. 12v and 13.5+ is ok. Extra earth -ve will improve charge if not already done.
Thanks guys, hopefully weather hold off for a couple of days and go for a spin, see how it goes. Save the money and spend on some goodies.......
Seeing how it goes is usually the best option before, perhaps necessarily, splashing out on a new battery. It may be worth using a multimeter to check the readings against what the dash says too. There can be a fir bit of variation - at the moment I'm monitoring two identical sized YTX9-BS batteries in two separate bikes, and one reads 12.7 after a charge, the other 12.3 or so (both show higher values for a while after the charger has been disconnected, but before the bike has been started or left to stand). I have suspicions that the 12.3V one will need replacing some time soon, but it's certainly still usable.
checked again today, on initial turn of key 13v, but within seconds drops to around 12.6. thankfully one push of the starter and a little choke and fires up sweet as a nut. maybe see how goes over summer and get new one later on. i have heard rightly or wrongly that if battery not up to scratch can strip the teeth of the starter!! Anyway weather seems to be drying lovely, three days off and i can't wait to stretch me legs.
like i said choke....... as advised to use when starting from cold in users manual..... can't believe my 1978 fiesta supersport had a 'fast idle lever'..........
It also had carburettors. All the lever does is increase the RPM. I don't touch the thing on both of my bikes.
When I bought mine the garage gave me this advice on cold starting. Press the starter and let the engine spin over a few times then introduce the fast idle gradually until it fires. Their reasoning being, if you let the engine build up a bit of momentum before moving the cold start lever it gives the battery, starter and sprag clutch an easier time. Maybe that`s true, maybe not, all I know is it seems to work for my bike. I only have to move the lever 1/2" or so. Once she`s warm, it`s just a push of the button with no throttle and away we go. I could see this starting procedure being more relevant to a bike with carbs, my 900ss would turn over a lot slower with full choke than without. Oh yes, for the OP, my bike is on an Optimate4 in the garage and I have 14.1 or .2 when running with lights on.
With a new Yuasa, Hi Cap cables and iridium plugs, my 999 fires up almost immediately when cold and absolutely immediately when warm. When it's cold, it fires readily but may take a couple of stabs before it will settle into an idle. When warm, it just bursts into life. Resistance in the starting circuit seems to not leave enough juice for the ignition circuit. Take away that resistance and the bike's starting is totally transformed.
