Hello all,
Been a lurker for a while, but am having a problem with my 2011 that I'm hoping to get some feedback with. Long story short, stopped for gas on the way to work and when attempting to start the bike it acted as if the battery was dead (thumbing the starter cause the instrument panel to dim and throw various errors about FI, Immobilizer and KTRC…unfortunately I noticed no error code #). It's done this before, but usually switching it off and waiting a second or two it would fire up normally. No go this time and progressively got worse the more times I retried; I believe that at this point I was just draining the battery. Eventually I got a tow and the bike is now sitting in my garage on the trickle charger.
Since I’ve had it home, the behavior has changed a bit. When it was first fully charged the dash would light up normally (both left red and oil light, dials would spin, etc), but once I hit the ignition switch I’d get nothing but a rapid clicking noise coming from the tank area and an alternating errors on the display: KTRC and K-ACT ABS error.
Strangely, since getting the battery tested (it’s good) the bike is now acting differently. Now when I turn it on the display takes a moment before illuminating and pressing the starter I hear a click and the dash goes dark with only the oil light faintly illuminated (along with Neutral). Turning off the key nob and back on repeats the same behavior.
For the record, the bike is a 2011 with 22k some odd miles (I bought two years ago in Nov with under 7000 miles) . I installed a new battery in January, and just had it load tested resulting in a healthy status. Also, all fuses appear to be intact and functional. Lastly, I performed a diode test on the Voltage Regulator/rectifier having had bad experience with failure on my last bike, a Triumph Sprint ST, but it appears sound.
Any suggestions on what might be the problem or next steps I should take in troubleshooting? Thanks in advance!
When you help Lurkers, they do not have the decency to report back
I don’t get on here near as much as I did when I first got my Connie. I was coming on here to ask basically the same question as OP. I went to go for a short ride yesterday and when I hit the starter everything went completely dead. Shutting off the key reset it but it repeated this behavior. I figured low battery so this afternoon I hooked up my charger but it wasn’t showing any current draw. I checked battery with a volt meter and it showed 14.4v on the charger and 13.8v by itself. I know the negative cable grounds right by the battery. Can you give me locations elsewhere on the bike I should check/clean? I was thinking maybe at the starter could use a cleaning. VirginiaJim mentioned a multiple ground connector in the harness. Can you point me to this area. Maybe I disturbed something earlier in the year when I had to work on my ABS unit?
Thanks, Matt
I don’t know how much load I put on it but it wasn’t much, probably less than 1/2 amp. It immediately dropped to about 8.8 volts so it must have a dead cell in it.
I guess I’ll be heading to the bike shop for a new battery on Wednesday after work.
This one is a Yuasa which I thought was pretty decent. Other preferred batteries?
Yep
Sometimes it doesn't take a lot of load. I will test a battery voltage by connecting the largest 12V incandecent bulb I can find lying around. But that is still not enough load for many battery problems.
Nothing is what it used to be. Did you allow to battery to sit, discharged or low-charged for a long period of time? That can cause failure. If it sulfated some and since it is not old, it MIGHT be possible to "resurrect" the battery with a de-sulfating procedure. But since yours is SO new, it sounds like some other type of failure. You might/should have a warranty, but those often are useless because shipping charges, pro-rating, hassle, long waits, and risk make it not worth using (and they know it).
Until last time, I have always used Yuasa. This is what I bought last, a year ago, and the price is actually still the same (which is amazing):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E0GHUWU
YTX14-BS ATV Battery- Rechargeable, Factory sealed; free shipping, shipped AND sold by Amazon.
So far, it has worked fine, although it has a non-standard top. The Concours' top plastic piece will NOT snap down over it so I just left it loose. I do keep it on a trickle charger between rides (and typically ride 1 to 2 times a week most of the year).
The main failure points for the C-14's main electrical system are the two connections to the battery, and the two heavy ground lines connected to the frame just in front of the battery box. All four can be looked at / cleaned and tightened w/out removing any fairing or anything else.
There are internal ground clusters 'here and there' around the bike but I have not heard of any of those failing in any way. They are crimped and sealed connections and so are not subject to either mechanical loosening or corrosion that the exposed connections on and around the battery are.
Best of luck.
Brian
I have heard of those ground clusters corroding and having issues but it's typically in a non-dry environment such as the British Isles or near a coast.
I have heard of those ground clusters corroding and having issues but it's typically in a non-dry environment such as the British Isles or near a coast.