Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C10, aka Kawasaki Concours - The Original => The Bike - C10 => Topic started by: Robo3 on May 13, 2022, 09:54:16 AM
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I have a 1997 Kawasaki Concours zg1000 and my battery drains after about 3 or 4 rides to work and back. Please help me I am stumped as to what it could be
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Welcome, Robo3. It could be A LOT of things. The three most likely things without any more info are; old battery, parasitic drain, defunct charging system.
Where are you located? How old is the battery? How are you re-charging it? How far is your ride to work and back? Do you have a multimeter?
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It happened to me twice now once on the way home from work last week and it happened again last night pulling in to my work parking lot and I had to leave it there because I didn't want to push it home. My work is about 20 blocks away from my apartment building.
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Did the bike die while running? That's a pretty good indicator that there's something wrong with the charging system.
Check this out: http://zggtr.org/index.php?topic=3974
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Yes it lost power and stalled then it wouldn't start.
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Definitely sounds like a charging issue. Check your alternator connections and output voltage.
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As said above, check your battery cables for good connections/damage. They must be CLEAN and TIGHT.
Another common point of failure is the plastic connector between the alternator and the bike's wiring harness, located about 6 to 8 inches from the alternator. Moisture gets into it and causes corrosion/high resistance. Easiest fix is to cut out the connector and just solder the wires together. There is no need for a quick-disconnector in a circuit that is likely to be disconnected and reconnected perhap twice in the life of the motorcycle.
Also, suggest remove and INSPECT every fuse and associated retaining clips in the fuse box. I had a fuse socket clip get loose once, and the resistance caused it to overheat and melt the fuse box. Since then I carry a spare fuse box assembly on the bike at all times. It takes about two minutes to swap out the whole thing if it quits away from home. These fuse boxes have a reputation also for bad solder joints cracking and causing electrical problems. Search the forum for threads about resoldering the fuse boxes.
Even if there is some other cause to your problem, like just a bad battery or failed alternator, fixing the above system weaknesses is a good idea to prevent future problems.
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I am hoping it is just the regulator/rectifier not something more drastic that I can't fix myself.
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The Rec-Reg is inside the Alternator and it is very rare that it dies.
Far more common is that connector that Nosmo mentions. I have had to replace it on ALL of my four C10s.
I replaced mine with 60Amp rated Terminal Block connectors and then wrapped them up in self-amalgamating tape.
Since then, none of them have had problems.
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Is there anyone else out there that can help me because I have tried everything and my battery drains after about 3 days after changing it.
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Do you have a voltmeter?
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Yes I have a voltmeter and I have checked every wire possible and still can't figure it out that is why I am asking for help because I tried everything.
Going to get my battery load tested and hopefully it is just the battery with a few dead cells.
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Everyone is looking for a solution but failing to see the problem.
The OP starts his bike, rides 20 blocks to work and shuts it down.
At 35 MPH, 20 blocks should take a little over 2 minutes.
To recharge a battery after starting a bike needs to run about 40
minutes. Repeatedly starting without sufficient time to replenish
is simply running the battery down.
The simplest solution, if possible, would be to connect it to a
trickle charger each night.
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Yes I have a voltmeter and I have checked every wire possible . . . .
Can you tell us what voltage readings you got under what conditions?
For example, battery voltage:
key off
ignition on
cranking
3000 RPM
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Everyone is looking for a solution but failing to see the problem.
The OP starts his bike, rides 20 blocks to work and shuts it down.
At 35 MPH, 20 blocks should take a little over 2 minutes.
To recharge a battery after starting a bike needs to run about 40
minutes. Repeatedly starting without sufficient time to replenish
is simply running the battery down.
The simplest solution, if possible, would be to connect it to a
trickle charger each night.
I am agreeing a lot with this answer. Charging cycle may just be too short.
Regarding load test of battery: You have a load tester. It's called the starter motor. Put your meter in VOLTAGE mode, and connect it to the battery terminals, positive to positive, negative to negative. Crank the engine, (without using the enrichener), you want it to crank for a few seconds, but not start. If battery voltage drops below 9 volts, it has a problem. If voltage stays above that for several seconds, then battery is in good shape.
Also, check for parasitic amperage draw when the bike is shut off. Here's a pretty good discussion of how to connect your meter to check for any amp draw with the ignition switch off. You will get a few milliamps draw from the clock, you can isloate that by disconnecting the clock. There should be no other amperage draw. If there is, then disconnect one circuit at a time to find out what it is.
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/charging-articles/testing-your-battery-for-parasitic-load.html
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Finally got a new battery I hope that was the problem but I will have to wait a new days and see what happens.
Hopefully it was just the battery.
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Well battery isn't the problem because my battery died again and it is a brand new battery - I had to leave my motorcycle somewhere because my battery died.
Something on my bike is not charging my battery.
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Did you check if you are getting charging voltage at the battery?
Get the bike running in neutral, on the center stand and whilst it is running put the voltmeter across the battery terminals and measure the voltage there.
Now have someone rev the engine to 4000 rpm. If the voltmeter is not showing well over 13.5 Volts @4000rpm then your alternator is not charging the battery. Possible causes are
1- Damaged connector or damaged wire between Alternator and battery
2- Damaged Rectifier/Regulator in Alternator
3- Worn out brushes in Alternator
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I tried everything and still nothing - I bought a new battery and it only lasted a couple of rides and it was drained - I had to leave it somewhere and come get it the next day with a charged battery and just barely make it home.
Please help me???
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Is it the regulator/rectifier or stator either one is going to be expensive - I am just trying to find out what it might be???
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Several knowledgeable members have been trying to help you with this problem.
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Yes I have a voltmeter ....
Haven't seen a single voltage reading, as requested by a few posters, moi included.
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Rob, if you have 14v or so on the battery terminals with the engine running then the charging system should be fine. Sounds like you may have a parasitic draw if that's the case. If not 14v then it's something in the charging system. Have you put on any new electrical items?
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The problem is that I live in a apartment building and don't have a place to work on the motorcycle.
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It doesn’t take much room to put test leads on the battery while it is running or take off a battery lead when the switch is off to check parasitic draw.
Hopefully you’ve got a buddy that would have a tester if you don’t. If not, a cheaper one doesn’t cost much.
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I have tried everything that is why I am asking for help.
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I tried everything and still nothing - I bought a new battery and it only lasted a couple of rides and it was drained - I had to leave it somewhere and come get it the next day with a charged battery and just barely make it home.
Please help me???
Please explain IN DETAIL what you mean by "barely make it home". Does that mean that the bike quits running, or runs poorly on the trip home?
From your second post:
It happened to me twice now once on the way home from work last week and it happened again last night pulling in to my work parking lot and I had to leave it there because I didn't want to push it home. My work is about 20 blocks away from my apartment building.
This sounds like the bike died short of getting all the way home. PLEASE CONFIRM OR DENY THAT. If that is what happened then, it sounds like the ignition system lost power and the engine died. There are several reasons this may happen, but we still need to know if the charging system is keeping up with the battery, (if power is being created by the alternator), or if the alternator is NOT supplying enough power and the battery is truly being drained in the short drive home.
We need to determine if the battery has power but it isn't getting TO the bike's electrical system to for starting, etc., OR if the battery is dying because the bike isn't recharging it.
Can you get the bike started, and ride it longer than the few minutes needed to get to work and back? I ask because the comment about the short distance traveled to work and back not allowing enough time to recharge the battery has some merit. It would be informative if you could ride it for an hour at highway speeds, end up back at home, and try to restart it. The battery should be fully capable of starting it then. If not, then either your charging system is not functioning to recharge the battery, or it IS being recharged, and the electrical power is IN the battery, but not getting FROM the battery TO the electrical system for starting.
Have you done the charging voltage tests requested, and if so what is the system voltage when the engine is running? This is at the heart of the matter, and cannot be overlooked.
We also need to know the results of the parasitic draw test. Did you do the test of putting your meter (in amperage mode) in-line with the battery cables and checking for amperage draw in the system while the bike is sitting. If there is an amperage draw, then you have to isolate circuit by circuit until you find it and eliminate that or it may be enough to kill the battery while the bike is sitting for a few hours. Refer to the link I supplied in my earlier post for how to do this.
These bikes are notorious for having problems with the fuse boxes, bad relays, bad solder joints, etc.
Please furnish us with this data so we can help you troubleshoot your problem.
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I would be riding then I slow down for a stop sign and then it dies and won't start because the battery is too low to start the motorcycle.
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If the battery is charged up the motorcycle will run great until the battery gets too low and everything shuts off and stalls and then not enough power to start it again.
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If the battery is charged up the motorcycle will run great until the battery gets too low and everything shuts off and stalls and then not enough power to start it again.
Yup, sounds like it's not charging.
If you don't have the ability to troubleshoot this yourself, you will have to pay a mechanic to do it for you.
Sorry, but without you having basic skills and equipment we cannot troubleshoot this for you remotely.
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14 posts with 15 replies, most saying help us help you. Please make the checks described, or take it to a mechanic like Boomer said.
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Something that can be checked easily without fooling around with meters and tools is the connector in the alternator wire. If you remove the left side plastic cover, (the side cover under the fuel tank, NOT the main fairing) you should find the alternator wire, with a white plastic connector in it. That's what connects the alternator to the rest of the bike's electrical system. If you can get your hands on it, GENTLY pull that connector apart and check to see if it is corroded, dirty, loose, etc. These connectors have a habit of going bad, making a high resistance or even an "open" circuit. It MIGHT just be loose/dirty and could be cleaned and reseated to work. (I removed mine and soldered the connections to end that problem for good.)
Also, try checking the big connector at the fuse box for security and damage.
If none of that results in finding a problem then, YES, we will need the voltage data.
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My vote is Alternator or charging circuit. On a new battery the bike should not die on the way home. It should be able to run off the alternator. Then when you park it. It won't start again.