Kawasaki Concours Forum

The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Reno on November 30, 2016, 04:44:48 PM

Title: The good, the bad...
Post by: Reno on November 30, 2016, 04:44:48 PM

"So I got my bike yesterday on a rare 50+ sunny November day.  Went out on a familiar 200 mile loop to scuff the tires and break her in.  Everything is great.  Then I stop to fill the tank, jump back on and "low battery" and then no battery. :(

I tried to jump start and it would run for a few seconds but it just wasn't charging. ?

Called the dealer and had them pick me up.  We'll see what they have to say later today."


Well I got a new battery with tender lead out of them.  Hopefully that will be my last service for a while.

At least I got a ride in to verify that this is the right bike for me.  I love it!
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: Daytona_Mike on November 30, 2016, 05:48:12 PM
Best practise and advise is to check and clean (really well) the ground connections
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: maxtog on December 01, 2016, 12:37:31 AM
Yep... probably nothing wrong with the battery at all and is just a loose connection.  We have seen it a zillion times across a zillion threads on the Forums.  It is a rite of passage with Concours owners to experience it.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 01, 2016, 06:21:45 AM
More than likely sitting in the showroom it just went bad.   But on this bike you really need to keep an eye on the connections.  Even if you can't see any corrosion, it's there and it's enough to affect the charging.  I clean mine at every oil change.  They also have a tendency to work loose, especially  on the stock battery.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: Awaz on December 01, 2016, 06:30:57 AM
I had my negative batt terminal wire come lose couple times. Once right after my incredible valve check.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: O.C. on December 01, 2016, 06:32:41 AM
All of the above are words of wisdom, based on experience

Terminals.......keep em clean, keep em tight  ;)   
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: Rhino on December 01, 2016, 09:12:56 AM
Dealers quite often have marginally skilled people assembling the bike out of the crate in a hurry. Battery connections is just one of the possible casualties from this practice.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: PlaynInPeoria on December 01, 2016, 09:36:18 AM
I have had terminals come loose multiple times, probably from 2 things

1) Me being scared to overtighten them and not tightening them sufficiently

2) I have at least 3 things on the positive battery terminal. The actual OEM connection, heated gear and a line to my horn relay.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: kzz1king on December 01, 2016, 11:26:16 AM
I have been thinking of peeling back the insulation and soldering some pigtails to hook the battery tender to. My positive comes loose and that is what I attribute it to.
Wayne


I have had terminals come loose multiple times, probably from 2 things

1) Me being scared to overtighten them and not tightening them sufficiently

2) I have at least 3 things on the positive battery terminal. The actual OEM connection, heated gear and a line to my horn relay.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 01, 2016, 02:09:18 PM
Are you positive about that?
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: Reno on December 01, 2016, 02:58:48 PM
Thank you for the feedback.  I'll keep my eye on it.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: maxtog on December 01, 2016, 03:11:53 PM
Are you positive about that?

Hardy, har, har....
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: gPink on December 01, 2016, 04:24:28 PM
Hardy, har, har....
....Always with the negative waves, Moriarty.
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: O.C. on December 02, 2016, 12:56:07 AM
Shocking  ;D   
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: maxtog on December 02, 2016, 05:36:59 AM
Shocking  ;D   
Amazing

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=81.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=81.0)
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: Conrad on December 02, 2016, 05:48:54 AM
Back in the day dealers would install the battery backwards (mine was). Not hooked up backwards of course but mounted backwards. I wonder if they're still doing that?
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 02, 2016, 06:07:07 AM
It wouldn't surprise me..
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: O.C. on December 03, 2016, 12:45:05 AM
It wouldn't surprise me for some dealers to mount them upside down   ;D   
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: martin_14 on December 10, 2016, 08:11:15 PM
It wouldn't surprise me for some dealers to mount them upside down   ;D   

:rotflmao:
Title: Re: The good, the bad... and the backward
Post by: lather on December 13, 2016, 06:56:48 AM
My 09s battery was mounted "backwards". It still is. A friend of mine bought a Shorai battery for his BMW RT and decided not to keep it and offered it to me. I looked up the part number on the Shorai site to see if it would fit any of my bikes and was amazed to see it fit the Concours 14. So I took my friends offer of the free battery. But when I installed it I discovered the  terminals were on the wrong side. So I installed it backward!
Title: Re: The good, the bad...
Post by: VirginiaJim on December 13, 2016, 12:58:22 PM
 :doh: