Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Skyler76 on March 06, 2012, 11:03:19 AM
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I have a 2008 1400 which I love but it's showing me no love in return :(.
So, I think I must have left my ignition on. The running lights killed my battery - I think. The key fobs seem not to work but I think it's just because the bike isn't getting any power. I've had the bike on the tender now for over a day. It still does not respond at all. I have tried both key fobs and the tender says it's charging (solid red light). It almost looks like the battery will not hold any charge at all or the tender can't charge it from dead.
Any ideas? Could my battery just be that dead??
THanks!
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It's possible that the battery is beyond hope at this point. If it's the original battery it is at least 4 years old now.
Have you pulled it out and had a look at it at least? Do you have a voltmeter of some kind? With the tender on it should be reading ~14 volts. Take the tender off and check it, if after all this time charging you have less than 12 volts then most likely it's time for a new battery. If you had a charger with a lil more oomph, you might be able to get it to take a charge, I doubt it though.
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I'll put a voltmeter across it when I get home tonight. I just tried it quickly this morning expecting it to be fine but I guess it's not. I do have a separate charger too. If the situation has not improved when I get home I'll pull it and put it on that.
Thanks for the advice.
BTW, what's considered a good battery for this bike if I end up having to replace it?
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Murph sells one....
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=130_173 (http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=130_173)
I think it's the one I have. It hasn't treated me bad so far so I'm thinking it's good. I've had it nearly 2 years now.
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I'll put a voltmeter across it when I get home tonight. I just tried it quickly this morning expecting it to be fine but I guess it's not. I do have a separate charger too. If the situation has not improved when I get home I'll pull it and put it on that.
Thanks for the advice.
BTW, what's considered a good battery for this bike if I end up having to replace it?
Have you ever had the battery out to check the connections? I'm not saying that your problem might be the connectors, I'm just courious.
Check out this thread.
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=7295.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=7295.0)
What Jim said about buying a new battery, get it from Murph.
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Always check the connections on the battery to make sure they're tight. Always give them a clean every year as well.
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Sometimes a dead battery can be revived by jumping. Pull it out of the bike, and run cables from you car battery to the bike battery while hooking the tender up. No guarantees, but normally a tender will not charge a battery with voltage below a certain level. IIRC, it wont recognize anything below about 9V.
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Sometimes a dead battery can be revived by jumping. Pull it out of the bike, and run cables from you car battery to the bike battery while hooking the tender up. No guarantees, but normally a tender will not charge a battery with voltage below a certain level. IIRC, it wont recognize anything below about 9V.
Yep, that's true. If the battery has an internal short, jumping it can sometimes blast that short outta there. Most likely the battery won't have long to live after this though.
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IIRC there is a recent thread about removing the cover bolts you might want to research. ;)
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Yep, that's true. If the battery has an internal short, jumping it can sometimes blast that short outta there. Most likely the battery won't have long to live after this though.
Charging for a long time on a high amperage charger can also jolt a sulfated battery back to life. But it can also be dangerous if not done carefully.
Me? I wouldn't even bother on a well-used, 4 year old lead acid battery... I would replace it. Even if it could be revived, it is not likely to be reliable, or for that much longer. Of course, one should certainly check the connections and such as previously suggested.
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I find that jumping a battery accomplishes nothing. It's not that much of a stretch so I usually just step over it instead.
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I find that jumping a battery accomplishes nothing. It's not that much of a stretch so I usually just step over it instead.
Isn't jumping a battery considered assault.
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It very well could be. Probably close to being tasered. Thank goodness they can't talk.
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I believe the 'fix' for a sulfated battery is a pretty substantial overcharge, not a high- amperage blast of current.
I have seen the shorted plates addressed with a large shot of current but it was always done with a welder. It falls under the same heading as inflating a tire and seating the bead by using ether (starting fluid) and a match- it is impressive to watch but not something I would do myself. A hundred or more amps from a welding machine will blast those pesky pieces of lead that are shorting the plate(s) out from between the plates but if the battery bursts it is going to spread acid and battery parts a long way.
To the original poster- it sounds like it is probably time for a new battery. I have one of the yellow Motobatt AGM batteries from Murph and it has been working well for about a year now.
Brian
Charging for a short time on a high amperage charger can also jolt a sulfated battery back to life. But it can also be dangerous if not done carefully.
Me? I wouldn't even bother on a well-used, 4 year old lead acid battery... I would replace it. Even if it could be revived, it is not likely to be reliable, or for that much longer. Of course, one should certainly check the connections and such as previously suggested.
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[ inflating a tire and seating the bead by using ether (starting fluid) and a match- it is impressive to watch ]
hehehe yes
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I believe the 'fix' for a sulfated battery is a pretty substantial overcharge, not a high- amperage blast of current.
You are correct, when I re-read what I wrote, I realized it was in error. It should have read "long time" not "short time". That is why it is dangerous (overheating/explosion risk). I will edit.
To the original poster- it sounds like it is probably time for a new battery.
Yep!