Won't start....

[stlheadake]

I ride to work every day.  I parked the bike last night and went through my usual routine.  Get off, remove gloves, remove helmet, PLUG IN BATTERY TENDER, blah blah blah.  This morning I come out to head out for work.  I begin the process of leaving by firing up the bike.  Only this time, no start.  I turn the key off and back on.  All 'normal' lights, start/stop switch is on start or where it is supposed to be.  When I hit the button I hear the click and sounds like a dead battery.  The starter clicks, and it sounds like there is clicking in the ignition, but I'm not sure. 

All signs sound like a dead battery.  HOWEVER, the battery tender is/was plugged in as it is every day.  The green float light was on indicating full charge.  After hitting the button a couple of times, it switched to a flashing red indicating it was charging.  WTH?  I didn't have time to take it apart.  My first thought is battery connections.  However, the tender is charging just fine.  I'm just soliciting thoughts before I get home and tear into it.  We are supposed to have temps in the 50s this weekend, and I am planning on getting some miles in!

Oh yeah, the bike is an 08, the battery was replaced last year, it is on the tender whenever it is in my garage, and since I ride every day I experienced no glitches to indicate that something was amiss. 

Any thoughts? 

[Flathead]

My guess, like yours, would be battery connections. Second on my list would be the side stand switch??? IIRC there was a post awhile back about the cover slipping back for the sidestand switch and the terminals getting corroded/shorting.

[Conrad]

I have the same thoughts that you do, battery connections. If the connection(s) is(are) marginal, for whatever reason, the tender could still charge the battery but when the large amount of current is called for when starting, you get nothing. Pull the battery and clean the connections and see what happens.

I'm sure that I haven't told you anything that you don't already know right?

[stlheadake]

I have the same thoughts that you do, battery connections. If the connection(s) is(are) marginal, for whatever reason, the tender could still charge the battery but when the large amount of current is called for when starting, you get nothing. Pull the battery and clean the connections and see what happens.

I'm sure that I haven't told you anything that you don't already know right?

I'm suspecting loose cables, but it's just really suspicious.  I was truly concerned that it might be one of those Kawasaki stealthy starter problem thingies (DON'T SAY IT!!, DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN THIS THREAD!) but I have no idea what the symptoms of THAT are.  I'll tear into it tonight.

Ironically, I started the process of purchasing the GTPP yesterday.  I wonder if my baby got her feelings hurt?

[VirginiaJim]

Sounds like battery/connections to me.  If you got juice to the dash and it won't start it's not the switch sticking issue.  When that happens, nothing happens on the dash. It's totally dead.  You've got enough power to light the dash but not enough to start it.  Go with the connections and charge the battery.  And just because a connection looks good, it don't make it good.

[lt1]

Understood that you had to get to work, but the display on the dash should show battery voltage.  If voltage is good, then the connectors would be a likely suspect.

[stlheadake]

hmmm, like I said, I hit the button and click click click.  I really didn't have too much time to futz.  After it became apparent that it wouldn't go, I had to go!  I DO wish I could have just popped the seat off and wiggled the connections.  But not this time!  I'll post up my findings.  I have to say though, it is driving me crazy not being able to go fiddle with it!

[lather]

<Snip>
All signs sound like a dead battery.  HOWEVER, the battery tender is/was plugged in as it is every day.  The green float light was on indicating full charge.  After hitting the button a couple of times, it switched to a flashing red indicating it was charging.  WTH? <Snip>

The green float light suggests the battery was fully charged.
The light going to flashing red suggests the batt connections were good enough to drain the batt voltage some. I speculate a bad starter as a possibility.

 (BTW, I thought it was bad karma to start the bike with the charger connected. Do you always do this?)

[stlheadake]

The green float light suggests the battery was fully charged.
The light going to flashing red suggests the batt connections were good enough to drain the batt voltage some. I speculate a bad starter as a possibility.

 (BTW, I thought it was bad karma to start the bike with the charger connected. Do you always do this?)

Bad karma?  I hadn't heard that.  I wouldn't say I always do it, but I have done it.........a.........few.................tim....es   DAMMITT  Now you got me thinking again!  Actually, I have the charger running through my powerlet outlet which is fused at 15a.  I don't think that anything crazy would be happening that way.    Either way, I'd say the majority of the time, I unplug it first.  Especially if I am going to plug the Gerbings in.  So I will fire her up, and get plugged in ASAP so that I can get the warmies flowing. 

But I concur with your thoughts, the lights were telling a different story.  I'm leaving in about 19 minutes.  I am hoping for loose connections, and problem solved!  Lucky for me, my dealer is 2 miles down the road, and open until 7 tonight!  Let's hope that isn't necessary...

[Conrad]

I don't think that the bike is going to suffer from any bad Karma as a result of the tender being hooked up while you crank the bike.

Now for the tender, that might be a different story...

[B.D.F.]

I agree with the others who reccomend checking / tightening the battery connections. As Conrad said, lousy electrical contact will still allow a small amount of current to flow (from the tender) but fail when large amounts of current are called for (cranking the bike).

As far as the <k-word> problem, you do not have one. Once the dash lights up you have successfully moved beyond the <k-word> sequence and that part of the bike is no longer used.

As far as cranking the bike when on the trickle charger, the charger should be current limited to protect against that very thing. So no matter what the bike tries to draw, the charger will only put out a limited, and not excessive, current. That is my belief but I cannot verify it as I do not use a battery tender..... I charge the battery the old- fashioned way, I ride it. 

If all the connections battery (and check the ground- to- frame connection too) are clean and tight then the problem might be a bit deeper than loose connectors. That said, loose battery connections are usually the problem given a good battery. And even though the battery is only a year old it could still be the source of your problem; it is not likely but it is possible.

Brian

I ride to work every day.  I parked the bike last night and went through my usual routine.  Get off, remove gloves, remove helmet, PLUG IN BATTERY TENDER, blah blah blah.  This morning I come out to head out for work.  I begin the process of leaving by firing up the bike.  Only this time, no start.  I turn the key off and back on.  All 'normal' lights, start/stop switch is on start or where it is supposed to be.  When I hit the button I hear the click and sounds like a dead battery.  The starter clicks, and it sounds like there is clicking in the ignition, but I'm not sure. 

All signs sound like a dead battery.  HOWEVER, the battery tender is/was plugged in as it is every day.  The green float light was on indicating full charge.  After hitting the button a couple of times, it switched to a flashing red indicating it was charging.  WTH?  I didn't have time to take it apart.  My first thought is battery connections.  However, the tender is charging just fine.  I'm just soliciting thoughts before I get home and tear into it.  We are supposed to have temps in the 50s this weekend, and I am planning on getting some miles in!

Oh yeah, the bike is an 08, the battery was replaced last year, it is on the tender whenever it is in my garage, and since I ride every day I experienced no glitches to indicate that something was amiss. 

Any thoughts?

[BanditDude]

I have the same thoughts that you do, battery connections. If the connection(s) is(are) marginal, for whatever reason, the tender could still charge the battery but when the large amount of current is called for when starting, you get nothing. Pull the battery and clean the connections and see what happens.

I'm sure that I haven't told you anything that you don't already know right?

Ditto.  I've seen corroded or loose connections behave that way a few times.  Good luck!

[lather]

As usual I did not word my karma comment well. As Conrad suggests, I was thinking it could be bad for the tender - I did not mean to imply it had anything to do with your starting problem, sorry.

Bad karma?  I hadn't heard that.  I wouldn't say I always do it, but I have done it.........a.........few.................tim....es   DAMMITT  Now you got me thinking again!  Actually, I have the charger running through my powerlet outlet which is fused at 15a.  I don't think that anything crazy would be happening that way.    Either way, I'd say the majority of the time, I unplug it first.  Especially if I am going to plug the Gerbings in.  So I will fire her up, and get plugged in ASAP so that I can get the warmies flowing. 

But I concur with your thoughts, the lights were telling a different story.  I'm leaving in about 19 minutes.  I am hoping for loose connections, and problem solved!  Lucky for me, my dealer is 2 miles down the road, and open until 7 tonight!  Let's hope that isn't necessary...

[stlheadake]

Welp, I pulled the cover off and right there staring me in the face was a corroded negative terminal!  I cleaned both terminals and liberally applied the di-electric paste.  Bingo she fired up!  But that's not the end of the story.  Now I suddenly have a transponder battery low message.  It's probably low.  I haven't changed it in two years.

My question is this: what is the difference between a CR2032 and the one in the  CR2025?  I have a box full of the 2032s.  Any body know the difference?

[stlheadake]

As usual I did not word my karma comment well. As Conrad suggests, I was thinking it could be bad for the tender - I did not mean to imply it had anything to do with your starting problem, sorry.

No sweat lather, I was running all the scenarios through my tiny little mind.  You know when you can't get your hands on it, all sorts of thoughts run through my tiny little mind.  Like I mentioned before, I don't always do it, but I have done it.  I'm just tickled it wasn't that other thing   

[Flathead]

My question is this: what is the difference between a CR2032 and the one in the  CR2025?  I have a box full of the 2032s.  Any body know the difference?

Good news on the resolution!

CR2025 = Diameter: 20 mm. Thickness: 2.5 mm. Capacity: 160 mAh,

CR2032 = Diameter: 20 mm. Thickness: 3.2 mm. Capacity: 220 mAh


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_cr2025_and_cr2032_battery#ixzz1mbbXVVFO

[stlheadake]

I was just coming back to report exactly the same thing!  There's no doubt the 2032 is thicker.  AND it definitely WON'T fit.  Looks like I'm off to Walgreen's!

[B.D.F.]

Which is where we get the expression 'Inside of every large problem there is a small problem struggling to get out....'.

 

Yep, as you noticed, the 2032's are thicker and won't fit in the fob.

Brian

Welp, I pulled the cover off and right there staring me in the face was a corroded negative terminal!  I cleaned both terminals and liberally applied the di-electric paste.  Bingo she fired up!  But that's not the end of the story.  Now I suddenly have a transponder battery low message.  It's probably low.  I haven't changed it in two years.

My question is this: what is the difference between a CR2032 and the one in the  CR2025?  I have a box full of the 2032s.  Any body know the difference?

[lt1]

I think you have that backwards.  I always heard it as:  Inside every small problem is a larger problem struggling to get out.

[stlheadake]

I'm so glad I got some place where I can ask silly questions and feel completely inadequate, other than here in front of my wife.  Thanks for all your thoughts.  Another would be tragedy averted!