One for the bikers please :-)

consumers_revenge

Sorry bit long.

Wondering if some of you good people can give me some advice here please?

So I've got a 2009 ybr125 EFI version that I have had from new. Had been reg. serviced and looked after for a 125.

So a few months ago the odd time I would come out and go to do an electric start and the ignition light would dim. Turn it off and on again for a sec ( I work in IT ) and next time it would work fine. Used to get the odd cut out when at light and pull away. Again restarted on the button

Move on a few weeks and this time it didnt start so used the kick start and though it was the battery. 9 years old so replaced it. Been fine till now.

I came out very early this morning and turned on the ignition. Everything went out like no battery was in there. Desperate to get to work I ended up bumping it. Apart from the EML light staying on a bit longer and the rev counter going to zero then flickering for 10 secs it drove in fine. As I was half awake thought I must have done something stupid.

Roll on this afternoon and I come out of work. The bike is dead, again like no battery. Have no choice but to kick start it. The rev counter starts jumping everywhere or zero. I try and drive off as I will look at it when I get home asap. Goes 300 yards then cuts out.

Spend next 2 hours with AA who thinks its the battery but as his own admission I dont know anything about bikes. Hes trying to charge my battery with a booster pack ( Im sure this will over charge it? ) Then hes now doing it direct from his van and booster for 10 mins.

Long story short again. Bike may start from kickstart or with booster applied but does run for more than a few feet.

Its now home but dead. But every so often springs to full life ( not started ) lights, flashers, horn everything works. But touch the electric start and its as dead as a dodo again even if you turn it off and on again. Also the EML light is flashing code 39 for a injector issue but Im not sure if this is getting caused by the rectifier or battery?

Really could do with some brains please?

Cheers.

VFR

Earth cable / connections would be my first thoughts.

shinytop

Like VFR says start with the obvious (and cheap) things like battery and main earth connections and loose fuses. Next would be the connections from the ignition switch then the sidestand cut off switch. After that the regulator/rectifier - connections first then test it (youtube vids available). If that's toast then your battery might be too and a low battery can cause all sorts of funnies.

You have my sympathy. I just had some similar gremlins on mine but fortunately a new battery seems to have fixed it for now.

missile

Symptoms are typical of a bad connection/ defective battery. There might be an earth leakage fault which is draining your battery? Hopefully your AA man has not damaged your battery.

Do you have or can you borrow a charger with a condition indicator?

consumers_revenge

Thanks for replies.

Ok the battery was new about 4 months ago ( original was from 2009 when bike was new so could have reached the end of natural life )
Now after spending literally hours trying to find the problem it only seem to kill the bike after the electric start was used. the bike seems to 'recover' and after you use the kick start instead it all runs perfect. Each and every time.

Touch the switch, bikes dead. Ironically if you use a booster pack straight to the starter it starts fine. So I thought it might be the starter whilst semi engaged was the thing killing the bike as I could hear some odd tapping. But the boost pack use seems to suggest its not the starter.

Checked/sanded all cables. The starters even inside rubber so not corroded.

So I thought it was the starter, as I said semi stuck and draining. Oddly on the last time without touching the starter I touched the horn and the bike went to the 'dead' state but quickly 'recovered'. I presume both the horn and the electric start require a huge initial 'kick' if the engines not running?

So it this feasible....?

A battery can show as being good and show it has 12v in it whilst there is no load on it but soon as you put a load on it it collapses and shows 0v until the load is removed?

Thanks.

DoaM

consumers_revenge wrote: »

A battery can show as being good and show it has 12v in it whilst there is no load on it but soon as you put a load on it it collapses and shows 0v until the load is removed?

Well .. yeah ... a battery is just a big capacitor. With no (or little) load it will show the potential behind the stored charge. When a reasonable load is connected the charge will dissipate - if the charge is low then the dissipation will be quick.

A charger with a condition indicator will typically take this scenario into account.

Jackmydad

Sounds like the battery to me.
I reckon they get a bad internal connection.
Could be a bad connection in the bike wiring as others have said.
Possibly random error lights tend to say battery as well.
Had a car battery go just the same. Dash lights would come on, try to start they'd dim out.
If you have got a multimeter, battery should read about 12.6 V if it's fully charged with the engine off.
13.7 - 14.7 V with the engine running.

Just looking online there are various "how tos"
Like this https://www.aberdeenbikers.co.uk/motorcycle-charging-system-diagnosis-checks/
(No affiliation)

missile

Like this https://www.aberdeenbikers.co.uk/motorcycle-charging-system-diagnosis-checks/ Leader of the pack, Big Al Murray is real bad !!! biker dude :-)

consumers_revenge

so had my old battery ( original 2009 swapped earlier this year ) and had on trickle charge all day.

swapped it over, bike wouldnt start just the clicking. Measured voltage 9v. so expected.

went to 'new' battery, off bike, and says 12.5v. did as someone suggested and added a halagen and dab each end on a terminal. battery 0v

did the same test on the old battery. it lit the bulb, just about and dropped to 2.5v

conclusion. then new battery is a duffer. thanks all.

consumers_revenge

Battery was from 11 feb this year.

Do bike batteries have warranties?

Bought from local bike shop.

missile

consumers_revenge wrote: »

Battery was from 11 feb this year.

Do bike batteries have warranties?

Bought from local bike shop.

Doubt you will get a refund, but definitely worth a try.
Costco are really good and offer 5 year no quibble warranty on batteries, but probably do not stock the size you need?