battery?

[luckyrob8605]

I just bought this battery and know its like something is drawing it down it wont hold a charge its not the starter i can jump it or push start it.  I think I m going to try and disconnect everything cuz this battery was the best one they had, does anyone have a suggestion of where it could be drawing it down?

[Buyingchina]

Hi.I just back from 6 hours of some intense driving which has left me pretty well whipped, so I'll be brief.

The problem could have a lot of answers and is very difficult to address. Think of it this way, you call your doctor because you have abdominal pain, and want to know what you should do to fix the problem.
Do you see what I mean? But I'll try to help, please bear in mind that I have limited knowledge in this area of diagnostics.

The most likely cause of your problem is procedural.

Lets assume you just got back from a ride or ran your motor.

Step 1) Engine run switch (red) is snapped to OFF.

Step 2) Ignition switch (key) must be turned to OFF.

Failure to follow these 2 steps will allow the battery to drain. This type of drain is a well known problem with Jet ski CDI ignitions that circulate power (using their "brain") to maintain a charged capacitor. And if the green neutral light is on it will also drain you battery.

The only indication of the ignition switch (key) being left on accidentally is the neutral (green) light. This light is very dim and seeing it in daylight can be a bit of a problem. This problem is compounded by the fact that it's very common for many to leave the bike in neutral, this is most likely due it being the only gear position that will allow the starter to engage.

This of course leads me to mention another potential procedural problem, of not locking the bike's ability to roll while it's parked. Leaving it in first gear is a necessary step since there is no PARK option, or brake LOCK on either the foot or hand brake. Remember that the first gear indicator is a bit more visible than the green neutral light.

I do not mean this post to be a "lecture," it's purpose is to help with understanding a possible cause of your problem, and to help you to avoid another potential one.

 Thanks. Buyingchina

[armedstar]

I had the same thing wrong with mine last summer before I put it away for winter. It totally drained out towards the end and I wasn't able to start it at all. There is an alarm on it.

Could that possibly be draining it? I'm trying to figure out how I can go about just disconnecting the alarm.

[skadamo]

same thing will happen on my drz400s.  Get a battery tender.  It will save you money in the long run.  Google "battery tender".

[countrycruiser]

luckyrob8605,

If you have an alarm system on your bike, I can assure you that it will run the battery down, however, not overnight.  I had a scooter that would take about three or four days of not having been run to take the charge off it.  BC is correct in stating that you must make sure the key is turned off if you use the kill switch to shut the motor off.  If it runs down overnight you should be seeing a significant spark when you hook up the last cable to the battery.  If that's true, you will then need an amp meter, usually found on most multimeters, to establish the amount of current draw.
If you do have an alarm system, try disconnecting it.  If you don't, start disconnecting things until you have no more spark when hooking up the battery.

I keep all my tractors, scooters and my motorcycle on battery tenders but only during the winter when they don't get used.  They sell a real nice one at Walmart for about $18.00.

Let us know what you find.

CC