'72 CL350 battery draining fast

R

Randy Bobandy

New Member
So I've had my cl350 for about 2 weeks now. I've been having problems with the carbs, and timing, so it's not currently running. My problem is that while doing work on it (upgrading rectifier, changing handlebars) the battery seems to drain very fast. It can sit over night and won't drain at all, but just simply by having the headlighton and checking a few things the battery will drain down in less than ten minutes. This doesn't seem right to me.

Around the time that this problem started happening, the starter also stopped working. Even with a full charge it will barely turn over. I have a kick start, so I don't care about the starter, but maybe somehow this is related.

I added a picture of the new rectifier to show how I did it. Is it possible that this could be a regulator problem?
 

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Could be normal.

Standard battery is 12 Amp / hour rating. This means you can get one amp for 12 hours or 12 amps for one hour. It's a rough measurement though, not exact.

Headlight on is three amps per hour. Coils are another five. It adds up quickly.

To be sure, you need to load test the battery. Most battery shops will do this for free.
 
The battery is brand new. It seemed strange to me that the battery dies so quick, but if this is usual than odometer a problem with it. I'm doing a lot of troubleshooting, and without being able to have the bike running, I really can't check all the lights and switches.

Whoever owned the bike before me put a different headlight on it. I like the headlight, but his electrical isn't the neatest. The led blinkers also, don't blink. I purchased a 552 flasher, just haven't gotten into that yet.
 
Depending on the headlight, it might be draining even faster.

I'd keep it on a trickle charger until the bike is up and running.
 
We sell combination reg/recs for $35 (free shipping in the US), so it is a cheap and recommended replacement part.

That said, it won't do anything for your current issue. The regulator and rectifier usually only come into play when the bike is running (unless there's a problem with one or the other, usually the rectifier).
 
Ok. When I did have it running, it would start first kick, then die after about 10-15 seconds and not want to start. During this time of trying to start it over and over the battery would drain all the way down. Shouldnt the battery start charging as soon as the engine turns over?
 
Unfortunately, no. On the Honda twins (pre-1978) and many other early bikes, the alternator didn't spin fast enough to charge the bike until around 3000 RPM. This means you're still draining the battery at idle, even though the bike is running. It's part of the reason why the battery is so large on these bikes.
 
That's interesting. So while I was attempting to sync my carbs, I used the electric starter over an over again. It's not surprising that my battery would die, giving that I never got up to 3000rpms.
 
You can replace it with a Rick's Hotshot setup. I think it's about $200? That should get you close.

Other things can include turning off all off all the lights with a switch. That doesn't always do the trick, though.
 
http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-electronic-parts-ricks-electric-hot-shot-honda-cb350-cl350-cb360-cl360-charging-kit-99-101.html
 
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