Whats wrong with my electronics?

[sham]

So, after using my car to charge up the battery a little, I hooked up the battery to the bike. Now the whole point was to test my kit CDI unit works, so I only wanted to test the lights/blinkers etc. From my understanding of the wiring diagram and diagrams from the kit, this would have been the 'chassis' wire on the CDI hooked up to either the Y/R or Blk/Y wire. I tried both but nothing happened.


However, my battery now seems to be charging on its own and has kept increasing in volts. It was reading .8 after the half hour of charging and now is now up to 1.2?


Would anyone know what's happening?

 

[johngofast]

1.2v isn't enough to turn a 12v light on or test any of your electrical. Nor is a car battery going to charge your bike battery. I suggest a 12v (if you're bike runs a 12v system, which you didn't specify) battery tender or similar trickle charger. Keep in mind you may have destroyed your battery. Just brining the voltage down that low can render it useless, not to mention hookin' it up to a car battery.

"Burnin' oil and smellin' royal!"

 

[sham]

Ah ok. Fair enough. The bike hadn't been started for 2 years, and the battery had just been sitting there, so I thought it was worth a try. I'll see if its actually self charging now, which seems a bit weird, but if it is perhaps it could still work.

Thanks.



2.5 now...slowly getting there. Is there a minimum level I should let it reach before I try the lights?

 

[boingk]

Ditch it mate you're wasting your time. Anything under 11v static is well and truely gone. You could try using an overnight charge but after 2 years its new battery time mate.

Go and pick one up and save yourself the hassle. Sorry I couldn't be more positive.

Cheers - boingk

 

[sham]

Haha yeh, I was hoping I could test the electronics before I got a new one...oh well. Its been staying around 2.2 the whole night, so don't think it will get any better.

Just another question - when I turn the key, the battery drops noticeably (around 0.3 or so) is that any indication that my CDI is actually doing something and closing the circuit, or is the circuit already closed anyways?

 

[johngofast]

Even if it did get up to 12v it can almost immediately discharge that 12v if the battery is dead. 2 years sitting and a full drain = dead battery. It wont be any good for testing your electronics even if you do get it charged to 12v.

Sorry, I too wish I could be positive.

and your battery is dropping because it's dead

 

[sham]

Oh bummer. I was hoping to take something positive from all this

Ah well, thanks anyways, looks like I'll have to invest in a new battery, amongst a long list of other things...

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

<< I was hoping to take something positive from all this>>

OK, I am positive that your battery is no good. ;D

Now, some battery advice...
A lot of batteries that are out there for motorcycles are AGM type batteries. (Absorbed Glass Matt.) Auto parts stores like Auto Zone, Advance Auto, and Pep Boys carry them. AGM batteries come in two varieties. Some are ready to go, and fully charged from the factory. They must be checked for state of charge after 3 months, and recharged if below 75% charge. Most of these batteries are made by Deka. (The Power Sports brand is manufactured by Deka.) There is a date sticker on every battery for when it was shipped. The letter represents the month, and the number represents the year. I have seen batteries that have been on the shelf for over 2 years! They would be no good at all. Never buy a pre-charged AGM battery that reads below 12.5V. At 75% charge, an AGM battery will read 12.6V, and is fully discharged at 11.8V.

The other type of AGM ships with the acid separate, and you fill the battery and charge it before putting it in service. These batteries have an indefinite shelf life.

AGM batteries are not suitable for all bikes. Some older bikes have primitive charging systems that are poorly regulated. Charging voltages in excess of 14.2V will quickly ruin an AGM battery. Better to use a flooded cell typ battery in that case.

Don't expect any of your electronics to function at anything below 8 or 8.5V. When a battery gets down to that voltage, most bikes will quit running. Some will start to misfire and sputter at voltage as high as 10V or so.

 

[teazer]

The guys are 100% correct, that battery is positively junk. You can't do anything with a dead battery so shop around for one. There should be a battery store near you and I'm guessing it will be out in Paramatta or Newcastle ...In teh US there are lots of places to buy batteries, but not so many in OZ.

I found this place http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kawasaki-ZR250-B-Balius-91-Battery-CTX7L-BS-/280536721126?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item41514aa6e6 but check the size/number on your battery and find out what they have.

 

[sham]

Thanks guys. That was really informative. I thought it could be saved cos the maintenance section was talking about putting new acid and the lot, so I thought it was salvageable...I guess not.

So I'm looking at forking out about 90 bucks for the OEM battery. A Yuasa YB10L-A2. There's a lot more places stocking bike batteries now I suppose - don't have to go all the way out to Newcaslte

Just wondering, does anyone know if this applies to my bike? Does my bike generate its own high voltage from an inverter requiring a 12V battery? Supposedly the CDI module won't work if that's the case...

Anyways, thanks for all the advice

 

[sham]

Sorry, another quick question, if I'm planning to get one of those small lithium batteries in the future, is it worth getting this OEM battery? I'll do some research tonight on the differences, but is there any big things I should be aware of in terms of set up?

 

[boingk]

Lithium batteries often need dedicated charging circuitry. Check to see if its integrated into the pack before buying.

I would simply run OEM. Go. Down to a 3 or 4Ah battery if you are kickstarting only and using stock lights.

Cheers

 

[sham]

Hmm yeh I have a feeling I should just run the OEM and actually get the bike started and ride a bit before making other decisions. I'm still waiting on the manual, so hopefully I can make more informed decisions once that arrives...

I don't actually have a kickstart on the bike, though I would like one so I can cut down on the battery as you say.