What about the fact that I boosted from a car too? Not being rude or anything, just want to understand so I don't make the same mistakes in the future.
Bypass the motorcycle battery and connect your bike directly to the car battery.
What about the fact that I boosted from a car too? Not being rude or anything, just want to understand so I don't make the same mistakes in the future.
12.8 volt from a battery at rest is fine, good even.
2.2v per cell is the theoretical max that you can get out of a lead acid battery. A brand new, freshly minted, fully charged battery.... that starts to degrade the moment you put acid in it.
12.8/6 cells (we know all 6 cells are working, the max we can get from 5 cells would be 10.1v) means each cell is producing 2.13333333v . If the battery is healthy, all is well.
To see if the battery is healthy we need a load test.
Seeing how the biggest load this battery is ever gonna see is the starter, let's use that.
Fully charge the battery, charging rate no more than 10% of the output (it's marked on the battery) overnight.
Let is rest a while, 1/2 an hour. Voltage should be 12.7 or greater.
Put the battery in the bike, hook up cables (usually at this point I would measure voltage from the pos battery term to engine block, and engine block to positive side of the solenoid. both should be battery voltage).
Voltage should remain the same, till you turn the bike on, then it should drop a VERY small amount, less than a tenth of a volt (maybe more if the headlight comes on).
Hit the starter and watch the voltage. It should remain above 80% or 9.6v for 10 seconds. Any less and the battery is toast.
... another thing that will make the solenoid bounce like that is a bad ground at the starter. Put a booster cable between a good connection on the starter body to the neg battery.
Thanks for the info and support guys. Will report back after this weekend.
I'm simply gonna use a car battery to start the bike lol, if it works I'll get a new battery.
What I'm a little confused about is why this RSV is chewing through batteries (2 within 3 years) whereas my 08 GSXR went through 1 within 6 years (last 2 years were track only, so I rode it two times a month) and I only took it out during winter to charge so it can't be from a "lack of riding" comparison.
... another thing that will make the solenoid bounce like that is a bad ground at the starter. Put a booster cable between a good connection on the starter body to the neg battery.
The last time I rode it was in August 2018, and it died mid corner on a hwy ramp when I got on the power...
@boyoboy
Stupid question: what do you mean by grounds to frame and engine? Do you mean the literal wire from the + terminal on the battery to where ever it goes? And how do I clean it? Just tag a clean cloth and remove whatever residue I find? (I'm assuming water is a bad idea)
Also, I should have mentioned earlier....
My bike is stored at my parents for winter. My dad apparently found out I didn't charge the battery, so he ripped the "Do not remove" part of the battery and put distilled water in lol; when he found the battery it was at 2.3v though. I'm gonna need a new battery after learning this; I was wondering how it was holding a charge despite me neglecting everything from August until now.
What's important to me right now is....can this thing actually start? The last time I rode it was in August 2018, and it died mid corner on a hwy ramp when I got on the power. So this is a continuation of that.
These are quite possibly related
Agree.
who is going to ride your aprillia, buddy old pal? I'll pass you wrenches lol. vroom vroomDrop it off at my house, I'll fix it up and ride it a bunch over the next few months and then give it back to you in good running order and ready for October winter storage.
Taking your battery in for a load test will tell you if your battery is still good or not. Its free. It hasn't been determined if your battery is good or not.
Your battery's rest voltage hasn't been accurately determined. I understand you don't want to buy a battery if its not needed. Step one, check and determine if you need a new battery or not. If you do, buy it. Car battery is fine for testing - You will need heavy gauge wire to hook it to your bike- or booster cables. booster cables are large and awkward in the small confines of a bike - be careful not to short out to ground. Very careful. If you need a new battery why not do it first? Easier and safer than mucking about with booster cables or what not -
I would keep it simple and determine first if I needed a new battery or not....
Bitzz and others have also mentioned checking and cleaning your grounds to frame and engine. +1. It could simply be that.
@boyoboy
What's important to me right now is....can this thing actually start? The last time I rode it was in August 2018, and it died mid corner on a hwy ramp when I got on the power. So this is a continuation of that.