So maybe I've gotten a little carried away with the "temporary off" key function here lately. You know. Turn the switch half way to the off position! Anyway, Ready to leave work yesterday and "dead battery". No big deal, I just get a jump! Then 20 minutes into a 30 minute ride home ( 80 mph on the interstate ) I loose all power. Gagues, lights and motor goes dead. I didn't try to jump her off again. I just carried her home. Does this still sound like a batery issue? Or more? Any thoughts would be welcome. :alcy:
Dead Battery?
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If you fried your electrical it wouldn't have moved anywhere. Your dealer is an idiot, as usual.
If the battery has a bad cell its quite possible. As soon as you went off the gas the voltage drop would cause the bike to die if the battery didn't have the right voltage. I'd replace the battery and see if any issues still exist. The fact that you know you drained it means the battery is the most probable suspect.
If the battery has a bad cell its quite possible. As soon as you went off the gas the voltage drop would cause the bike to die if the battery didn't have the right voltage. I'd replace the battery and see if any issues still exist. The fact that you know you drained it means the battery is the most probable suspect.
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Mine died on me a few months back. I got a jump off one of the battery charging machines. I rode it for about 2 hours before shutting it off. I didn't have anymore issues with it until a few days later I rode it to work and it wouldn't start. I got off the bike, took my gear off, and lit a smoke, tried the starter again and she fired up.
It sat in my garage for about 3-4 weeks without being started and fired right up on the first attempt.
I'm going to replace the battery when the white stuff starts flying.
It sat in my garage for about 3-4 weeks without being started and fired right up on the first attempt.
I'm going to replace the battery when the white stuff starts flying.
I'm somewhat lost on the "temporary off" position. You do mean the halfway point between on and off where you switch it to the left, but not all the way to off and you don't need the key to turn back on, correct? If so, that's not your problem. Turning the switch like that does turn the bike off. If that were the problem, my bike would be dead every day because I've been doing that for 8 years now.
You could simply have a dead battery or a system which isn't charging. Your best bet is to take a fully charged battery to a dealer or battery place to have it load tested. Even when a battery displays good voltage, it still may not have enough amps to crank the bike, usually caused by a bad cell. If the load test is a pass, your charging system could be failing. With the battery back in, test the voltage output with the bike running. If you don't see anything above 13.6 or higher @ 3000rpms, your system is not charging properly.
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2,261 Posts
I dont get the purpose of that switch,,yes it turns the bike off and dont need a key to start up,but it leaves the headlight on, no?
Not on my bike. Unless things have changed on these bikes since their debut, the light turns off as soon as you switch the ignition from the on position. Then, if you turn it back on, the headlight will not come on until you start the bike. Again, at least mine does and I can only assume the rest should be the same. The only way the light will stay on is if you turn the bike off with the kill switch and leave the ignition switch on. But once you turn off the ignition switch, even without going all the way to the "off" position, it's off. As I stated, I've been doing it since I bought my bike ('02) with no problems because it's easier to hop on and turn the ignition without the need to fiddle with my keys.
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ok.I just went to try it now heres what happens..
I put key in to start the bike,,remove key...turn switch to off,,,all lights go off,,BUT,I need thr key to turn the switch back to the start position to start the bike..
next.. I start the bike,remove the key,,,turn the switch to P" position,bike goes off,only tail lights stay on...still need the key to turn the switch to middle,start,position...
so why do I need the key to restart?
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579 Posts
I believe they are saying instead of taking the switch all the way to off, you can take it to an intermittent position that will kill everything but will allow u to re-start without a key.
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oh,,ok,,,I will try that next...thanks
I guess I have to be more descriptive in my um, description.
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actually you were clear,,
i misread...my bad
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1,116 Posts
Nope, it's still the same.
I do it all the time.
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2,261 Posts
:alcy::dance:
Final ??? Update
Ok Guys. This is for all the inquiring minds. She's running again. Ya the dealer said that turning the switch to the mid position should have nothing to do with running the battery down. Once the little green light goes off, she's OFF. Now as to what killed my batt. Know one knows. I bought this bike brand new in late 09. And I ride her often. After about 15 months I have logged ~ 12,000 miles. Nothing significant the days prior. Caught in the rain two days before. Gave her a bath and rode to the gas station the day before. Hope she stay's running a very long time. :alcy::bud:
Ok Guys. This is for all the inquiring minds. She's running again. Ya the dealer said that turning the switch to the mid position should have nothing to do with running the battery down. Once the little green light goes off, she's OFF. Now as to what killed my batt. Know one knows. I bought this bike brand new in late 09. And I ride her often. After about 15 months I have logged ~ 12,000 miles. Nothing significant the days prior. Caught in the rain two days before. Gave her a bath and rode to the gas station the day before. Hope she stay's running a very long time. :alcy::bud:
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