What Is Bleeding My Battery???

[Zapp22]

Hey DRZ experts I need help because I am a novice with electricals

I'm the second owner... DRZ400EK2.... the first did a sort of D/S conversion on the cheap. It basically works, but is ugly and SOMETHING keep eating my battery.

can you guys give me some tips on common wiring mistakes that result in the battery being run down overnight? This thing has a lot of grounds to frame, I noticed, here there and everywhere. The compliment of lights etc however is tame: BD LED Tailight which I put on, a couple of standard turn signals on the rear, an ugly, near-useless aftermarket hi/lo strapon light on the front, a second horn [the original doesn't work... dunno why]. That's it. no aux powerlet or anything else to eat current.

??????

[Wayward Son]

did it start immediately after the kit install?

[Zapp22]

did it start immediately after the kit install?

I think so eddie. We recently redid the whole tail with the BD part, which meant we re-ran the turnsignals, removed the flasher bought a new one and installed. That's all been in recent weeks but the behaviour seems about the same.... if you let it sit overnight then expect it to start, you got one shot at doing so! It will turnover about 20 times then the battery is exhausted. Also, I have noticed that if I turn the key/lock "on", with nothing else running [no lights, just sitting] the batt will bleed down in short order. maybe a few hours...

?

[Wayward Son]

before getting crazy,fully charge the battery and cofirm the bike starts.then leave it disconnected overnight.see if it starts the bike.

[Zapp22]

OK.

I'm assuming by "disconnected" you mean pull the positive connector on the battery so its isolated.

will do.

z

[Zapp22]

ONE more note... fresh.

The batt has been on the charger for about three or four hours today. I use a Schumacher trickle charger that has three indicator LED's: Yellow for charging, Green for Go, and Red for "Trouble". I went out to start it just now and the charger was showing Green. I flipped on the ignition switch pumped the carb and hit the starter and got the familiar rapid-click sound from the solenoid... not enough battery to engage. I looked at the charger [still connected] and the yellow and Red lights were on. turned off and let it sit for no more than two minutes and it showed Green again. What to make of that?

[Wayward Son]

the battery is probalby junk,but you should charge it on a real charger first.

[npm]

I'm no battery expert but a battery with a shorted cell could look charged to a battery charger when in fact it is bad. A better test would be to check the voltage under load. To do this charge the battery until you think it is done, hook it up, check the voltage no load (should be above 12 right after a charge), hit the starter and see what the voltage drops to when the load is on. A good fully charged batter should read above 11 volts under load. You may have to have somebody hold the meter probes while you check things.

[colhogg]

I looked at the charger [still connected] and the yellow and Red lights were on. turned off and let it sit for no more than two minutes and it showed Green again. What to make of that?

Wouldn't worry about that, I think it's non related. I started my bike the other week, forgetting to disconnect the (Optimate) charger first and it showed the red warning light. Must be surge protection or something?

[Zapp22]

well, i intended to do what Eddie suggested, but now it won't crank at all. Lights all work. Battery charger shows "green", but the starter just clicks rapidly [like a car starter does when the battery is weak, but not dead].

man I wish I had a shop manual.

Do you guys know: is the starter assembly, how it mates to the crank, and that part of the bike's wiring the same as on an "S" ???? I wonder if something is causing the starter motor to draw excessive current?

misery....

z

[botieguy]

Save yur self a big head ache. Find a digital voltmeter. Remove all load from battery and remove battery charger. Connect volt meter and watch. Does the voltage stay at 12.5 or higher? If not battery is bad. The battery could have a bad cell. It may show 12 volts for a minute or two but it will likely drop like a rock.

[doggerdan1]

Hey zapp take a close look at all your grounds and battery cables and connections. It sounds like you could have a bad ground or possibly a junk battery. Do like Eddie said first to check your battery, then start doing voltage drop test's if you know how. If not, get yourself a voltmeter it will probably have instructions to do that, then check all of your connections to the battery and starter. Remember that when performing a voltage drop test there must be a load present on the circuit being tested.