Bike wont hold a charge

[kdawg302000]

Hey guys, new to this whole forum thing. I bought a 2009 Buell XB12R with only 6000 miles on it and that I decided that I will try and fix my problems instead of letting a shop guess from now on. I just had my battery changed out when I had a service done. When I take the battery off the tender, it starts right up. I can ride until my arms fall off with no problems. As soon as I cut the bike off, it will either turn over super slow with a huge pause in between, or not turn over at all. When it does not start it just clicks like the battery is dead, which it is at this point. It clicks with the yellow light, red light and lights clicking with it. just looking for some tips on what to do. It does not appear to be the same problems that other bikes are having as it does not die while I am riding it. I know I'm going to have to get a multi meter and check the battery, but where do I go from there? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

[thrstrmech]

you need to look at the charging system....stator, voltage regulator, battery, ignition switch. check fuses as well : ecm 7.5 amp fuse, lights 15 amp fuse, key switch 15 amp fuse, battery 30 amp fuse, diodes 1 and 2. voltage regulator connection behind the idler pulley cover, also check the stator connections. remove the ignition switch body and take a look at the contacts there. anything is possible, so take your time looking things over, take pics...helps a lot seeing what you're seeing for better diagnosis, better help in return.

[user_deleted]

^^^^^typical great info and suggestions from robin.
and try this:
charge battery fully. do NOT use a tender. get your hands on a conventional charger and set at 6 amps for 15-20 minutes. now disconnect. take multi-meter and set on DC VOLTS. read across the batt terminals? 12.2 volts? close enough.
now install in bike and start. rev to 2500 rpm for approx. 5 seconds and let drift down to idle.
now place multi-meter across terminals as you did previously and rev again to 2500rpm
should see 13.2-14.4 volts DC. do you? great. no? post back.

[Chicknstripn]

Great suggestions!
I had a similar issue a long time ago. Wound up the connections at the battery terminals were loose.
Since you said the battery was recently replaced, check to make sure all those connections are good and tight. If they are then go forward with the above suggestions.
Good luck

[lawdog]

Motorcycle Battery Testing Procedure

I would make sure battery is fully charged, of the correct capacity for the bike, and tests good. Then measure voltage while cranking and while running to eliminate battery and charging system problems.

[kdawg302000]

so after charging the battery it sits at about 12.4 and I am starting the bike it drops to about 7.5-8.0 then starts up and goes upwards of 13.1-13.4. I pulled and checked all fuses, which appear to be fine. I was thinking about replacing them, just because. I assumed the battery was connected well, but didn't think it could be something that simple so i will check those connects tonight. If this all appears to be normal, then it looks like I will need to check out the stator and voltage regulator. Am I on the right track?

[lawdog]

You have a bad battery. Under load or while cranking battery should not drop below 9 volts.

[user_deleted]

^^^^^ what brett said. your charging system is working. your battery is not.

[ANIMOSITY]

Had the same issue on my bike. Turned out the there is a draw on the batt. Looks like the vehicle speed sensor is shorting and creating a draw. Still waiting for the new one to come it.

[kdawg302000]

Ok...this might be a stupid question, but is it possible for the charging system not to work, because the seat bottom was pressing directly on the positive battery cable and me weighing 200 lbs pressing down even more when I'm actually riding? I noticed that the cable was being crushed between the battery and a notch on the bottom of the seat. Long story short, it has been starting fine since I relocated the wires under the seat. I also un hooked the battery and cleaned the terminals. going to let it sit over night and see how she does in the morning...thanks for all the help so far. All the wires seem to be ok, nothing burnt out or corroding.