Motorcycle Repair: 1986 VT700 complete power loss, electrolyte levels, electrical diagnosis

Question
Mark,

Last night, on my first substantial ride of the season, my 1986 VT700 suffered a complete loss of power.  For roughly 2 miles prior to this happening, it backfired a couple times and experienced severe hesitation.  Almost like a running out of gas type behavior.  It also had to be push started after stopping for a break on my ride.  The battery is brand new  (3 weeks old) and was trickle charged as instructed by the dealership that sold me the battery.  Upon inspection the electrolyte levels were below minimum in cells so I added distilled water and put them it on the trickle charger again.  Is this an issue of the battery just not being prepared correctly at the dealership, or was it being drained that quickly by a separate issue leading to the breakdown I had.  Thanks for you response.

Answer
Hi Aaron,

I suspect a loose battery lead, though the problem may be other.

Electrical diagnosis should be performed to determine the cause of the problem(s).

Inspect battery voltage and specific gravity of each cell. Recharge or replace the battery accordingly.

There's not enough information included with the question description for me to to form an accurate diagnosis.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively