Question1982 GS650L Bought new battery because battery went down. In 3 months battery went down. Bought a new battery and in 1 month battery went down. It is winter and I only make trips to store. Should battery stay up. When I run cycle voltage reads 13 volts. How do I diagnose if I have a problem? Battery is like 14LA2. I like my bike but get tired of walking home.
AnswerHi Larry,
The battery needs constant use to stay fully charged. Periods of non-use and/or short trips may not be sufficient use to maintain the battery.
Battery voltage of 13VDC with engine idling is normal. Voltage should raise to about 14.5 volts or higher with engine speed above 3k rpm.
Get a copy of the service manual. Review electrical troubleshooting procedure for performing an output test. This will test the charging system for proper operation.
I return tech files by email. There was no email address with your question as requested.
Respectfully,
Mark Shively
Any well working charging system on a modern bike will produce a voltage over the battery terminals in between 13.5 VDC and 14.5 VDC, over the entire rev range. When you suspect a fault in the system, this is the first thing to check.
When you find that there is a problem, keep in mind that the no.1 fault in any charging system is bad connections.
Suspect any connection in the whole system. It's advisable to take off all fairing parts, the fuel tank and seat, and just disconnect all connectors you can find. Do this one at a time, and spray them with a contact cleaner. Before fitting the connector again, apply a small amount of dielectric grease to each connector. On the widely used bullet connectors, the ones used on many Japanese bikes for connecting single wires to each other, you should see if the male bullet connector needs a firm push when it slides into the female one. If not, use a pair of pliers to make the fit tighter in the female connector.
When you disconnect them one at a time, nothing can go wrong. You will see that the wires are color coded, so mistakes when refitting the connectors are almost impossible
The use of our universal fault finding chart is a good way of finding the fault in most of the charging-systems on motorcycles. Go through the tests step by step, following the procedure accurately. If you're not completely sure that you have the basic knowledge required with electrical systems on motorcycles, don't do the tests yourself, but find someone experienced in this field to help you.
Find the chart at our website:
www.electrosport.com
