Two days ago, going to Galashiels to talk to the engineer about a mudguard bracket for the Bullet, I felt the XS was slightly more reluctant to start. And didn't feel so nice at very low revs.
Started wondering if the battery wasn't charging properly - I know you need to keep an eye on things like the alternator brushes. So, yesterday, asked my willing helper - she's getting used to this kind of stuff - to help me check the bike is charging. The idea was, I sit aboard the bike, kick the engine into life, hop off, she lifts the saddle and applies the voltmeter to the battery terminals.
Didn't go too well. Usually, Miss November starts from cold 1st or 2nd kick. Uh, nope. Took a good few kicks, choke on, choke off, the odd cough, managed to catch the engine and give a little bit of throttle, but felt ruff. Instead of settling down and warming up, seemed to be running on one cylinder only. Wouldn't settle to an even tick over. However, giving a few revs raised the battery reading from 12.5 is to 13.7 ish, so I think the charging circuit is good.
But with bike turned off, battery is showing a low value, like 11 point something. Put the smart charger on till the green light was illuminated. This morning, took another look and the battery is showing about 10.2V.
Does this mean the battery is on the way out? Is there a good way to check the battery? Or am I barking up the wrong tree altogether?