Parasitic draw + Kickstart won't even work when the battery's drained

[divlukic]

My battery was pretty low after not starting it up for a week or two and it’s been a few months since I charged it anyway, to the point where the electric start hadn’t been working for a week or so. I pulled the battery and charged it overnight and electric start and everything worked again, but within a day or two the electric start sounded much much slower and wouldn’t turn the engine over so I just used the kickstart for a few days. A day or two after that the bike died at a red light and would not kickstart at all, I tried for 20+ minutes. I charged the battery and it started right up again, and the exact same thing happened where the electric start worked as soon as I reattached the battery and within a day or two stopped working, and tonight the bike died at a red light and again would not kickstart over. It also loudly backfired when trying to kick it on after it died

I know this is a bit of a 2 part problem, as the parasitic draw shouldn’t effect the kickstart not working with a dead engine, but has anyone had a similar situation like this?

I think the bike not kickstarting regardless of battery charge means there is something wrong with the ignition / charging system, but I’m not sure how to go about troubleshooting that. This bike was also upgraded with Hughes PMA charging system by the previous owner, which as far as I know is an upgrade that makes it so that you don’t even need a battery to kickstart the bike, so it’s even more confusing why it won’t kickstart on a low battery

I’m thinking that figuring out the parasitic draw would be an easier fix so my battery remains at a level where it electric starts and kick starts, but I feel like there’s still the underlying issue of the bike not kicking on without a decently charged battery.

Has anyone experienced similar issues and found out any sort of solutions?

 

[650Skull]

Get the battery load tested. Sounds like a dropped cell.

If the PMA was installed with a capacitor it does not need a battery, should kick start.

If no capacitor then it needs a battery to start.
If you have been starting with the electric start and the bike has a capacitor and battery, you will still need to get battery checked.....

Get the battery load tested first and find out if it has a capacitor. I don't know where that would b on the bike

 

[gggGary]

PMA "upgrade" HAH!
I like Hugh but the "standard" voltage regulators were crap soon failing.
From your description it's simple, the bike is not charging. Get a handle bar voltmeter and check. You should have at least 13 volts at idle and 14 volts once above 1500RPM.

 

[Its been a long time]

PMA "upgrade" HAH!
I like Hugh but the "standard" voltage regulators were crap soon failing.
From your description it's simple, the bike is not charging. Get a handle bar voltmeter and check. You should have at least 13 volts at idle and 14 volts once above 1500RPM.

Yeah, the usual PMA "downgrade" story

 

[650Skull]

PMA "upgrade" HAH!
I like Hugh but the "standard" voltage regulators were crap soon failing.
From your description it's simple, the bike is not charging. Get a handle bar voltmeter and check. You should have at least 13 volts at idle and 14 volts once above 1500RPM.

I remember when.......... RG and I were vilified for saying the same thing. A thread was started complaining about our complaints about the PMA crowds false advertising.

 

[divlukic]

PMA "upgrade" HAH!
I like Hugh but the "standard" voltage regulators were crap soon failing.
From your description it's simple, the bike is not charging. Get a handle bar voltmeter and check. You should have at least 13 volts at idle and 14 volts once above 1500RPM.

I’ll get a reading like this as soon as I take the battery off the charger and put it back into the bike, but within a few days it’s already back to around 10 volts at idle.

 

[grouchie77]

Yeah.... I remember the day I'm stranded on the corner in 95 degree heat waiting for my wife to come rescue me. And giving her the battery, and telling her to tell the guy at Autozone she needed that SAME EXACT BATTERY, no matter what their stupid computer says.

Fresh battery.... two weeks later... made it half a mile before deja vu. Wife told me that's the second and last time she's gonna come bail my ass out.

Anyways, I decided to get rid of the electric start and battery. Figure if I can't even kick start it while it's in the garage then there's no possible way I'll leave and get stranded again.

 

[gggGary]

I’ll get a reading like this as soon as I take the battery off the charger

like what?

but within a few days it’s already back to around 10 volts at idle.

Just sitting unused or riding?

 

[mike in idaho]

I’ll get a reading like this as soon as I take the battery off the charger and put it back into the bike, but within a few days it’s already back to around 10 volts at idle.

Next time you put the battery in, connect a test light between the battery post and ground. If the light lights up, with the key turned off, you need to start unplugging wires til you find the voltage draw.

 

[Sky King]

Having the battery load tested is a good idea as it is the more reliable test although I have had ones that passed but were bad, only a new replacement confirmed that. Also plus one on the parasitic draw test, easy to do and you don't need a meter, a light bulb with clip leads will suffice. A non computer equipped vehicle should show no draw.

 

[650Skull]

Did a search on your threads.

The problem in all 3 threads could b caused by the same issue. carb symptoms can b and are often electrical

After people posted help to your questions there was no follow up from yourself to solutions offered
or the problem solved

I posted links, back in May, (the first thread), If the advice was taken it would diagnosed and eliminated electrical issues.

These bikes are old. Connecters corrode and disintegrate, contacts in switches get dirty, wires rub creating shorts, (especially going into the headlight when the rubber grommets fall out), corrosion with damaged wires where they go into bullet and plastic connecters, broken wires in switches where they solder onto switch plates, nicked wires from PO's, especially in the headlight bucket.

Find one problem and fix, thinking all electrical problems solved.....no the whole loom, switches and earth connections need going through. Replacing and fixing problems systematicly

Link back in fist thread