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Battery dead / Jump Start

17K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  Eskimo 
#1 ·
So here's my story:

Accidentally left my 2013 Ninja 300 on for a couple hours yesterday. Jump started the battery today with my car (Car was not on). The bike turned on. I left it attached for a about 15 minutes with the bike off, and 10 minutes on, running in neutral. Detached the clips, and went for a 15 minute ride, thinking that it would charge the battery. Turned off the bike. Let it sit for a minute. Turned it back on, slight hesitation, but turned on fully.

Came back 10 minutes later to ride to class, and the bike would not turn on. When I turn the key, the dash lights up, but then when I press the starter button, it makes a noise, and it seems like the bike struggles to actually start up. It continues to make this struggling noise however long I hold the start button. The dash goes out, but the button continues.

Does this mean that the battery cell is dead, or should I continue to try and jump start again?

If I try to jump start the battery again, how long should I leave the clips attached? And should I leave the bike of, or on an running in neutral while the clips are attached?

Thanks,
Sean
 
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#2 ·
From my experience, dead batteries on motorcycles tend to be terminal, assuming it's a normal lead acid battery. As the battery discharges you get a build up of lead-sulfate on the plates. If it's allowed to sit dead the lead-sulfate will harden on the plates and the battery is toast. (Depending on conditions, this can happen as quickly as over night.) The lead-sulfate is high impedance and will prevent the battery from charging or charging fully and you'll notice the battery seems to fail to hold a charge. If that's the case, it's time for a new battery. Can you recover a sulfated battery and make it work again? Yes, but it's probably more effort and cost than just getting a new one. Read up on battery sulfation. From your description my guess is this is what you're experiencing.
 
#3 ·
try charging the battery overnight. It could be that you just didn't ride it long enough to give it a good enough charge. Having a volt meter is helpful in these situations; you could check the voltage after you unplug the charger and see how much voltage is lost after letting it sit overnight. If it can't stay higher than 12 volts after a night if sitting, then it's fried.
 
#4 ·
I just went through a similar situation, but my dash lights wouldn't even come on. I took the battery to the shop to get it tested. Dead with a Capital D. Yours may be salvageable, but I'd go to a trusted shop to get it tested. Either way, go get a float charger, like I should have done.
Good luck.
 
#6 ·
After jumping I wouldn't leave the clips on for any amount of extra time. Especially if your car is off because, wouldn't that mean your bike is trying charging/upkeeping your car battery and your drained motorcycle battery? Also, I heard that for cars that charging doesn't really occur at idle and you need to drive/run the car around for awhile, so I would go take it for a 30 min spin keeping the revs up slightly higher than you normally would. You could do that or as JJ suggested, try charging it over night. If your situation is as Elijah described, then none of what I said above will help. Good luck and hopefully you get it sorted.
 
#7 ·
It's advisable not to discard a charged battery--discharge it with a 12v automotive light bulb and then discard in accordance with any hazardous waste laws in your jurisdiction.This can be done with the help of automotive and reliable Locksmith in your area because they know the rules and regulation of concerned field.
 
#8 ·
You can also just pull one (or both) lead off the battery to make sure the messed up battery isn't screwing up the system (short or massive drain) and jump it like that. Most vehicles will run fine without a battery after jumping. Some newer vehicles will die if you remove the battery from the system while running.
 
#9 ·
Try a trickle charge overnight. I would stay away from lithium. Your bike's charging system is designed for lead acid. Lithium batteries are very finicky and become dangerous if something goes wrong. The weight savings is not worth the risks. And FYI, I manufacture lead acid batteries. We run tests on lithium in our labs quite often. We have had several explosions with them. They do not do well with a failed voltage regulator.
 
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