This thread discusses the Content article: Charging '101' for Yamaha Road Stars

Not sure what's going on with the Road* so I figured I'd post this and see if anyone's had a similar problem.

The Problem; Twice in the past week the bike wouldn't start. Actually the first time it did start but died when I dropped it into 1st gear. When I tried to restart it the starter turned but the bike wouldn't fire. And yes, it was in Nuetral. Even turned off the passing lamps to see if it would make a difference; it didn't. Checked the battery voltage and it was 12.5 volts. Hooked up the Battery Tender 'til it went into "storage" mode (about 6 hours) and the battery voltage was up to 12.8 volts and the bike started. That was a week ago today. Rode the bike all week (with the passing lamps off) and no problems. Went riding Friday night with the passing lamps on and no problems. Got up Saturday morning and the bike wouldn't start again. Starter would turn but no fire. Battery voltage was back down to 12.6 volts. Put the Tender back on until this afternoon. Voltage is back up to 12.8 volts. Before putting it back in the bike I took it to BatteriesPlus and had them check it. According to them it's good. Put the battery back in the bike and it started. Shut it off after a minute or so and tried to restart; it did restart but not immediately and after a very loud backfire. Which brings me to where I'm at now.

I did a search of the forum and came up with this article on the charging system. http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/18/103/
According to this I'm good. Battery voltage should be between 12.6V-12.8V and the charging voltage at idle should be between 13.5V-14V. My actual readings at idle are 13.55V with the passing lamps on and 14V with them off.

So what could cause this type of intermittent problem? I thought for sure it was the battery, but now I'm not so sure. Would running the passing lamps put that much additional draw on the system? And if so, why is it just now becoming a problem? Or could it be a combination of an old battery (2 years old in June) and the additional draw?

Sorry for the long post and all the questions, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.



In The Wind,
Aaron<br><br>Post edited by: 2005Roadstar, at: 2007/08/20 21:26

Hey roadstar ,it could be a faulty battery,2years aint old though,pull the tops off the bat check water level not a good sign if one cell is low,with tops off try to start several times in short hits till the starter gets lazy and see if one cell is bubbling and or smells horrid if this happens dead batt.John

Battery?........... My buddies Valkyrie did something about the same as what your talking about, Battery tested fine, bike would not start at random. Put in a spare battery (guy is owner of two Valk's), never acted up again. My battery appears to be sealed, so I don't know if you can &quot;view&quot; the levels in these batteries, but it seems odd that when you charge it, it runs like it should. Maybe someone else will pop in with R* specific advice. Gremlins drive me crazy!BB

Starter turns ..no fire..and everything else checks ...

Ignition module?????

tried to restart it the starter turned but the bike wouldn't fire
Was it turning at normal speed or slow? Take your battery somewhere and have it load tested. You also said you turned your passing lamps off. Are yours on while starting?

The 1600's charging system had problems keeping up when one ran aux lights but the 1700s seem to be OK.

But it seems that it linked to your aux lighting so you may have a short to ground in the passing light circuit.

Doc

Thanks for the input guys. Gonna go out this morning and check a few things, but to answer your questions first.

Yes, the starter turns at normal speed; just won't fire (sometimes). The first time it happened I thought maybe I'd flooded it.

No, the passing lamps aren't on when the key is turned on, only after the bike starts. But here's the wierd part. If you'd asked me that a week ago I would've said yes. I thought the passing lamps came on with the key and the headlight only came on once the bike starts, but last night I discovered it's just the opposite. Guess I'm just not very observant!!

As for having the battery tested, I took it to BatteriesPlus and the guy there said it was okay. But may take it somewhere else to get a second opinion. And yes, it's a sealed battery so I don't think it'd be a good idea to remove the seal and check it that way. May not do any harm, but then again it may not reseal.

Thanks again for the input and I'll keep ya posted as to what I figure out.

In The Wind,
Aaron

If it's turning over good and the battery checks out I would start bt checking all the connections and also look for any bare wires that might be shorting out.

Aaron...If it were me.... I would start by checking to make sure there is a spark next time it wont start by pulling the wire loose and doing the old ground the plugs to the motor and look for spark.....if there is no spark check your wires resistors in the wires and the coils then the pickup coil leading back to the ignition module as Pop refered to....if there is fire I might suspect the fuel pump after it sits you should hear the clicking noise as it charges your fuel line...all the above is probably what you have done anyway ....just my 2 cents...ahhh and it sux ...sounds like a no beer job.....good luck ...Coug

Went through the bike with the multi-meter yesterday and everything checked out okay. Took the battery to Auto Zone for a second opinion and it checked good also. Rode to work this morning and the bike started fine. I think this is gonna be one of those things I'll have to troubleshoot while it's broke. Like Cougar said; check for spark the next time it acts up (hopefully there won't be a next time though!!) and go from there. And Cougar; it can't be the fuel pump 'cause there ain't no fuel pump; I'm running pumpless, but thanks.

Thanks again for the input and I'll keep ya posted on any new developments.

In The Wind,
Aaron