What To Do When Your Motorcycle Battery Is Dead | The Shop Manual
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Whether your motorcycle battery is dead or just struggling to start your bike, you can tell a lot about your battery’s condition and your bike’s charging system health with three very simple tests. Ari walks you through the troubleshooting process so you can determine if it’s your battery that’s the problem or perhaps your motorcycle’s stator or regulator/rectifier.
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Need a new battery? RevZilla has lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries:
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RevZilla also has OEM parts including stators and regulator/rectifiers:
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Yeah sure nothing will spark, unless your Zack and set the Ducati on fire 🏍 🔥
Ari is probably one of the most universally respected people in the motorcycle scene. Seems like a straight ace guy.
I bet you he is a nice guy but could you imagine if he was a huge jerk? 😂😂
I'm surprised he hasn't done anything with Ryan f9, that would be very cool
Picking up Ari AND Zack Courts was an absolute coup
Who’s Ari
Always a fan of these videos from Ari; they are broken down to easy to digest pieces.
Me too
As someone who has worked in the lead acid battery industry for 13+ years, this video is spot on! Good job guys
Service life of 4-5 years is a stretch for those of us who lives in cold climates and only ride our bikes 6 months out of the year. In my experience, even the premium ones only last 3 years in such conditions.
If you have a charger plug outside your bike you can take your measurements right from there. If you don't want to fool with volt meter, Harbor Freight has a little tester, 2 leads, magnet back 6 little LED lights. Three for battery condition, then if you can get it started, 3 other lights for charging. Had mine 30 years. Cars, mowers, motorcycles, boats, if it is 12vdc and neg ground it is your go to for quick checks. About $7 now I think. Easy carry in tool bag.
I kept the original Honda battery on my XR650 for 15 years. Keep this in mind: it's a single cylinder thumper! Having frozen it twice in Canadian winters and drained it ALL the way a few times, it still could start the bike even in its last days. I only replaced it when it could no longer keep charge from one day to another. At This stage it still lasted me 4 years. Moral of the story - do not believe you MUST replace the battery immediately when it starts losing capacity.
Love these videos. As a electro-mechanically inclined person who has worked on my own vehicles for years, this seems like common sense, but a refresher and the knowledge being shared is a very good thing. I would caution though that as simple as thiese steps are, there are sometimes things that can lead to incorrect diagnosis. A bad cable or connection to the battery could show up as a weak charging system is a good example. For the home mechanic or someone just wanting some information on there charging system, there are hand held tools available that will do these same tyle tests in fewer steps. Also, I loved the Radio Shack multimeter.....haven't seen one of those for a while.
Definitely do part two of how to check the regulator and stater.
For the static voltage test, I'd recommend disconnecting the battery from the bike after fully charging it. If there is a parasitic load, it would discharge the battery while you're waiting for the voltage to stabilize and give you a false "fail" indication. It's not a bad idea to do a current test right after fully charging just to confirm there are no parasitic loads present.
I was thinking the same thing.
I was just about to ask this question. Leaving a fully charged battery connected and testing it the next day doesn't rule out parasitic draw from the bike somewhere.
La alarma descarga la batería
How would I execute a current test using the multimeter? Connected to the battery the same way as doing the voltage test but just switch the multimeter to read current?
@@vicofischer no. Multimeter should be in series, usually between bat- and negative lead. Look it up
I'm a fan of Ari's shop manual series, keep making such amazing videos 🙌
Love it, great video. Side note, multimeters are tools that vary in quality and consistency like any other Get a good quality one; not everyone needs a thousand dollar Fluke, but go too cheap and you can get inconsistent or bad results. Stay away from the harbor freight freebies, lol. Klein tools makes a decent one for a good price as I recall, they're around 30-40.
Multimeter from RADIO SHACK! Very cool. I would also recommend you clean the battery terminals and cables before you connect to the charger and make sure they’re firmly connected.
I bought most of my tools shortly after high school, which was over 20 years ago now!
I love Ari’s concise information. It is super helpful.
Came across a curiosity for batteries and found this video. Helped me get around motorcycle batteries in less than 10 minutes! Thankyou
Ari’s shop videos are the best. Definitely support revzilla every season.
As an electronic technician, I'd say this is a very good starting point video. I would have liked to see the stator test, which basically you can see obvious faults by checking the resistanct between the 3 windings and checking it to ground. It also would have been helpful to mention that the cable connections to the battery are clean and tight.
That is only needed to confirm the test (have not watched yet btw), when checking from the battery (depending on the voltages you get), that will tell you if the regulator is regulating, and whether the stator is actually charging or not, it's very simple.
Spot on! It's good to check resting voltage more often than not. With slipper clutches installed on most modern bikes the plan B (push start) is limited. I have found AGM batteries are good until they are not, meaning they will start the bike well until they suddenly won't. Testing resting voltage is your savior.
i'm pretty experienced and still learned something from your video (fuel pump fuse trick), thanks !
Crisp and clear.. 9.6V cranking volt info was pretty helpful..
Honestly can't believe the timing of this video - I know it sounds like BS, but I've just had a battery issue 2 days ago (ZX14 wouldn't start) and was wondering how to test it before just taking it in for a battery replacement. (I never trust the shops battery tests - always wonder how truthful they are). Thanks for the info - heading to go get my hands dirty right now. Love the shop manual vids - keep it up!
My favorite type of content! Well...besides the whacky travel challenge ones 🥹
I always learn so much from these shop manual videos. He makes it look so easy, but when I do it takes me a few hours 😅. Need to watch more videos and keep practicing.
Day one of revzilla being the top gear of bikes you guys should do more motorcycle trips with the whole revzilla gang I would pay to watch each episode keep up the great content and hope more big trips to come
Revzilla,
Episode idea:
How to trailer your bike around:
Strap it down,
Do’s
Don’t
Hope to see it in the future 😅
Awesome idea, we will add it to the ideas list. In the meantime, we do cover a lot of common loading questions in our Truck Loading videos too if that helps in the meantime.
th-cam.com/video/3wEPbSwQGqQ/w-d-xo.html
I bought a Versys years ago because of Ari….and his pizza in a backpack video. Good times 👍🤪🇨🇦
Very convenient since my battery died last weekend. Thanks 🙏🏼
Incredibly helpful Ari, thanks again.
You are the best...Revzilla is so lucky to have you!
Great video, as always. Just imagining how many people are heading out the garage on this Saturday afternoon with a multimeter to check their gear for the first time in months!
Old and tired…welcome to my world…excellent video…Revzilla rocks👍
Good video...and I would suggest one thing as well: when charging the battery and letting it rest for some time, disconnect it from the motorbike. In the rare but still possible event that your motorbike has a curren leakage you will still measure the correct resting voltage in this way.
Another extremely helpful edition of “The Shop Manual”. Thank you, Ari!
I recently bought a second hand FZ1, I purchased a new battery since the bike was sitting still since August of last year. After bad experiences with batteries, I monitored the battery and noticed something draining the battery, after checking all the wiring, I found the culprit: a gps tracker left by the previous owner.
They do have a drain on all of the trackers. Some will tell you the voltage and send you a warning if its getting low. I want a sizapp tracker once funds allow.
LOVE these how-to videos! Keep them coming!
I literally just replaced my rectifier yesterday after it had no continuity. But I still love watching these videos!
I use a battery conditioner. Cable and connector connected to the bike’s battery and then plug in when it’s in storage. If you have a tracker installed, it’s going to draw current and discharge your battery over time so a battery conditioner sorts that out. I use an Optimate 3 which works a treat.
Ari, we missed you!!! Pop in more often
When Ari The Shop Manual's Doctor talks - we listen.👍😎
Very good info!
I'd like to add that low voltage after a charge and rest test could also mean there is a ghost load. I'm not sure what the best test is for that.
I bought a used F650GS that I had difficulty keeping the battery charged on. It took a charge from the charging system, but would struggle to start the bike with just a week of rest. I replaced the battery with a $250 lithium battery, which it promptly killed as well. Unfortunately on this model it takes more than the key and a few minutes to access the battery, so I still don't have it sorted yet.
Wow, talk about serendipity with this video coming out today. My 2019 KTM's original factory battery finally gave up the ghost today. Luckily it happened in the parking lot of a large dealership at a bike event. They had the right Yuasa AGM battery on-hand and I was on my way. After being on the tender all night, it was only registering 12.0v with the ignition on, and got down to around 9v while cranking. It just goes to show that even under the best possible conditions, like me keeping my bike on the tender when I'm not riding it, these batteries only last a few years.
You are the man dude! Motorcycling internet appreciate you!
Always a fan of Ari ❤ Eagerly waiting for the Rectifier / Stator Coil diagnosis video ✌️
It's coming! I think I just found a bike with a genuinely back stator, too.
I Want to add one more pro tip, After Installing your fancy Christmas Fogg Lights, dont forget to check the Voltage at Idle Rpm, Usually I have seen that voltage may drop below 13.5 at idle rpm , so be careful while installing fogg lights.
Or heated grips
Another great video!
I will add that I have had multiple led-acid batteries recovered from the brink of death by a pulse charger, so that might be worth a try before discarding it.
I recently bought a bike and that battery was running out in me after just a couple of days of short rides. I bought a pulse charger online for $15 and after one night on it the battery is performing like new!
This needs to be the sticky post on every motorcycle forum/group/Subreddit.
Man this channel has helped me so much, just like Fortnine I hit like before I have even seen the video
Very good information. Also applicable to most cars (not electric of course).
I think this is also a good place to add to check battery manual for new installs as some state to be fully charged before use (specially those where user adds the acid -Yuasa).
I do have my bike with its original 2008 battery and still going strong, it sits at 11 v but goes great and one day ill replace it but for now its amazing
Just went through this last weekend. My bike wasn't willing to crank. It was mostly clicking then slowly turned over. Battery didn't look that bad but bike seemed to be okay so got a new battery. It's good as new now.
Great job, as usual. I really appreciate the work you do. You make motorcycling easier. Thank you.
Thanks Kenneth! I'm glad you appreciate your work.
Thanks, I love the way you explain things in beginner language. I always learn something.
this is a super simple video that explains very important things, you should have added battery maintenance over the winter when it is not driven, it would be great, mostly, respect!👍
Great! Precise and short! Thank you.
Ducati batteries are behind so much fairing haha ! Fantastic video cheers
Damn, simple and straight forward video, nicely done!
Ahhhhh please continue with testing regulator rectifiers and Staters. I just about freaked out with excitement seeing this video show up. I know my battery is fine and usually in the past if my bike is not charging the battery it's the regulator rectifier. But I tried replacing it and the battery still isnt charging so I need to know if I bought a bad regulator rectifier or if my stator is shot. Your videos are super helpful in a pinch!
Pretty sure that state of charge chart at 2:20 is for lithium IRON, not ION. Different battery chemistry. (Lithium iron, or LiFe is what's usually used to replace lead acid, so the chart is fine, but the label is wrong).
Thanks, this is really helpful. My bike wasn't charging properly recently. Low voltage whilst running. I had lots of advice from knowledgeable people telling me to test resistance here and there but didn't find anything wrong till I tested the AC output from the stator.. I had one lead that only supplied 3v whilst running when the other two had 50v... A bad stator it was and two weeks fishing to find out.
I absolutely love the shop manual. It’s entertaining and educational.
This was good timing. My Honda Nighthawk 250's battery has been giving me trouble when it's only 2 years old, so now I can use these tests to figure out what is wrong
Thank you Rev I learned about how to test my motor cycle battery so do the regulator.ty Rev again.
It's always great to see the shop manual with Ari👍 I have put them to use on my own bikes many times.🤘
I collected and delivered a brand new Kawasaki KLR 650 for a friend of mine here in South Africa. No teething problems at all!
Please cover clutchless upshift and downshift soon! (Without quickshifter)😬 is it good? Is it bad?
My triumph's battery went dead after a ten minute ride (didn't want to start after getting some fuel) got it jump started and went home to run some diagnostics similar to this video. (I was an automotive tech for 12 years. The electrical system from car to bike is pretty much the same). Ruled it to be a bad battery cuz I've only had it for about 2 and 1/2 years. Went to the bike stop. Got the same exact brand battery popped it in the bike. Set it on the battery maintainer overnight showed a good charge. Went for an hour ride without turning it off. Came back. Let it rest overnight. Check the voltage, it was dead. So I checked the charging system. It was charging it just fine so I chocked it up to a defective battery and got it replaced with another exact same one. Only to have the exact same problem. So I took it to the dealership and I said fix it. Everything checked out fine. They shoved another new battery in it and still had the same issue I was. Ended up changing it to one of those fancy new lightweight Lipo batteries, and haven't had a problem since.
Still scratching my head as to the problem.
well I clicked on this with the assumption I wouldn't learn anything new but, I was wrong. Thanks as always to the SM love these learning opportunities.
Another great video as always Ari
Thanks Ari! Your tips are much appreciated.
Brilliant. Learned a new thing here about the resting volts and charts. Nice
My BMW 750 GS ran out of battery after 2 months of standing still this winter. Because it's fully loaded with navigation its electronics suck battery like nothing! Unfortunately this particular model is unbalanced in terms of battery power vs. electronics needs. I started connecting it to a BMW-recommended charger all the time when I'm not using it. It switches on and off according to needs. It simulates regular usage for battery. Now the bike is always ready when I want to use it.
would love to see a video showing some guidelines to test stator and regulator/rectifier
Nice Job Ari, and RevZilla team. I absolutely love the content that's put out in the shop manual videos. Is there a way to make suggestions for content that viewers can suggest for the shop manual channel. Thanks again, Jonathan.
Another great video! Simple and concise information for everyone on two wheels. Thanks
Love your videos!
Would love to see an explanation for how to track down fouling plugs.... Bag a Kawasaki Vulcan today fouled plugs like clock work... 100 miles!
Was at the shop 5 times, and never got fixed! 🫤
Love your videos dude!
This Ari guy, he's like the Google of motorcycle maintenance.
I feel more and more like a full time mechanic after watching Ari’s videoes.
These are great videos and one of the best sources out there! Keep them coming :)
Ok testing regulator/rectifier and stator test for next video!
Excellent review, thanks!
Well ari this couldn't of been more perfect I have a little 50cc that won't keep a charge it lasts for a day after being off the charger. Turns out I was just given a bad battery and it wasn't making enough powers from the get go 😅
Please do a video on checking for a parasitic draw and identifying where it is coming from. My Honda Goldwing will draw the battery down in a week or so, but if I unhook it the battery stays up fine. I know I have a draw, but it seems to be more than usual and I need to find out where the problem is.
RADIOSHACK multimeter? This guy is a legend!
thanks!!!!
great content again
So how long should you be estimating for a battery to last? How far should you travel to recharge the battery system?
Nice!
I think this should be a quarterly test all owners should do. In addition to the standard monthly maintenance
Good idea to do it whenever you change the oil.
Thanks, Ari. Great explanation.
Hey Ari...great job as usual! Have you or would you do a segment on setting up a safe and flexible system for charging all of our chargeable devices, both while riding and when we pull into a campsite? Having just added a video camera and a GPS locator, I'm getting into a big tangled mess of cables, connectors and worry about compatibility of all the pieces needed to run an efficient and safe system.
excellent information like always, keep the videos coming, please.
Great video Ari
Loved the video but where do I get the clips to attach my multimeter to the battery for the cranking test? Is there a hack that would free my hand(s) for the starter button?
Mine hasn’t even hit 2 years and it’s sitting at 12.18v….Yuasa brand, charged it with acid myself when I bought it. 4-5 years? I got a crap battery apparently 😢
Yuasa battery.....one cell dead after two years,new one on week and goes straight to 8.5 volts....
@@davidowens2320 I’ve heard great things about them too, maybe we are unlucky or maybe they don’t make ‘em like they used to
even a very bad battery should show around 14v when revving?
You guys are the best
Great stuff. Always hugely valuable.
When hooking up a charger or jumper cables, you should always connect the "positive" terminal first and then the "negative".
Why?
@@AriH211 Most likely not going to be a problem connecting a charger, however, it's just good practice to remember the proper order when changing the battery or jump starting from another power source. If you connect the negative first, most of the bike is energized. Any mistake with the other cable will lead to a short. In addition, if you were to touch the metal frame with a spanner while tightening the positive cable with negative connected, it will short. If you connect positive first, only a small part of the bike is now connected to power. If you mess up by touching the ground somewhere on the bike, or make contact with the frame while tightening cable, nothing will happen. This is completely different when dealing with electronics...ground always goes first. Great video BTW!
Solid advice, thx.
That was very informative, appreciate it 👍 👏 . Always look for over 12v, 12.6 or 13.6. 🙏🏼
Useful info. I'm one of those "spooked" people. Time to go get myself a multimeter!