Start-up Problem

[Gz Rider]

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[Meme]

If you hook up your battery that was at 11.8v after 5 or six days, to a fully charged car battery and it still doesn't start, I really doubt it is a battery problem. 11.8v is low, but not low enough to drain even the smallest of car batteries right away. Also remember that the cheap multimeters aren't always accurate, so 11.8v may actually be 12.1v or 11.6v, etc.

I would hook up to the car battery and try some starter fluid in the air filter. Or just try starter fluid without hooking to another battery. If it starts, put everything together and take it for a ride (don't turn it off or go far from home). Once it is running well with the choke off and you are back home try turning it off and then starting it back up.

It sounds to me like a carb problem more than anything else. There may be some gunk in the tank or fuel lines that got into the carb after you cleaned it.

[greatmaul]

Yeah, definitely the battery. I bought my bike used and it had been sitting for years. Got it jumped and it ran lousy. After lots of trial and error, got a brand new battery and it runs like a champ ever since.

If you have a Cycle Gear store near you, they have the only lifetime warranty battery. Just go in and ask them they'll give it to you. It's about $69, but you can take it in forever to get free replacements and they all go bad after a few years, no matter what. I think it's called the DuraBoost Platinum. I googled it first to see if they actually stood by their warranty and from what I read, it's a no brainer.

My battery was also charging up and reading a little over 12V, but it just isn't enough. A battery that doesn't go to full charge, as listed above, is dead already and just doesn't realize it yet.

[bjrscj]

I generally like Cycle Gear, but their price for the duraboost was $90. I found another battery (link below) that's half that price, so even if I do need a replacement, I can buy another one. Someone else said that you need to charge batteries out of the box even if they say you don't need to. Would that apply to the battery I'm looking at, and would anyone have any recommendations against the battery below?

http://www.batterymart.com/p-YTX7L-BS-A ... 50-battery

[Meme]

Yes, that battery is an AGM and needs to be fully charged before use.

[Gz Rider]

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[bjrscj]

I ordered the battery and it should be here early next week. I re-charged my battery for a good 20 hours, and when I checked it today, it was sitting at 11.7 volts. So it does seem to be a/the problem. If that doesn't solve it, it's either the wiring (which someone said should be fine since the starter/relay clicks), or someone suggested the carb. I'll hook the battery up when it gets here (after I charge it, of course - thanks for that pointer) and cross my fingers. I appreciate all of the wisdom you guys have given to me.

[mrlmd1]

Did you try and start it with a good 12 V battery hooked directly up to the battery terminals without your battery connected, as I suggested before? If it starts and runs then you have definitely located your problem.

[greatmaul]

I have to concur about the battery. Even though it sounds like it should still sort of work even if the voltage isn't quite at the top, in my personal experience, a new battery solved everything when I had the same issue. I hope it works out for you!

[bjrscj]

I got my battery in yesterday and charged it. It held at 12.7 v. I went to start my bike today, and it cranked like a champ. However, the fuel was still not igniting. I primed the bike and used full choke, as I had taken my tank off to do some work recently, so I thought the engine may not be getting gas. However, after 5-6 attempts at starting it, the fuel still did not catch. Maybe I need to prime it some more, but I didn’t want to flood the engine.

So far I have checked the spark plug, and that seems to be fine. I could replace it just to rule it out, but I’m not sure that’s the problem. I’d appreciate any further insight you may have. Thanks!