Random Ticking...

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Canuck

so what needs replacing or checking? has anyone else ever had this problem ?

Yes. Classic symptoms of a battery on it's way OUT.

Good advice in the previous post.

[Water Warrior 2]

Do you know if that is the original battery ? If it is you are lucky to have it last so long.

[Canuck]

so i took my battery in for a quick test after it was fully charged...

they said it was fully charged... but its rated for 85 but was at 77 for the "reserve" in the battery... i'm no techie so im not sure what it all meant.... thought one of you fellas could figure it out 85 amps.. reserve charge?

hahha.

for now every time it "ticks" "clicks" or whatever i just put it in 1st..clutch in and then release after pushing the bike back or forward a foot or two...get that charging/generator sound for a second ....try the ignition button and boom off we go.

she said the battery is on its way out.. and the cold weather storage isnt helping it after being fully active for almost 2 years now...its not stock its a YUASA brand i use the bike almost daily and sometime several times per day.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by Canuck

so i took my battery in for a quick test after it was fully charged...

they said it was fully charged... but its rated for 85 but was at 77 for the "reserve" in the battery... i'm no techie so im not sure what it all meant.... thought one of you fellas could figure it out 85 amps.. reserve charge?

hahha.

for now every time it "ticks" "clicks" or whatever i just put it in 1st..clutch in and then release after pushing the bike back or forward a foot or two...get that charging/generator sound for a second ....try the ignition button and boom off we go.

she said the battery is on its way out.. and the cold weather storage isnt helping it after being fully active for almost 2 years now...its not stock its a YUASA brand i use the bike almost daily and sometime several times per day.

Do you think the charging / generator sound could be the starter free wheeling for a moment ? A poor selenoid will power the starter but not enough to engage the starter drive to the engine. After the momentary free wheeling it loosens the drive enough to engage. Rolling the bike a bit may/will also cause the things to loosen up. The clutch plates drag enough to reposition some internal parts. So you might have bad starter connections or the selenoid is getting tired.

[bonehead]

Could also be a bad spot in the starter itself.

[mrlmd1]

Check and clean off the contacts to the starter and make sure the connection is good. It's out in the weather all the time and could be dirty and limiting current flow through there too.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Canuck

she said the battery is on its way out..

There's your answer. All the rest of the "symptoms" are pretty much meaningless until you get a new battery. Once they start to fail, the decline is usually rapid and irreversable and long periods on non-use just accelerates the process.

Have we mentioned that the new battery must be fully charged before installing ?? :cool:

[trykemike]

Hey guys . I just had a thought. Before buying a new battery a simple test can remove any doubt about other starting system components, Try jump-starting using a boost from another battery. If several attemps are all successful. The results are conclusive. Replace the battery. I had a similiar problem with the 3 wheeler. A boot test proved that the battery ( 1 yr old ) was faulty. After replacement no more starting problems.

[mrlmd1]

Don't be put off by the name Yuasa - that is an excellent battery and probably better than what came as stock. How old is that battery and has it been sitting for a prolonged time without use?
If you do jumpstart the bike from another 12v battery, like from a car, DO NOT have the car's engine running while you try and start the bike - you may fry all the bike's electrical components with the output of the car's alternator.