New rider

[bwinge250]

Hello! I'm a beginner rider and recently purchased my first bike, a 2007 gz250 (I rode a 150cc scooter for a couple years but finally upgraded to the clutch). I've had my bike for about two months and am an almost-daily city rider, and it's absolutely perfect for me. Just one problem though...when I bought the bike it ran great the first ride but wouldn't start after that. The seller said it had been sitting for awhile in the winter months, so I figured he just hadn't kept the battery maintained and sure enough with a brand new battery the bike has been great ever since. However, about two weeks ago I noticed that the dash light for my blinkers wasn't working. My blinker was on but the little green indicator light wasn't. The next time I rode, though, the light worked fine. I've also noticed that on occasion, the green indicator lights for neutral and the blinkers will fluctuate between being really bright or really dim, with no apparent reason. Then one night I shut the bike off but my brakelight was still on. I turned the ignition switch to on and then back off and the light went out and everything else was normal. The only other thing I've noticed is that every now and then when I'm sitting at a red light the bike will rev up in RPMs just a bit. Not much, but enough that I notice. We've had a lot of rain so I haven't ridden for about a week, then went to start the bike yesterday and it's dead again. All the lights are on and bright, but there's just not enough to turn the engine over. It whines for a couple seconds but then quits. I put it on the charger overnight, but still won't start today. This is exactly what it did when I bought it two months ago. Something has to be killing my battery since this one was brand new. I'm planning to take it to the local Suzuki dealership because I don't know anything about the mechanics, but thought I'd check to see what you guys think. Does this sound like a wiring issue or an "alternator" issue, maybe something with my charging system? I'm hoping it will be an easy fix....

Thanks!

[alantf]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

When you said that you switched off, and the tail light was still on - you do know (?) that if you turn the key all the way to the left, then the tail light WILL come on (it's a "parking" light). To switch off, the key should be turned to the position just before "parking", to lock the steering, but not switch on the light. If you switch it all the way round, regularly, then this will drain the battery if the bike sits overnight.

As for the other problems, sounds like it could be a break / partial break in the cables, somewhere at the front of the bike. The constant turning of the handlebars can cause stress on the cables round the pivot of the steering. If I were you, I'd do a check, tracing the cables from where they disappear into the lampholders.

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[bwinge250]

Thanks for the info. I learned about the parking light, yes, but I don't think that's it because I immediately turned it off that one night I noticed it, and I've checked my lights every time since then, and have had no problems until now. I'll take a look at the cables this evening, as you suggested. I've also heard that it could be because I got my battery (new) from an auto parts store instead of a motorcycle store, although 2 months still seems like a very short life to me no matter where the battery came from.

[alantf]

Did you charge the battery before installing it? We've found that if you don't charge them before use, they don't seem to last very long. Try charging it (but DON'T use a cae charger) with a low amperage charger (a battery tender is fine) then, when it's fully charged, leave it to stand for half an hour, then let us know what the voltage is, across the terminals. Lower than 12.5v is a fail.

[bwinge250]

Yes I charged it overnight the first time before I ever put it in the bike. I have a 2/4 amp tender that I use.