trouble starting... help!

[hot_lava]

thanks for all the help everyone...it def was the battery, when i put my car sense to it i figured it had to be that!

i have a a motorcycle charger thing and it worked great with the extention cord and all...getting the bike DOWN the street, up my neighbors driveway and back DOWN the sidewalk into my backyard to reach it was, er, a little of a workout (i know the GZ's are only a few hundred pounds, but i'm only 115!)...but well worth it when i heard her purring again

as far as the PRI setting goes, when my bike has been sitting for a while it definitely helps it start much better than the regular 'on' setting...and thanks to Easy Rider for the tip about setting it there a few minutes before starting it up.

lastly (and i guess this counts as a new topic), is there anything you can really do for the rust on the chrome parts? there's definitely some already there on my bike...oy.

it's a beautiful evening, i'm going riding woohoo!

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by hot_lava

lastly (and i guess this counts as a new topic), is there anything you can really do for the rust on the chrome parts? there's definitely some already there on my bike...oy.

If it is just brown/orange discoloration, then any good chrome cleaner/polish will do.

If there is actually a rough spot or tiny pit, then 0000 steel wool used to apply the cleaner/polish will help. Just don't put too much pressure on the steel wool.

Much of what LOOKS like chrome on today's bikes is really plastic. Do NOT use steel wool on shiny plastic !!!

[goneoutflying]

As far as the battery charger I use a car charger however I removed the battery from the bike and set it for the 2 amp charge (the battery label says .7A for slow charge and 3A for quick charge) took about an hour to charge the battery to where I could start my bike.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by goneoutflying

I removed the battery from the bike

Perfect......almost.
It is absolutely not necessary to remove the battery from the bike, if there is enough clearance to connect the clamps.
That does allow you to clean the terminals and snug the connections but a quick look and a tug would tell you that they are clean and tight.

How many times have you seen the battery removed from another kind of vehicle just to charge it?

[goneoutflying]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Perfect......almost.
It is absolutely not necessary to remove the battery from the bike, if there is enough clearance to connect the clamps.
That does allow you to clean the terminals and snug the connections but a quick look and a tug would tell you that they are clean and tight.

How many times have you seen the battery removed from another kind of vehicle just to charge it?

I live in a apartment complex, the second floor at that. The parking lot is quit a distance , about 300 to 400 ft, that would take a really long extension cord, Taking the battery out and bringing it up is a bit easer. (I have had to do that with a car battery too!)

And yes if you go to a auto parts store most of the time they will take out the battery to charge it, just in case there is a power drain causing the problem. I say "Most of the time" because even though I have never seen them charge a battery in a vehicle before, I am sure that there is an exception somewhere. :roll:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by goneoutflying

I live in a apartment complex, the second floor at that.

And yes if you go to a auto parts store most of the time they will take out the battery to charge it, just in case there is a power drain causing the problem.

:oops:
In the absence of an outlet on the side of the building, I'd say that's a pretty good reason !!

As for the car thing, if you can DRIVE it to the store in the first place, it can't be in THAT bad shape. I think you will find that they remove the batteries for much the same reason that you did; it's easier for them to do that than move their LARGE charger and tester out to the car. Their equipment may be attached to a wall or bench to keep it from " walking away".

A lot of places do, in fact, have a hand-held load tester and a medium duty charger on an extension cord. It depends more on what is convenient for them than any real functional difference.

[BusyWeb]

Hi, just for my 2 cents.
I'm not an expert on battery, but heard that need to be carful when charging a battery in-door.
Try it on open-space or make free air flow inside room where battery is charging.
When bettery is charging, it produces some harmful gas :??: :??:
I found this info from Wiki.
or Link to >>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_battery
=============================
Battery hazards
A battery explosion is caused by the misuse or malfunction of a battery, such as attempting to recharge a primary (non-rechargeable) battery,[56] or short circuiting a battery.[57] With car batteries, explosions are most likely to occur when a short circuit generates very large currents. In addition, car batteries liberate hydrogen when they are overcharged (because of electrolysis of the water in the electrolyte). Normally the amount of overcharging is very small, as is the amount of explosive gas developed, and the gas dissipates quickly. However, when "jumping" a car battery, the high current can cause the rapid release of large volumes of hydrogen, which can be ignited by a nearby spark (for example, when removing the jumper cables).

When a battery is recharged at an excessive rate, an explosive gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen may be produced faster than it can escape from within the walls of the battery, leading to pressure build-up and the possibility of the battery case bursting. In extreme cases, the battery acid may spray violently from the casing of the battery and cause injury. Overcharging—that is, attempting to charge a battery beyond its electrical capacity—can also lead to a battery explosion, leakage, or irreversible damage to the battery. It may also cause damage to the charger or device in which the overcharged battery is later used. Additionally, disposing of a battery in fire may cause an explosion as steam builds up within the sealed case of the battery.
=======================================

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BusyWeb

I'm not an expert on battery, but heard that need to be carful when charging a battery in-door.

One needs to be careful with a battery regardless of what you are doing with it. :skull:

Your Wiki post is good but NONE of that is likely to happen (except maybe for dropping it and breaking the case) if you are using a small charger in a relatively open space that is not right next to an open flame. :cool:

[goneoutflying]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

As for the car thing, if you can DRIVE it to the store in the first place, it can't be in THAT bad shape. I think you will find that they remove the batteries for much the same reason that you did; it's easier for them to do that than move their LARGE charger and tester out to the car. Their equipment may be attached to a wall or bench to keep it from " walking away".

I asked my father who used to work for Auto Zone for about three years. Their policy was to remove the battery to charge it to prevent any liability of the small chance that it may damage someones car.

Originally Posted by BusyWeb

Hi, just for my 2 cents.
I'm not an expert on battery, but heard that need to be carful when charging a battery in-door.
Try it on open-space or make free air flow inside room where battery is charging.
When bettery is charging, it produces some harmful gas :??: :??:

I charged it on my balcony :cool:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by goneoutflying

I asked my father who used to work for Auto Zone for about three years. Their policy was to remove the battery to charge it to prevent any liability of the small chance that it may damage someones car.

Sorry, I forgot about the corporate stupidity factor!
It is, of course, true that if the employee does something REALLY stupid that causes the battery to explode......at least the customer's car won't be damaged in the process. :roll: