dlaing Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Regarding charging, opinions are all over the place on how to charge. If you have a Hawker battery, I'd recommend using one of their recommended chargers that take the battery to 100% with very little risk of over charging. However some have used automotive and trickle chargers allegedly without damaging the batteries. I assume Hawker sets strict guidelines to minimize warranty replacements. Basic trickle chargers don't apply enough voltage to bring it to 100% charged, but they can usually get it close enough. SOME automotive chargers can deliver too many Volts. You can start with 10 or even more amps(Hawker says there is no limit (since limiting the voltage will limit the amps)), but reduce the amperage when volts reach 14.8V. The secret is to watch the voltage and keep it below 15V. For a Hawker battery try to keep charging voltage between 14.2 and 14.8V
Garsdad Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 I am always leary of a used bike purchase where the PO has installed a new battery- it always seems like a cover for a non-operable charging system. Charge the battery. Check your grounds. Once you get it going, measure the voltage at 3,000 rpm- if you are not near 14 volts you have a charging issue. Look for a leak in the intake boot. If your bike is running a little rich because it is cool, and you get a leak downstream of the throttle plate, your idle will soar with the increased airflow. Good luck, and let us know what you find out.
mznyc Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Hi Sig Would agree with everybody that ya gotta get battery charged up before proceeding. **CAUTION** When working near battery be careful not to touch the pos connector to the ground of the ECU,it's about an inch away from it.If you have to remove battery,take neg term off first ,then pos connector. The TB rubber boots are a common problem.If they're cracked or loose you would get the symptom of fast idle.Could also be a loose header or exhaust connection.Any leaks affect your air/fuel mixture and hence your idle going through the roof. Michael
SFSig Posted January 6, 2009 Author Posted January 6, 2009 I am always leary of a used bike purchase where the PO has installed a new battery- it always seems like a cover for a non-operable charging system. Charge the battery. Check your grounds. Once you get it going, measure the voltage at 3,000 rpm- if you are not near 14 volts you have a charging issue. Look for a leak in the intake boot. If your bike is running a little rich because it is cool, and you get a leak downstream of the throttle plate, your idle will soar with the increased airflow. Good luck, and let us know what you find out. PROBLEM SOLVED!!! THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR CONCERN AND INPUT!!! So I bought a battery tender and hooked it up to the bike for a day. The following morning, I tried starting the bike and after a few cranks (which it wasn't doing before, just clicking) it started right up. Since then, I've ridden it a couple of times and it's back to normal. Thanks again for everyones help! My donation to the site will be forthcoming. Garsdad - your suggestion of checkng voltage at 3k rpm will be my next step. The intake boots are cracked although I haven't seen any cracks deep enough to allow air in (although I can only see the half the boot facing outward). This doesn't seem to be the problem anyway, but it's something that I'll need to address sooner or later. Thanks again....
jrt Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 Keep the battery tender on the battery as often as you can. It'll keep the battery more healthy. glad your bike is going again!
savagehenry Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 SFSig, Great to hear the report. Now, after the bike has sat overnite, check the battery before you try to start it. Should be at 12.7-12.85v to confirm that you are properly charging. I don't know exactly why, but these bikes need the resting voltage higher than previous bikes I've owned. THEN, check your voltage drop when you crank it over. As a side note, do you crack the throttle at all when you start it? I found a small "roll" as I push the button really helps on mine, and have since seen threads where this seems to be a concensus, regardless of the fact that a fuel injected system shouldn't need this. What the hell do I know, this bike is purt near 30 years newer than ANY bike and most of the trucks I've owned! (I'm kind of a luddite) This a great site indeed, so do buy Jaap a couple beers, especially now that he has another bike to feed... <_ ...later>
badmotogoozer Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 Quick and clean way to check if your cracked boots are leaking - take a propane torch (not lit!) and apply the stream (not much needed) of gas to the boots while the bike is running. If the engine speeds up, you need new boots.
Dan M Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Quick and clean way to check if your cracked boots are leaking - take a propane torch (not lit!) and apply the stream (not much needed) of gas to the boots while the bike is running. If the engine speeds up, you need new boots. Excellent way to check for any vacuum leak. Just keep the propane away from your plug wires in case one is faulty and don't smoke.
SFSig Posted January 13, 2009 Author Posted January 13, 2009 QUICK UPDATE.... So after the initial remedy with the battery tender and the bike working for a couple of rides, the same problem occurred again... I had it plugged into the battery tender for three straight days and still when I tried to start it.... just clicks. So I went out and bought a battery. I wanted to get the Hawker with the metal jacket, but all the shops locally had to order it and it was like $175 after tax, so...... I ended up with a Westco which the dealership I bought it from said they've done well by. Hoping that I didn't just waste $100 not to fix the problem, I installed the battery and crossed my fingers - it started right up. The crazy thing is that it seems like the new battery has breathed new life into the bike. Not only does it start up faster and stronger, but I swear it idles better as well... Is this possible, or am I just excited to have a working bike again? hmmmmm.....
pete roper Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 [quote name='SFSig' date='Jan 13 2009, 09:32 PM' post='154223' The crazy thing is that it seems like the new battery has breathed new life into the bike. Not only does it start up faster and stronger, but I swear it idles better as well... Is this possible, or am I just excited to have a working bike again? hmmmmm..... I'd still check to ensure that it IS charging. The reg/recs on this system aren't the cleverest in the world. Is the charge light working and going off above idle? Stick a V meter on the battery and give it a rev. As others have said it should charge at or near to 14V. Big step from mopeds to a V11. Be careful. Pete
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