think my battery is dead after the winter. left it in there

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alantf

This seems very quick for charging up a flat battery if you used the correct charging rate.

AND if it DID come back that quickly with a low charging rate......that is a dead give-away that the battery capacity is almost GONE.

[blaine]

My charger has float mode so it don't over-charge when left on battery.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by blaine

My charger has float mode so it don't over-charge when left on battery.

OK but that's a little different than "any 2 amp charger". :cool:

[alanmcorcoran]

AND ONE MORE TIDBIT:

Tenders are NOT designed to recharge a battery. The Battery Tender people specifically recommend using them for that purpose. They are strictly for maintaining a properly charged battery when not in regular use. I think they said if it is down more than 3V than don't use the tender. Might have been less.

Danny, when my went dead (all three times) I charged the batttery on the "low" setting (2amps) overnight. That's what's recommended and it worked for me. If the battery is still poopy afterwards, and you don't want to try the clutch start, give the jumper cable method a try - mrmld has it described in detail on here somewhere - basically connect your battery to a car battery but don't run the car. That works too.

[dannylightning]

well the bike fired up yesterday after i left it charge for 4 or 5 hours the night before. my charger charges at 4 amps, that is the only setting it has, you cant no leave a normal charger on your battery unless you want to ruin it, unless it has some kind of tender mode where it will turn off when the battery is fully charged. not sure why it charged so fast last time. i could be mistaken but i don't remember it taking long at all

it took a few tries to get it started but as soon as enough gas got back in the carb it fired right up. so i assume the battery is working fine or it would have died again. i was thinking about hooking it up to a car battery and not running the car but decided against it just in case, don't want to blow any thing up, i cant see how it would but better safe than sorry.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by dannylightning

it took a few tries to get it started but as soon as enough gas got back in the carb it fired right up.

Hasn't your petcock (fuel tap!) got a "prime" position? If it has, that's what it's there for - to let fuel flow freely into an empty carb!

Next time you suspect that there's no fuel in the carb, set it to "prime", leave it for a coupla minutes, then start up. As soon as it's running, set the switch to "run". :yes:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alantf

Hasn't your petcock (fuel tap!) got a "prime" position?

Maybe not. My Honda doesn't.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by alantf

Hasn't your petcock (fuel tap!) got a "prime" position? If it has, that's what it's there for - to let fuel flow freely into an empty carb!

Next time you suspect that there's no fuel in the carb, set it to "prime", leave it for a coupla minutes, then start up. As soon as it's running, set the switch to "run". :yes:

NO NO NO NO it does not haha, i do not have a petcock with adjustable settings mine runs off of a vaccume and it shuts its self on and off when turning the bike on and off, you got to put the key to the on position and give it some gas a few times to start getting some gasoline flow.

unless i am getting it confused with something else, i remember reading it runs off vacuum but it definitely has no adjustments.

[mrlmd1]

It probably has off, on, and reserve positions, no prime.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

It probably has off, on, and reserve positions, no prime.

If it has a fuel pump, it might not even have that.