Need help figuring out electrical problem

[WA Nomad]

hello all I've been reading the forums and it seems that there are a variety of issues out there but I'm having a hard time matching my issue to what others have reported.

Here is the details of my problem:

Bike is 06 ridgeback

Bought the bike in CT rode it for 2 months no issues.
Drove it accross country to WA on trailer, started riding it and battery died on me.
Charged battery then it died again.
Battery was a BDM battery I figured at best it was 5 years old. Bought a new replacement battery and it died after a day of riding.
Charged new battery it died again.
Most times when the battery died on me I got it jumped so I could get home. I push started it a couple times when I was in a jam.
Then today on my ride home bike started acting like it was out of gas so I flipped to reserves and it still died. Not sure if it was out of gas I stopped at a gas station left it running and put some gas in. Then I took off to get home bike died on me and wouldn't start. Also now when I turn the key nothing lights up, headlight, tac, nothing. I called for help tried jumping it and it wouldn't crank over just clicked away. Went and got my trailer and towed it home. So now bike won't start and if I turn the key nothing lights up.

I'm not sure where to start or what to do, appreciate any help or advice. I'm a new big dog owner this is my first issue. I don't have much technical knowledge with the bike or systems. Reading the forums I'm concerned that I might have made the issue worse by jumping the bike and continuing to ride it with my battery charging problem.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[pauldeepsea]

I would check your voltage regulator. Sounds like it may be bad and is draining your battery

 

[chubs]

I would check your voltage regulator. Sounds like it may be bad and is draining your battery

Is it getting power to the regulator? Shouldn't be too awful hard to test with a meter to see if its getting over 12 volts at the battery with it running, somewhere around 13 or14 volts, I THINK, but I have been wrong quite often!

 

[pauldeepsea]

Check this out
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/threads/yet-another-question-charging-related.57876/page-2#post-600279

 

[BWG56]

I would check your voltage regulator. Sounds like it may be bad and is draining your battery

 

[bdm7250]

Then today on my ride home bike started acting like it was out of gas so I flipped to reserves and it still died. Not sure if it was out of gas I stopped at a gas station left it running and put some gas in. Then I took off to get home bike died on me and wouldn't start.

Thanks in advance for any help.[/QUOTE]
How tight was your gas cap in this situation? if your gas cap is on too tight fuel wont flow. As far as the electrical problem does sound like a drain, but the other experts on here would be able to comment better than me. What did you get for a replacement battery?

 

[BadDawg Bill]

I would say you have a bad stator or VR. You need to test them both first. I would also say you killed your battery by draining it and recharging it over time so all 3 need to be tested. Good luck.

 

[WA Nomad]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will test out the voltage regulator and stator. Right now I cant get in running so any tests I do will have to require it not to be running. In regards to the gas cap question, it was pretty tight, I needed to use two hands to loosen it. Thanks again everyone. I will update this thread with the results of my testing.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will test out the voltage regulator and stator. Right now I cant get in running so any tests I do will have to require it not to be running. In regards to the gas cap question, it was pretty tight, I needed to use two hands to loosen it. Thanks again everyone. I will update this thread with the results of my testing.

Well you are in a pickle.

If I was to guess your VR was overcharging and killing the battery and since you kept riding it without checking it you blew up the electronics on the bike.

Someone just did the same thing and rode his bike to a rally even though it was at 17v.

$1000 later you'll be back together.

I was just there but my warning was one no start then lost it all on my way home. I now carry a meter with me had I known it didn't start because of overcharging I would have disconnected the VR to prevent frying the rest of my bike.


Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

 

[BWG56]

Well you are in a pickle.

If I was to guess your VR was overcharging and killing the battery and since you kept riding it without checking it you blew up the electronics on the bike.

Someone just did the same thing and rode his bike to a rally even though it was at 17v.

$1000 later you'll be back together.

I was just there but my warning was one no start then lost it all on my way home. I now carry a meter with me had I known it didn't start because of overcharging I would have disconnected the VR to prevent frying the rest of my bike.
Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

Or put one off these on, then you can see it all the time.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Or put one off these on, then you can see it all the time.

View attachment 35080

Not my style....I really not sure why you did it since its mapped into your oil light anyways

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[pknowles]

Or put one off these on, then you can see it all the time.

View attachment 35080

That would look really good in red

 

[SKOGDOG]

1. you recharge the battery and it still just clicks? I hope you have charged the battery fully before you do anything else.
2.Check your circuit breaker...on my 2008 K9 it is by the side of the battery box. It is a little button (I call it the clit bcs it took me forever to find it)..if it is tripped, no voltage can go to the battery. It pops out a little when tripped. It will stay depressed when reset.
3. Check tightness of battery cables at the battery, and follow the fat cables from the positive side to the starter motor and negative side to the ground under the battery box. Make sure all connections are clean and tight.
4. Go to anywhere (Harbor Freight, Auto Zone, etc. ) and get a voltmeter. A cheap one is fine.
5.Charge your battery--it should read about 13 volts when charged. Note the exact voltage of the fully charged battery.
6.Leave the meter hooked up and press the bike's starter button (remember-neutral). The voltmeter should not drop more than four or five volts when cranking--a bigger drop means a bad battery or a starter pulling too many amps.
7. When running, it should read more than it did before you started the bike. That means the system is trying to charge the battery. If the reading is identical or slightly lower than the pre-start voltage, no juice is coming back to the battery. When you rev it up, it should increase output, usually near 14 or more volts.
But no matter what, find the circuit breaker and check it, because if it ts tripped, your entire charging system is offline, which causes excessive battery purchases (ask how I know that!). The tripped circuit breaker also mimics a bad VR or defective stator (alternator).
Good luck!

 

[BWG56]

Not my style....I really not sure why you did it since its mapped into your oil light anyways
Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

I guess I like gages more than idiot lights

That would look really good in red

At first I was like and then it dawned on me I'm a little slow today

 

[Brew]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will test out the voltage regulator and stator. Right now I cant get in running so any tests I do will have to require it not to be running. In regards to the gas cap question, it was pretty tight, I needed to use two hands to loosen it. Thanks again everyone. I will update this thread with the results of my testing.

Where are you located?

 

[WA Nomad]

Hello all made some progress today. First off I'm located in Bremerton Brew.

I found the circuit breaker trip switch. Wasn't sure if it failed bought a new one bought a meter installed the new circuit breaker and started taking readings.

Symptoms: now when I turn the key I get a quick flash of light on my oil light and nuetral indicator. Then it's all dead again.

Meter readings: I am getting 11.8 volts accross battery terminals. With all wires hooked up when I turn the key the voltage drops to 3.9 Volts. When I disconnect the EHC cables and test I get 11.8 volts and no voltage drop when I turn the key.

So I'm guessing my EHC shit the bed and they don't make those anymore so I have to rewire the bike?

I appreciate all the help so far and any future help I receive. Thank you all.

 

[Unsprung]

I would say you have a bad stator or VR. You need to test them both first. I would also say you killed your battery by draining it and recharging it over time so all 3 need to be tested. Good luck.

I'm with Bill, stator, VR and battery need to be checked and replaced. New, charged battery will be needed to check the charging system. Good luck.

 

[pauldeepsea]

Hello all made some progress today. First off I'm located in Bremerton Brew.

I found the circuit breaker trip switch. Wasn't sure if it failed bought a new one bought a meter installed the new circuit breaker and started taking readings.

Symptoms: now when I turn the key I get a quick flash of light on my oil light and nuetral indicator. Then it's all dead again.

Meter readings: I am getting 11.8 volts accross battery terminals. With all wires hooked up when I turn the key the voltage drops to 3.9 Volts. When I disconnect the EHC cables and test I get 11.8 volts and no voltage drop when I turn the key.

So I'm guessing my EHC shit the bed and they don't make those anymore so I have to rewire the bike?

I appreciate all the help so far and any future help I receive. Thank you all.

11.8 on your battery is low ! And you have other options other than rewiring the entire bike Still think it is and issue with either you ign switch, v,r or stator. Spark plug wires could be an issue

 

[Olde Man]

Battery is really low. If it was good and the voltage dropped to 3.9v when you turned it on the wiring would get hot and the EHC would smoke. I do not think that the wire feeding the EHC is big enough to pass the amount of current necessary to drop the voltage on a good battery that much. Battery is dead or bad.

 

[WA Nomad]

Thank you all for your continued support. The battery is new, I will pull it and give it a fresh charge and see if the readings change. I might be getting some help from another local member of this group as well fingers crossed. I will update this thread with any new information.