Electrical system ?

When I got my XJ550 last March it only had 6800 miles on it. It now has almost 13,000 as I drive it daily. Lately I have been having trouble keeping the battery charged. I hook it up to my battery tender every day. By the time I have driven to work and back with a couple of stops, sometimes there is not enough juice to start the engine. Luckily it push starts quite easily.

First ?, should I change the battery? (Not sure how old battery is but it is not original)
Second ? Is my charging system trying to fail on me?
Third ? I've added a small light in the rear for better visibility and some small driving lights up front as I drive in the dark a lot. Am I drawing too many amps with the extra lights?

I'm not real knowledgeable about electrical systems, especially on a bike.
I do have a manual so refering me to specific parts to troubleshoot will help me.
Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and have a great day.

 

First check the fluid level in the battery it topped off. If not top off with distilled water and charge.

Next check the voltage at the battery at about 3k rpm should be about 14volts. If it isn't your may have charging circuit issues. If it is 14v take the battery to an autoparts store and have it tested.

Remove your alternator cover and check the brushes as well.

There is not a lot of extra capacity in the electronics of the bike but if you ran fine for a while I doubt the lights are a problem. If your problems occurred right after adding the lights they may be an issue.

Anyway start here and see where that gets you.

 

The factory says that alternator brushes need to be REPLACED every 10,000 miles in a 550. My '81 has 19K miles and is starting to show signs of a "weaker than it should be" charging system. You might be due...

 

sounds like the battery is dud, be sure to charge it before you take it to the shop for test, or you won't get any possitive results.

 

My vote is th brushes. Simple to check, three bolts (left cover). Made a huge difference for my bike. She idles better, runs better, starts better...

 

Thanks for the input folks. I'll check the battery level and voltage first. Then I check the alternator brushes. After reading your responses I am having some starting, idle, & running issues. I'll let you know how things turn out.