Battery Charging

Guys how often should you have to charge your battery when it's not being used? I know it's a very broad subject, but I charge mine up, and within a day or two it's almost dead. Is this normal?
Mac

 

Between work and weather my bike might not get ridden for a couple weeks at a time and it always turns over strong and fires up. I think if you're losing charge after a couple of days then it's time for a new battery.

 

My battery keeps a charge strong enough to turn over and start it for over a week and I have a small digital clock pulling off it. You either have a bad battery or a current leakage problem.

How old is the battery? If it is over 4-5 years old you may have a bad battery especially if you don't keep it on a battery tender during the winter months.

Testing for leakage is easy to do and could save you the cost of a un-needed replacement. Pull the ground (earth, - or whatever else you call it) wire from the battery and let it sit for a few days. You can also test for current leakage with a multi-meter if you have one) If your battry is dead or significanly weaker take it to the parts store for a test/replacement. If it keeps a charge your battery is probably good and you need to check your wiring. I found a wire to my rear brake switch had rubbed thru the insulation and was slowly draining my battery. The rust and dirt on the frame kept it from creating a direct short so the leak down took a couple of days.

 

A multimeter with an ammeter setting is very helpful. Used it to chase down a battery-drainer on a Blazer once. Just put the multimeter in between the ground strap and the battery negative post, then pull fuses one by one until the current drain disappears. Not very many fuses you have to go through on a bike, though.

If there's no current drain, the battery itself is probably shot.

 

Ok I feel like a complete idiot but need to solve this problem. My bike ran for two weeks roughly. I go to take the bike out and not clicky clicky?! I check the battery and it shows 12.00 volts. I don't even hear the faint click when you switch from kill to run. I attempted to measure the current from battery to ground I saw no current at all. I did the test with and without the ground connected to the battery, no difference. The battery seemed great for a couple of weeks. I bought an interstate battery has been great. Can someone please give a couple of ideas of where to look for this.

Thanks,

Paul

 

Main fuse
Starter solenoid
Start button
Ignition switch

 

What does the liquid level look like on the new battery? If it's low, your regulator is overcharging it, causing the water to boil off and kill your battery.

 

I'll check it at lunch thanks

 

12 Volts is very low for a lead-acid battery and it should be in the neighborhood of 12.7 +/- 0.1 VDC with an open circuit. Full discharge is 11.8-12.0 Volts. The voltage rating of a battery is a bit confusing.

You may want to also check your charging circuit. At about 5,000 RPM, the battery should be charging at 14.2-14.5 VDC. Above ~14.5 V and you'll begin boiling the battery and shortening its life.

 

I agree with Robert that it could be the starter solenoid. Had the same problem. Remove the right side cover to allow access to the solenoid. Tap it gently with something while trying to start the bike. If the starter engages, the solenoid is sticking. Also check the wiring connections at the solenoid for corrosion. I push-started mine several times before I figured that out. I wound up taking it apart and cleaning / lubing the mechanism (not hard to do - a bit of unsoldering and resoldering) and it has been perfect since. Good luck.