Can I push start my 85 xj700 without the battery in it?

Hey guys I rode my 85 maxim 700 to school the other day and when i cane out to go home i found out when i turned the key it had no power no lights or anything totally dead so I figured I'd try to push start it and it worked but I only made about halfway home when in started bogging down and died again so once again i pish started the bike and made it home so I'm pretty positive this is a charging system issue with either the stator or the voltage regulator was wondering what you guys thought and I was also curious about whether or not it is possible to push start the bike and run it without the battery as sort of a test to see if the charging system is working I've tried this a couple of times and the bike acts like it wants to start but cant quite do it is this because the stator or rectifier is bad and if i were to replace them would i be able to start it without the battery or is it just not possible to do that with this bike

 

It's far and away easier to test voltage with a meter. Start there. If the charging system is at fault start by checking your fuse box. Is it original or upgraded to blade type? Then the next place I'd go is the alternator brushes. Start with the simple stuff and go from there

 

What he said.
Besides, if you try to run the bike without the battery the TCI can be damaged.

There are many reasons whu an engien won't start. Jumping to conclusions will just waste time, and money.

My first thought is that the battery is in need of replacing, or charging. It could be that you turned the key to the park position instead of the off position, and ran the battery down while you were in class. A bike with a truly dead batery will not be easy to push start.

 

I have a lithium battery and I immediately hooked it up to the charger when I got home the bike starts up fine now and everything works but when i went in the class i took the key with me can you take the key out without completely turning off the bike?

 

The fuses are the original. And where exactly are the alternator brushes? I know where the stator is under the cover on the left side of the bike but I just have some confusion about exactly what kind of charging system the bike uses and how it works. This is my first time with an issue like this on a bike the closest thing i can compare to is an alternator on a car

 

yes if one of the wafers in the lock cylinder is worn

 

brushes are mounted under cover look like to rectangular blocks at the end of 2 wires leading from cover brown and green i think there are also 3 white wires

 

look for this setup 5 and 6 are brushes

 

Alright i see the brushes but they look fine to me how do i tell if they are bad or need cleaning also it looks like some oil has been getting underneath the cover

 

take a hard areeraser and clean the copper rings that the brushes ride on . then spray off with electrical contact cleaner to remove debris there is a wear mark on the brushes.
also ohm out the circuit
one brush will wear faster then the other

you will findspecs in this thread and a trouble shooting guide
The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

there is a length spec which eludes me right now

 

Oil in the alternator housing can contribute to low voltage, if the leak is lage enough, or is let go for long enough.
Clean it up, and keep an eye on it. There is a drain noch in the alternator cover. Make sure that it is not blocked.

If you fins that the leak causes the alternator to get oily, you should replace the oil seal and o-ring. Both need to be replaced eventually, but I'd wait and schedule it as a winter chore if the leak is small.

The procedure for you machine is the same as in this thread. Replacing Alternator Seals in XJ700N with Pictures
Unfortunately the photos are not viewable unless you have Chrome, and the photo bucket-workaround plugin.