ARGH - dead battery at work ... what do I do?

[Rogero]

Hi folks,

I just went out at lunch to show a friend my new bike (just got it a month ago) - and it won't start. None of the controls will turn on ... assuming that the battery died. I think I turned everything off as normal.

The bike hasn't been sitting long at all (5 days between rides) and I ran 20+ miles into work this morning - so I'm stumped.

I borrowed a big screwdriver to pop the seat off and see if maybe the lines have rattled off. Barring that - what do I do? Do I have to have it trailered somewhere to use a trickle charger? Can I use a regular portable charger (we have one at work, I don't know if it has "bike" settings)? Can I get a boost from another bike or a car?

Fish out of water here ...

[jstark47]

Don't know about Harleys, but lots of bikes have a "Park" setting on the ignition one click past the fork lock setting. I left a bike on Park all day last year, completely drained the battery. A coworker had one of those 12v car jump start kits in his trunk and got me going. This was in May of '08, the bike & battery have been fine ever since, so apparently I didn't damage anything.

[Wrider]

Yeah it is possible you put it on Park. I've had similar things happen though, and it was just a bad connection between the battery and the cable. Make sure the screws are fully tightened.

[Flesher]

Just a guess -- main fuse?

[pchast]

That's just the reason I started carrying a $3 Volt Ohm meter. I was caught after lunch with a dead battery.

I've used it to find breaks and bad fuses at the side of the road lately on my 1980 bike. On the new bike(wife's) I found wires with insulation rubbed off due to missing wire ties.

I don't recommend starting it by easing the clutch in second.

Ps.

Why did you need a screwdriver to open the seat?

[Amdonim]

I don't see any reason why you can't jump it off. Just make sure you get everything back in place before you put the seat back on. And you'll want to ride it around for a while, most bike generator's are not very strong and a short 5-10 minute drive will likely leave you with another dead battery.

[Lion_Lady]

With the car's engine running, it will likely fry your bike's electrical system - or at the least, cause a great deal of damage.

If you use a car to boost the bike, leave the car engine OFF.

The car's battery ishould have enough power to boost the bike.

P

[Rogero]

... i'm better now ...

odd coincidence. When i was showing off my new bike, and found out the battery was dead, I said to the guy I was showing that I'd like to know who's Fat Boy I kept parking beside, cause it's a killer ride too. He says "Oh that's Chris' bike. I carpool with him. He's been riding for 30+ years"

So after I posted this - and read a bunch - I thought I'd call him for some advice. He says "oh, yours is the deuce .. yeah, I turned your lights off at lunch today, but I think your battery is dead ..."

funny. We have a portable charger at the security station - borrowed it, started up the bike and took the long long LONGGGGGGG way home to charge up the battery. Started like a charm this morning.

And on the question of the seat ... the front of my seat hooks in and then the back screws in at the back. I was told it was an after market 2-up seat, but to be honest, I have no idea. I thought that's how they all worked. I can used a nickel/quarter, but it's a huge pain. Big screwdriver works better - so I have to get one and keep it in my backpack. Also need to get some bungie cables too.

thanks again.
r

[tymanthius]

Congrats on the bike.

On the Bungie cables - check Cycle Gear if they have one in your area, as they always have sales and you can pick up one of those little nets for about $5. If you don't have one near, there's always the web.