Total Motorcycle Community Forums

The other day I was riding and stopped to eat. When I came back out and tried to kick start my 76 Bonneville, it wouldn't start. I noticed the turn signal was left on and switched it off. The bike started up. That night after work, I started it up just fine and turned on the high beams and it died. I started it again with just the low beam on (and it was barely shedding any light) and drove to the first stop light, turning on my turn signal. Dead. So I drove home in the dark, barely able to see, with no turn signals. Today I try to start the bike after leaving the battery on the trickle charger for two days and it won't even start! I figured it was a generator problem, but now I don't know. When I kick start it, it sometimes tries to fire up, but usually the kick lever kicks back at me now when it didn't before. Any ideas where to go from here?

Just a shot in the dark, but your battery might need replacing. I had some similar problems a while back, but everything sort of hit all at once. I always noticed that some electrical things, when used, would take away from other things. Ended up being the battery.

Can't hurt to have a new one anyway. Hope that's all it is.

Get out your multimeter and check the voltage on the bike. If it drops below 10.5 or so then you'll need to replace the battery. And it could very well be the regulator/rectifier died and fried your battery while it could. But to test that you need the bike started.

'76 Bonnies only have bio-mechanical starters. I too think your battery is, at least part of the problem. It sounds like you were running off the battery and when you tried to charge the battery, all night with a trickle charger the battery wouldn't hold a charge. Replace it.

Next check your charging system.

Didn't know that... 100% with JohnJ on this one.

The '79 KZ750B I just bought has a kick started on it. It's all I use.