Help! My 2000 Katana 600's battery won't hold a charge

[quietstorm]

Since I brought from IN to VA, by trailer, the battery has not been able to hold a charge. If I jump start, it will run. If I stalled, it would turn over upto three times.

I checked the battery which was fine. I then started charging it and it would start, but it won't it start without me jump starting it!

What could it be? And how do I fix it?

[crazyboy68]

after u charge the battery does it hold the charge?

[quietstorm]

Won't start after a charge

It will only start if jumped

[crazyboy68]

charge the battery. with a charger. not on your bike. let it sit over night. check the charge again. if it is not charged u need a new battery.

[Chef]

Your battery is shot. Either that or you have low electrolyte in one or more of the battery cells. If you are low in fluid, top the cell(s) up with water... Yes, plain H2O. Forget what you have heard about using distilled water, purified water, etc (the effects of impure water won't affect the 3 year life-expectancy of these cheap batteries the way it might with a 20 - 30 year battery)

EZ way to figure it out (after you visually inspect the battery for low electrolyte):
Connect a volt-meter to your battery.
When the bike is running, the battery should read approx. 13.8 volts (give or take). Turn the bike OFF and then restart it.... if the voltmeter drops below 10 - 11 volts for the duration of the starter being engaged, then your battery is shot - replace it.
Chances are, you will see the voltage drop below 8-9 volts while the starter is being engaged.... turf the battery and buy a new one.

I could go into greater detail about troubleshooting batteries (18 years in electronics B4 becoming Chef), but that is beyond this forum.

[quietstorm]

Could it be something else besides the battery, because the batter is new and I had checked. No problems with the battery at all.

[jgalar]

Try cleaning and tightening the battery terminals, otherwise if it only starts when jumped than your battery is not OK.

Loose/dirty battery terminals, bad battery, charging system problem, or there is a current drain while the bike is parked are things I would check.

[DSWwarrior350]

Was the battery ever properly charged before it was placed onto the bike? If not that can seriously take away from its life.

[crazyboy68]

might want to have your charging system checked.

[KatanaSoldier]

I think you battery is just fried. They won't hold a charge once they are fried regardless of how long you run it or charge it.

[crazyboy68]

but according to him the battery is good hes said it like three times lol

[The CyberPoet]

CyberPoet's Charging System and Battery Diagnostics

Should have all your questions answered.

Note that your battery is a maintenance-free sealed AGM battery and can not be "topped off" with water or electrolyte (the reason it's black instead of transluscent is to tip you off to this fact).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Chef]

There is no such thing as a "maintenance-free" battery... It's merely a term used by battery manufacturers. Their goal: don't mess around with it - buy a new one from us !!!

All batteries can be tampered with. I don't recommend it unless you know what you are doing, but the bottom line is there are cheap 'fixes' to batteries that the manufacturers will not admit to.