Volt meter

[snoop358]

Hey guys was wondering if anyone knows how to hook up a volt meter on a 89 Katana 750F. I want to keep an eye on the voltage. Bike was running great no problems put it away got it out the next day dead battery. Did all the normal checks can't find a bad ground or anything drawling when its off. The battery had like 1.35 volt reading (battery is a month old) recharged it and its been fine now for a week?????????

[Wild-Bill]

Sounds like you just left your ignition turned on. If you've got a post Kat they've got parking lights that can be left on, right?

If you're set on permanently installing a volt meter then I'd connect the positive lead to the supply wire going into the fuse box and the negative (ground) lead to the frame end of the negative battery cable.

[snoop358]

I did not leave the keys in it or the ignition on. As far as I know it has no parking lights so I am not sure what went down besides my voltage..

[Pjolter]

The easyist way is to use an amperemeter (built in in many voltmeters), disconnect the plus terminal on the battery, and measure between the terminal on the battery, and cable. if you get a reading here, try pulling out the fuses until the reading goes away. That should put you close to the fault.

[Wild-Bill]

If you're certain that you didn't leave the ignition on (because you didn't leave the keys in the ignition, for instance) then that's an excellent next step.

[snoop358]

I hate electrical ****. This is the meter I am using what would you recomend I set it at to check it.

[Wild-Bill]

Umm... How about Battery Lead Test 12V. That'll get you your voltage. To check for battery drain with the ignition off set it to DC10A. (That's the test where you disconnect one of the battery cables and hook up the test leads between the cable end and the battery terminal.) Anything other than 0 means something's drawing power.

[ThAzKat]

Two things, did you check voltage after charging the battery? Did you do a load test with the battery fully charged? if a fully charged battery drops below 9.6 volts under load, it has a dead cell, it doesn't matter how old the battery is. I would have also checked how the battery voltage when I came home from whatever ride I was on. not wait a week, just sayin' LOL

[Pjolter]

On that meter, you put the black measuring cable in the common pin-hole, the read in the left one, saying DC 10 A, then you put the meter switch down to the far left, saying DV 10 A.
Disconnect the plus of the battery, and put the red measuring pin to cable, and the black to battery terminal. Any reading above 0,01A will drain your battery within days.
If you have heated handles, or any extra equipment using electricity, try to disconnect them first.

[snoop358]

Ok guys thanks for all the input. I did the voltmeter test with + cable diconected and meter in between in reads 0.00. Now went out today for a ride came back checked voltage it was 12.33 volts. Then I checked how the chargeing side with bike running while watching the meter and revving it to about 4,500 rpm it's telling me 14.6 volts and less down around idle or a little off that 13.00 volts. Now when I hook the meter up on battery and watch the meter when I crnk it over it hits like 9.83 for a split secound. Thats where I am at right now battery is still working.