ZZR250 not starting in the morning only

[PaulF]

Hey guys,
my ZZr250 is not starting up in the morning, i need either to push start it or jump start it from my car (while car is NOT turned on of course)
I tested the battery twice and its always charged, the bike cranks the first and second time and then on the third i hear a click click click click... sound.
After it's on, if i put it off and then turn it back on again, all is good.
Any advice is much appreciated.
Cheers

[6maniac]

Paul, do you know how old the battery is ? How are you checking the charge on the battery ?

[PaulF]

Hey mate,
the battery is almost a year old and i took it to a bike shop to get it tested.
Thx for your reply

[6maniac]

Check the positive and negative connections are clean and tight ( although if you've had it to a bike shop, I would think they should have checked this ).
If you can also check the connections to the starter motor as well.
Is the bike garaged overnight ? What area do you live ?

[PaulF]

I checked and cleaned the connections yesterday and no, the bike is not garaged , i only cover it when it's raining and i live around parramatta.
PS: i ride ion the rain all the time, not sure if this would cause any issues.

[6maniac]

As I'm only your garden variety electrician ( not auto ) I'll defer to the experts on this one ! However, parked in the open in winter is not a good thing for batteries and riding in all weather means moisture gets to all the wrong places. There is also the outside chance the battery has a dead cell, which will prevent it holding a full charge, and in cold weather this puts more stress on the battery.

Over to the experts !

[JetPilot]

As I'm only your garden variety electrician ( not auto ) I'll defer to the experts on this one ! However, parked in the open in winter is not a good thing for batteries and riding in all weather means moisture gets to all the wrong places. There is also the outside chance the battery has a dead cell, which will prevent it holding a full charge, and in cold weather this puts more stress on the battery.

Over to the experts !

Thats sound about right to me Ron.

[robracer]

The clicking from the starter solenoid shows that the charge is not high enough to crank the bike over... Battery is more than likely stuffed
Appolo batteries in Bearing Rd Seven Hills (Cnr Bearing & Powers Rd) can test the battery & if need be sell you a new one cheaper than the shops

[6maniac]

Another thought, Paul - if the battery is not yet 12 months old, it should still be under warranty. May be an idea to have an auto-electrician load test the battery - this could possibly tell if it is faulty. Then you could probably get a replacement under warranty ? Good luck, Ron.

[red_dave]

If the battery has a dead cell, it would have shown up when it was tested...

Now if they tested it with just a multimeter, then it very well could have shown 13.8 - 14.4 volts across the terminals. From the sounds of it however, under load it would have failed.

These batteries are designed for starting and have a Cold Cranking Amp rating. They can only be accurately tested under a load.

The colder the temperature the harder the battery has to work to produce enough amps to kick it over - hence the fact that it's not starting in the morning...

HTH

[6maniac]

Thank you, Expert

[PaulF]

Awesome stuff, thanks for your replies guys
Robracer, i'll give the guys at Appolo batteries a visit and see how we again.
Thanks again everyone!

[red_dave]

Thank you, Expert

I'm more than just EC

But far from an expert...

[PaulF]

Hey guys,
just came back from Lion batteries in Seven Hills and the guys their just tested the battery with a multimeter and he said it wasn't showing enough voltage but he suggested that i fully charge the battery and come back for him to fully test it again. He is suspecting it might be the alternator not charging the battery enough.
Any ideas how to test and alternator?

PS: i took the bike for like 2 hour rides 2 weeks ago but still had the same problem. I might buy one a small charger, fully charge the battery and see how i go.
Cheers

[6maniac]

G'day Paul - if you have access to a multimeter and the battery is fully charged
1. Start engine - warm up to operating temp.
2. Connect multimeter at battery terminals and note reading with headlight on and off ( you may have to remove the plug at the headlight bulb )
3. At idle or low revs the reading should be close to nominal battery voltage i.e. 12volts
4. Increase engine revs - the reading should rise but should stay between 14 - 15 volts.
5. If the volts are much higher, then the regulator/rectifier is suspect ( or the connections and leads to same )
6. If the volts do not rise as revs increase the regulator/rectifier is suspect or the alternator output is not sufficient for the load.
Cheers, Ron.