[firemanp]

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I went out to go to work this morning & thought I would ride the bike in, I went to start it & all it would do was crank over. Then it it started cranking slower till it just chattered at me. Go figure, already running late& now the bike won't start. I put a new battery in it in June so I hope that's not the problem. I left the key on for a couple of minutes with all the lights on so I'm not sure how much that had a part in this issue. :cheesygrin: I will have to check it out & see. Oh, it was raining real light too so maybe it was saying it didn't want to get wet again. :stumped:

 

[WingerDave]

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You didn't flick the cut-off switch by accident did you ?



It happens (i reckon everyone here has done that at least once).



Dave.

 

[firemanp]

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I didn't check that, but I didn't hit it but someone else may have. The bike doesn't crank though, does it?? when that is on?? :baffled:

 

[WingerDave]

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The switch is a sort of dead mans switch. It cuts the ignition circuit so the engine doesn't spark, but all other circuits are powered.



I've heard of guys who were half way towards pulling the carbs when their eye registered that the switch "looked" funny.



Dave.

 

[SaiBeer]

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+1 on the kill-switch set.

I just wish HONDA would wake-up and put an idiot light on the dash forthat switch. (It would be kind-of cool blinking red saying KILL). :ROFL:

They have an idiot light for just about everything else BUT NOOOO! I have to almost drain my battery before I realize what I have done (not any more though - if it don't crank within a second, or two at the most,I know something isn't right).

Been there done that though sooo many times when I was having carburuetor tuning issues.

Hope the trickle charger will bring her back to life.

 

[firemanp]

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I will be sure to look at that KILL switch first. I have over looked that switch before too, especially after the bikes been sitting awhile & having kids around, ya never know.

 

[AZgl1800]

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I have made it a habit to always push that switch to OFF, and then center it back to ON. don't remember why that habit started anymore

Just this morning, I went out to ride the 1500. It has not been started for about 7 weeks. I keep the bikes on battery tenders so the battery was rarin' to go. But the bike would not start.

Peeked in the gas tank and I could see some fuel "down there" just skimming the bottom. Tried to get it to start again..... nah, back on with the charger and off to get a gas can fuel of fuel.

Topped the tank to the brim, pushed that starter and about 3 seconds later "Varoom!"

1500s just don't like an empty or near empty fuel tank. That vacuum shut off valve assembly and weak fuel pump is the pitts.

I'm going to make me an adapter to port an airline into that tank. Pressure it up to about 1 psi, and then hit the starter. Betcha that makes it a first time start, every time....

Empty carb bowls just don't seem to do the trick.....

 

[Hanko]

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I'm surprised the 1500 will crank with the kill switch in the off position. The 1800's starter is disabled when the kill switch is off.

Henry

 

[firemanp]

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Well I left the bike sitting for about a week and a half cuz I was on a trip for work. I go to ride it and the thing won't start again due to a low battery. It would crank over, but it was slow. I charged it overnight on 2 amps & it fired up the next day. The battery is only a couple of months old. The charging system appears to be working ok, other than the clock, is there another draw on the bike while its not running. I didn't have this issue with the old battery that went bad over the winter. Do I need to use a gel battery in the bike? The one I bought is a standard acid battery. This a 98 SE. Thanks

 

[Hanko]

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Pat,

From reading the forums here I've found the 1500's will sometimes have a problem starting when the battery is low. They will crank but will not fire until you let off the starter button.

It appears your battery is low for some reason, but as far as I know the normal electronics on the 1500 - Radio, Clock etc. should only draw milliamps. Your battery when initially fully charged should be able to start the bike even after being left for a month or more. Do you have any aftermarket items that still get power when the bike is shut off??

Do you have a Volt Meter? A portable one, not one on the bike. If not you can get a cheap one at either Radio Shack or Harbor Freight that while not great will do for this job. Measure directly on the battery, the voltage when the bike is running and charging the battery should be somewhere between 13.4 to 14.4V. (it may vary slightly from these but should be close). When the battery is fully charged and has set for an hour or two the voltage should be around 12.6V.

If you are going to leave the bike set for a few days disconnect the ground side of the battery and measure it when you get back to it. The voltage should still be up around the 12.6V range. If it has dropped down to 12.2 or lower then your battery is bad and should be returned under warranty. You can take it into a shop and they can test the battery for you. It is possible you have a bad cell in the battery.

If the battery maintains its charge with the ground disconnected then you need to check the connections from the battery to the bike. Especially the ground wire, where it contacts the bike/engine it should be clean and tight.

Let us know what you find

 

[firemanp]

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I've got a digital vm, I will have to ck the voltage to see what it is. When I bought the battery, it was, or seemed to be holding a charge. I will probly put it in the barn tonight when I get hm from work and ck it out. I will have to try removing the grnd & ckg the voltage after sitting. I have noticed the issue with the starter button too. I have a cd player on there, but that is controlled by the ign pwr on.

 

[Bellboy40]

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Hanko wrote:

I'm surprised the 1500 will crank with the kill switch in the off position. The 1800's starter is disabled when the kill switch is off.

Henry

My 94 1500 will turn the engine over with the kill switch in the "off" position. All it does is disable the ignition circuit. It would be nice if it would also disable the starting circuit but, alas, it does not. Don't know if the later model 1500s are like that or not.

 

[Bellboy40]

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Unless you have too large a parasitic drain on the battery it should still start the bike after a month or so. It shouldn't be pulling over 5 ma from the battery with everything switched off. Quite possibly you have a bad battery. I would get it load tested to be sure. I put aAGM type battery in mine a couple years ago and it really spins the starter over a lot better than any wet cell I've ever had in there. Next battery you buy you might consider getting a AGM battery. No maintenance required and no danger of any acid spills or leaks.

 

[firemanp]

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I'm thinking that's what I should have done in the first place is go with one of those.

 

[machinehead]

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If as you say, the battery is new ... take it back to place of purchace and have it tested under warrenty.

 

[firemanp]

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I ckd it out last night and figured the battery to be bad. Voltage with nothing on-12.56, key in acc with radio on- steady drop into the 10's, key on to start-9.4. Engine will crank but does not start until the start button is released, but I think that is a seperate issue. I removed the battery & going to take it back today after work. Hopefully they will give me a new one.

 

[BHAZLET]

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When I installed a 85 Amp alternator I could not keep water in the battery. Now I have an AGM battery and now no weak battery problems. Also when the battery was week the bike would only start on release of the starter button. Now it starts quickly on the push of the button.

 

[Hanko]

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firemanp wrote:

I ckd it out last night and figured the battery to be bad. Voltage with nothing on-12.56, key in acc with radio on- steady drop into the 10's, key on to start-9.4. Engine will crank but does not start until the start button is released, but I think that is a seperate issue. I removed the battery & going to take it back today after work. Hopefully they will give me a new one.

Your right that battery is bad. What you did was a very simple load test and it failed . Sounds like you have a problem with one or more of the cells. If you bought it in June it should still be under warranty.

As BHAZLET said the starting when you release the switch is a standard symptom on the 1500's indicating the battery is not up to capacity.

For future reference I found an AGM battery for my 1800 at Wally World(Wal-Mart) for $79.00. You would have to check to see if they carry the slightly larger battery for your 1500, but you can't beat the price.

Henry

 

[firemanp]

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I may have to look into getting one of those. We will see what the shop says when I get there after work. Thanks for the info.

 

[cobradb]

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my 1500 =with every thing off= draws 3Ma or .3 amps and as far as i hear thats abt std draw.