afternoon folks...got my Trophy 900 out of hibernation today,obviously wouldn't start straight away but jump started it from my car...ran the bike for about 15 minutes then turned it off,tried starting it again and it was having none of it..battery went dead pretty quickly...have now put battery on trickle charge to see if that can solve the problem...however whilst I had it running I thought i'd check out the lights,indicator etc..all ok but couldn't get the front brake light to work,thought maybe the front pads were seized as its been stood since late October,so gave the calipers a few whacks with a rubber hammer..still no joy with the front brake lights,rear brake light was fine but as I was trying it I noticed that the headlights were coming on faintly as I pressed the pedal down...could this be a faulty earth?...bit at a loss at what I can do other than charge the battery up overnight..which incidentally is less than 12 months old...any advice would be welcome
Hi Tedred, even though the battery is only a year old don't discount the fact that it could be buggered, as it got Soooo flat. Leave it on charge overnight or even a few days (assuming you've got an 'intelligent charger') to bring it back to life. Also the next time the engine is running, check the charging circuit of the bike (at a minimum of 1000 rpm) by measuring across the battery terminals with a multi-meter - set on +20v range. It should read between 13.5 and 14.0 volts. If it reads below 13v there is a charging problem.
Don't take this as criticism but what were you hoping to achieve by whacking the calipers with a rubber hammer? If the front brakes were seized you'd need to strip the pads out and clean then pins and sliders etc. Charge the battery with a trickle charger overnight and see if the bike will start after that. My guess is that the battery could be dead even if it's less than a year old, I've killed a few over the years leaving the bike stored over winter without an optimate or similar connected and charging them always put enough charge in to start but the battery wouldn't hold the charge cos the plates were knackered. The front brake lamp switch is near the brake lever, check the contacts are clean, test it with a meter if you are able but that or the wiring is likely to be your problem if the rear brake puts the light on. Re the headlights coming on faintly I'd guess at an earth problem and some bikes have a common earth block, hopefully someone with more triumph experience can point you in the right direction on that one.
In teds defence of hitting it with a rubber hammer, I have often tried to solve a mechanical problem with some hefty strikes with a booted foot, didn't fix anything either!
Ah ... you need a 'Yorkshireman's Tweezer' aka a 5lb lump hammer (that size is ideal for delicate and intricate work!!). Oh, and your battery is fooked! Well, mine was under similar circumstances, though it was a couple of years old.
Battery is buggered - don't let the age of it fool you, had this with my Bonnie and a 9 month old battery. Best way to avoid this is to ride all year.
Thank you gentlemen for your replies...bike was difficult to move at first so I assumed the calipers had siezed..they did however free up after using my trusty rubber mallet ...put the battery on trickle charge overnight,currently at work so will connect it back up when I get home and see what transpires..had a few mates have a similar battery problems after standing the bike all winter and a new battery has solved the ignition problem..will whizz the bike into the local bike shop if I'm still having the same result with the lights/bad earth issue..many thanks guys
Just had much the same problem as I was un-expectedly imprisoned in hospital from boxing day morning, bike hadn't been started for a week before that, so near 3 weeks before I tried it, battery flat, put it on charge for an hour or 2 and it fired up, battery minder fitted and a week later still fired up so your battery may have survived if given a good charge. Having said that at the next sign of a problem I will fit a new battery. Batteries from £20(ish) - £50 on fleebay so not worth the fkcuing about and hassle a dead battery can give you..
Nope battery is having none of it so its sacked! Taking a charge but dropping too soon for my liking, don't want it to die on me when I'm out so new one on its way.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-Y...653715?hash=item5428ac9c53:g:0UMAAOSwwPhWhYuD Bought this earlier last year, love it I can leave it a couple of weeks in a cold garage still starts first time. I take it off when it goes below freezing and optimax it in the house. I recommend it I only paid 49 quid for mine so dont take this deal necessarily.
