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95 gs won’t start after charging battery?

T

tbounds

New member
My Gs wouldn’t start battery dead. I jumped it off and it cranked fine, but wouldn’t run after I removed jump box. I figured battery wasn’t hot enough for it run , not sure why alternator wouldn’t keep it running . So I put bike on charger over night and now it turns over but won’t start. I checked and no fire to plugs. I am guessing the charger was charging at 10 amps and must have fried something.
I would like feedback as to possible problems and what to check first.
Thanks
 
The bike's system is different from a car's if that's your experience. Typically, and it could have changed with later cars, once the car was running, you could remove the battery and the car would still run. Airhead don't work that way. You must have a good battery for the bike to run. Basically, the bike runs off the battery and the alternator's job is just to fill the battery back up with "juice". So, you might want to have your battery load tested. 9-times-out-10, the issue ends up being the battery.
 
It won’t start with charged battery now

Before I charged battery it would start with jump box just wouldn’t keep running when I removed jump box.
Now with battery fully charged it just turns over and no fire to plugs.
 
Yeah, battery has most likely had it.
I know for sure my F800GS will not produce enough power (with a bad battery in place) to run the bike.
If the battery dips below 9.2volts when starting, it will just crank. Not sure what the voltage is for an Airhead.
OM
 
Yeah, OM, trying to start the bike while monitoring the voltage at the terminals is a pretty good load test! Anything below 10v would be considered a problem for the battery.
 
Check your handlebar switch. I think my 01 used to roll with the switch in the off position but not fire..
 
I have and did it turns over

All of the switches a good it has to be a fuse I just don’t know where to look
 
tbounds said:
Any other thoughts
Click to expand...
While cranking the engine over?
Starter draw is a factor from either an old starter or battery with plenty of voltage (seen)- but no amperage available during the crank cycle.......or both.

I think you sort of proved it already with the jump pack :dunno
OM
 
Could not be 13.6 volts while under a starting load. That sounds like a reading taken right after charging that reflects a surface charge. Check it under a load or take it to a place the sells batteries to be tested. I agree that the probable cause of your problem is a weak battery. It is not uncommon to get a deceiving reading while the battery is not under load. At the very least you should take steps to rule out the battery as the source of your woes. Good luck.
 
You almost ccertainly have a broken cell connector in the battery. It may show nominal 12 volts with no load but even the bulbs, let alone engine draw, will drop the voltage way down and it won't flow any significant current. I have had this happen a couple of times.

To test my theory put a volt meter on the battery, key off. Then test again with the key on. I bet the voltage drops way down.
 
Engine turns over

The engine turns over fine normal starter function. There just isn’t any spark to plugs. If you are saying the battery can be bad and still spin the motor over for extended time and still doesn’t have enough to cause a spark in plugs?
I even attached a jump box to battery to help. It cranked fine yesterday with jump box and ran fine until I unhooked the jump box.
I was wondering can you cause an electrical failure by hooking a 10 amp battery charger up over night. Can it burn out coil? Or diode board
 
First off, anything more than a 2-amp charger is too much for a motorcycle battery. The generally accepted rule is 10 percent of the battery capacity for charging, otherwise battery damage can occur. If memory serves, the large battery is rated at 28 A-hr, meaning you could get away with up to a 3 amp charger. You could also cause the electrolyte to boil away. As has been offered, what is the battery voltage with the switch on, and also during cranking? Since you have a '95 vintage, you don't have points, but an electronic ignition of some type. It is possible that a voltage transient during all this has fried your ignition. Possible, I said. Have you tried attempting to start again with a jumper battery and checking for spark?
 
Last edited:
Yes and no spark

I was just trying to figure out what to check first . What would be the first thing it could have fried?
 
tbounds said:
The engine turns over fine normal starter function. There just isn’t any spark to plugs. If you are saying the battery can be bad and still spin the motor over for extended time and still doesn’t have enough to cause a spark in plugs?
Click to expand...
Yes

I even attached a jump box to battery to help. It cranked fine yesterday with jump box and ran fine until I unhooked the jump box.
Click to expand...

This proves the bike runs........Take that old battery out of the circuit.
I was wondering can you cause an electrical failure by hooking a 10 amp battery charger up over night. Can it burn out coil? Or diode board
Click to expand...

If there was some sort of strange hook-up- maybe........You have proved the bike runs with the jump box. The most likely bad battery would not have done anything with the attempted charge.

tbounds said:
I was just trying to figure out what to check first . What would be the first thing it could have fried?
Click to expand...

Take the old battery out of the circuit, use a replacement, use just the jump box, use a battery known to be good.
OM
 
Yes jumper still no spark

I was hoping someone could tell what parts or process of back tracking the problem . Could first ? Bean can? Or some other part . Is there a fuse that could be blown ?
 
Yes

I have tried using jump box again and it still has no spark
Just want to know what to check next besides battery
 
Are you getting 12v to the input side of the coil(s)? The electrical system supplies 12v to run through the coils to saturate them. Then when the ignition trigger happens, the 12v (or rather the ground for the 12v) is cutoff and the energy field in the coils collapse, resulting in spark at the plugs. You need to see 12v at the coils.

How are you determining that you have no spark? Have you pulled the plugs? Have you substituted plugs into the high tension leads and are watching them from the outside? Have you ensured that the threads of the plugs are ground against the engine fins? It's very important that the plug threads be grounded otherwise damage can be done to the coils.
 
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