My 02 F4i didn't start on Sunday, the clock was fine and the neutral and oil lights worked ok when I turned the key, but not the gauges and headlight.
Checked the battery voltage, it was at 11.1V after sitting for a month (moved recently so didn't get to ride).
Connected a trickle charger and after 6 hours it was showing 13.1V, removed the charger and turned the key and it dropped to 12.1V, so left it on the charger again.

My question is this:
While I'm trying to figure out if its my battery or my charging system, can I still ride my bike or will it shut down at every stop light?
If it does shut down, can I bump start it and ride it home or will I be stranded?

 

How many volts is the charging system putting out?
How old is the battery? Maybe have it load tested.

If your battery goes dead, you wont be able to bump start it. The FI needs voltage to work and you will not be able to get it to high enough rpms for long enough to generate the voltage necessary to start it. Just test it and fix it.

 

You should be fine to ride as long as you aren't doing 100 mile trips and don't mind bump starting it.

Real quick, get your bike started and measure the voltage at the battery while its idling and revved to 5000. What do have?

Use the rest of this guide to test your charging system: http://www.electrosport.com/media/pd...ng-diagram.pdf

 

Battery is 2 years old, it has always been around 12.4V with the engine off and at 13.1V on charger, never measured with the engine on.
Thank you for the charging system flowchart, I will measure voltage at idling and at 5000 rpm and see what I get.

 

If the battery is truly dead, you'll most like **** up your plugs... eventually. I've heard stories of riding with a dead battery causing damage to the electrical system (stator / rr). But never actually experienced it.

 

My battery has been dead for most the summer.
1 out of every 4 times I need to bump start it to get her going.
Happens mostly at gas stations on a hot day. Resets my clock and trip odo every time!
^^^now Kuroshio's got me freakin because i just put in new plugs!

i've been looking for a good deal on a yuasa on ebay and just havent found it yet.

 

No idea how a dead battery will mess up your plugs. Your charging system is simple: the battery stores enough power to use the starter to fire up the bike. From there on the charging system supplys all the power for the bike and also a little extra to re-charge the battery you just used to start up. Once the battery is charged your system is only supplying enough power to run the bike. The battery isen't being used. Bump starting the bike and running it with the battery completely dead is no different then using the starter and then riding the bike with a full battery except that the charging system will be at full power constantly trying to re-charge the dead batt. This is no way, shape or form affects your spark plugs.

 

Reason I mentioned the plugs is cause you'll essentially be trying to start the bike with a weak spark. Once it's going, you're really running of the stator so you should be ok... if everything else is up to snuff.

 

batteries dont just store power to start your bike. they also manage the amperage for things like lights, so the electrical system does not draw FROM the stator. its only there to charge the battery. not run the bike. be careful not to burn it out.

 

Update: After charging for a day or more, battery was at 12.6V and I started the bike after removing charger.
With the engine on, battery voltage was 14.58V at idling and did not change at 2500rpm or at 5000rpm.

Many years ago I had a bike that had a kick-start and I rode it for almost a year with a completely dead battery, my lights and horn worked only when the engine was running.

I agree with Sick97SS, my understanding is that it will be possible to run the bike with a dead battery, I was not sure if it will shut down at idling because I have read here that the charging system only charges the battery at 3500+ rpm.

Have not heard about spark plugs going bad because of a battery, Kuroshio.
I don't have a complete understand of the charging system in a F4i, not sure if it will cause any damage because of a dead battery.