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Battery and starting issues

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  #1  
Old 07-09-2015 | 11:51 AM
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Default Battery and starting issues

Hey guys, so I bought my CBR600 F4i with 12k miles last Spring and several times last summer left me stranded needing a jump.

I attempted to address the issues this year but so far I still have problems, making me really consider getting rid of the bike.. it currently has 16k miles and it just pisses me off that I cant have a reliable bike.


I have replaced the following parts in attempts to troubleshoot:

--Regulator Rectifier with one from "Caltric" I found on Amazon, it was shutting off when it got hot and would not start until cooled down so this was in theory fixed for a bit with the rectifier.

--Battery with a "Scorpion" AGM battery with 190 CCA vs the old 50CCA walmart AGM the previous owner had in. It rode fine for a couple of weeks until it left me stranded with my gf riding passenger.

--Replaced the stator a few days ago with a Rick's Motorsports stator and it seemed to have fixed the issue until late last night after getting home and trying to start the bike to find it would just click once and the instrument cluster would just dim upon pressing the switch to start.

At this point, I don't know much about motorcycles to diagnose anything else, I feel I may have covered most of the starting/charging electrical system...

Can anyone offer any insight as I am seriously contemplating in leaving this damn thing parked in a ghetto neighborhood with the key in the ignition?

Thanks in advance guys!
 
  #2  
Old 07-10-2015 | 06:38 AM
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Can you take s voltage reading on the battery standing and then again when it clicks and the lights dim?

Lets see if its got juice or not.....

Is the starter motor making the click or just the relays?
 
  #3  
Old 07-13-2015 | 09:50 AM
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Electrical systems are definitely tricky. Might be something as stupid as a loose wire that's losing connection at certain times. That happened to me!

Check the load on the battery, rustle wiring around, make sure everything is plugged in where it needs to be. If there was custom work done, make sure the wiring is soldered and 'professional' looking. Could be as simple as that!
 
  #4  
Old 07-28-2015 | 08:27 PM
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So after nearly 2 weeks of no riding due to not starting and 80+ F degrees I decided to take my battery to AutoZone where they trickle charged my battery. I checked the voltage before putting bike and it was 13.00 V even. As I turned the key and I heard it building pressure, it dropped to `12:48~ V but it starting increasing on its own (my bike idles at 1500 when warm so it must have been at least at 17oo-1800rpm)

I started revving the engine to 5-6k RPMs to see if the stator was doing its job as its a new replacement from Ricks Motorsports. it goes up to the MID 13s V but never saw it reach 14v.

After running it for a good 3-5 minutes I turned it off and tested the battery's voltage and it was 13.00 volts again. it ran perfectly all day yesterday (rode about 80 miles total) and today I was able to ride 15 miles to work and half way back until it my headlights decided they wanted to turn off. After that I made a pit stop and bike did not start after that.

What is the voltage supposed to be at 5k RPMs?
 
  #5  
Old 07-29-2015 | 01:49 PM
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Considering how dead this place is ( sad face) I have been doing some research myself and turns out that Rick's Motorsports has a few How-To/Diagnose videos on their website and YouTube. Based on the rectifier/reg video, my voltage is definitely below the level it should be. Today I will test the regulator itself and not just read the voltage on the bike like I did on Monday.

I have ordered a new regulator from Ricks anyway... if its bad, then I'll replace, if not then I continue troubleshooting and return the R/R or keep for future use as they seem to be a common problem on the F4i

Here is the video for those who are in the same boat as me or for future searches by other users: How to test regulator video

 
  #6  
Old 08-03-2015 | 01:17 PM
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Alright ladies and gents, my bike has been trouble-free last Friday... I've ridden my bike for the last 4 days and I think its safe to say that the problem has been 100% resolved!

For anyone having issues, make sure you are using a quality part and not something from ebay or Chinese knock off brand and you should be alright. Good luck to all having the same issue I was having.
 
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