ok i just got a 95 cbr900 and basically i can start it if i put cables on it... when i take the cables off however it quickly loses power and dies i believe it is the voltage regulator is this a possibility???? and also very dumb question but after i purchased the bike and got it to the house i noticed that the forks are bent or just off probably by 3/4 of an inch or so will this affect the riding stability and if so will i only need to get front forks or anything else thanks for your help

 

replace your alternator/stator and the regulator/rectifier. When one goes the other usually follows suit pretty quickly. As for the forks, replace them before you ride the bike...it will definitely affect the handling, and not in a good way. If they are bent, it would be a good idea tohave the rest of the bike checked for straightness before you end up skipping down the tarmac 'cause something else you didn't see was tweaked.

 

cool, i was pretty sure it would affect the ride but i guess i was hoping for the best... the guy that i got it front was using it as a stunt bike so theres no telling it has a street fighter front end so i have my work cut out for me it looks like thanks alot

 

Starting with cables on but then dying quickly thereafter reminds me of a internally shorted battery. The extra juice from the outside gets the bitch started, but the bike doesn't produce enough amps to keep it running because the batteries internal resistance hoses it up.

I would slow charge the battery and take it to somewhere like interstate. Then have them load test it. I think the battery in a F4i will start with as low as 150CCA but that lowers the voltage alot. I think a new battery is about 350CCA with little voltage drop on startup.

You still may have other problem, a bad charging system can hose up a battery and vice-versa.

good luck, keep us posted.

 

It could be either a battery of the stator and rectifier. Depending upon how long the battery was dead and if it sat dead for awhile I am going to go with a bad battery. I would deffinatly get it checked out, like fishfryer said. After you take it to a place and they say it is good or bad you should go from there. As for the forks I would not put my skin or head on the line and try to ride it as is. I would sure replace those before I went out on the road. Hope this helps.

 

I just did suspension on a GSXR today, and you DO NOT want to ride with bent forks. they are not only dangerous, but destructive to fork seals.
if you send the forks to me, and supply me with tubes, I'll replace them for less than a shop would cost, or new forks. although you may just want to replace the whole fork, but thats really up to you.

the dying issue, could be a charging system failure, but I think you should look at the battery first, they're usually a more likely culprit than the charging system. batteries fail, it happens when they get older and start to age. TWO that I had did that.

 

+1 on a badbattery. The battery should be your first suspect. The charging system on a bike is not strong enough to keep it running if the battery is the battery is bad. Automobiles can continue running off the alternator if you remove the battery, a motorcyle cannot.