Battery Drains While Operating

[tcsn2008]

I rode my bike for 1/2 hour and parked it. A couple of hours later it wouldn't start & realized I had a loose positive battery cable. I tightened it up and bike started. On the road I realized I was losing power; when turned blinkers on speedometer meter dropped to zero. Made it home & turned it off. When tried to start it again it wouldn't turn over. Anyone know what this problem could be?

[old skool]

welcome from FL, how old is the battery? how long did you ride it after it died the first time and then parked it? have you tried puttin a battery tender on it or takin it to a local shop to tell you if the battery is good? this is where i would start, lets see pics of the scoot in questiion

[The Dog]

Sounds like it might be your alternator or generator , which ever they call it on motorcycles. Its what regenerates your battery as your driving and if things were failing while driving then its probably that.

[Jaystronghawk]

Would check out the Battery First but if running and noticed it draining sure sounds like the Charging System either Alternator or Voltage Regulator..

[cannibal199]

first jump and start your bike. Then get a voltmeter and put your neg lead on your neg and pos lead on the pos terminal. if your meter reads a steady 12 volts with no up and down a volt or two your charging system is shot. most likey your stator or check also for a fuse or breaker. If your gettin like 14 give or take volts your chargin system is fine and your battery is shot. If your gettin like 18 volts your volt reg is shot which also killed your battery hope this helps!

[jaknb333]

I have been thinking about replacing the battey on my 98 FLHTC. Came across your post and gave it a try. I get a steady 14 volt reading. Will all steady 14 volt readings indicate a bad battery? The battery is 4+ years old. What made me think about a new battery is the following. Dash lights aren't as bright as before, dash lights dim and brighten as the turn signal blinks, and the bike starts but not with as much force as before. I currently have an Odyssey Drycell battery installed which has served me well.
Thanks
John K

[middermax]

A charging system putting out 14~14.5 volts is working correctly. The real performance test of a battery is to run a load test. Just because the charging side is putting out enough current to meet demand & keep the battery fully charged doesn't mean the battery itself is up to snuff. At four years I'd replace it in any event. My 2c.

[cannibal199]

Yes to a load test. The 14 volts is an indication that your charging system is charging correctly. LIke the man said before just get a new battery. Go with a gel type battery. they seem to work well.

[Furcifer]

Ya know, about 80% of these kinds of problems turn out to be the battery. The 20% that don't usually ruin the battery anyway. So yeah, test if you can, but if you can't and have to guess, the odds are with you...