[white_duc89]

Hey guys, so I think I've jinxed myself with the outstanding reliability I've had with Bianca ('11 848 EVO). She's due for her 36,000km service but I wasn't having any issues until I went on a 10 day business trip and the battery died while I was gone. I've recently installed a usb charger which is directly attached to the battery (I attribute this to the battery dying as I forgot to pull the fuse on it so I believe there was parisitic loss, but I may be mistaken). Anywho, I jump the battery with my car and she's been acting strange ever since. I'll go to start her in the morning and just hear one click when I try the starter, I'll try it again and if I give it some gas it'll start and the yellow diagnostic light comes on for a brief second. She doesn't die once started. Also, this morning when riding in to work the dash and light went out for a second and then back on but the bike never died, that happened several times. sorry for the long post but I'd rather get all the details across. Thanks in advance for any help, as I'm quite confused at Bianca's recent behavior.

 

[Dukaki848]

Sounds like the voltage regulator.

 

[7 Summits]

Remove your USB charger and tighten all of your connections. This is the first post I've seen on a EVO regarding possible VR so I am curious as to what you find. I have a '11 EVO as well pushing 25k miles with the stock battery still running strong.

 

[Tuned]

It's a tough one, I'd disconnect the USB device first, as said above and see how it works. I doubt there is anything seriously wrong at this point, until further diagnosis can be performed without the charger.

 

[MikeERideWNC]

You should test the battery. I am betting that you have a bad cell.
A replacement should be in your future.
Anytime you completely discharge a battery, it will never come back 100%.

This is a good time to install a Honda battery. The bike will thank you.

 

[white_duc89]

Hey guys, I appreciate the input. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to fiddle with the bike this weekend so I'm not sure if the usb charger is the culprit. MikeEridewNC, I'm taking your advice and just ordered a new battery, so hopefully that'll come quickly. Dukaki848, what are some signs/symptoms of a vr going out? Thanks again for the input guys; I'm slowly learning more about bikes myself, as living in Spain I've yet to find a Ducati dealer and know of only one guy who can work on Ducs in my area.

 

[lucasmariani]

Hey guys, so I think I've jinxed myself with the outstanding reliability I've had with Bianca ('11 848 EVO). She's due for her 36,000km service but I wasn't having any issues until I went on a 10 day business trip and the battery died while I was gone. I've recently installed a usb charger which is directly attached to the battery (I attribute this to the battery dying as I forgot to pull the fuse on it so I believe there was parisitic loss, but I may be mistaken). Anywho, I jump the battery with my car and she's been acting strange ever since. I'll go to start her in the morning and just hear one click when I try the starter, I'll try it again and if I give it some gas it'll start and the yellow diagnostic light comes on for a brief second. She doesn't die once started. Also, this morning when riding in to work the dash and light went out for a second and then back on but the bike never died, that happened several times. sorry for the long post but I'd rather get all the details across. Thanks in advance for any help, as I'm quite confused at Bianca's recent behavior.

Did you check to make sure your + and - terminals are tight? Sometimes they shake themselves loose. Also, I feel like I've read somewhere that you're not supposed to jump a motorcycle battery with a car. I could be wrong on this one, but wouldn't that give the battery too much charge at once and damage the battery?

 

[white_duc89]

Sorry for the long delay before posting again guys. So, I finally had time to tinker with her and it turns out (at least this is the conclusion I've come to) the usb charger was causing too much parasitic power loss from the battery and that was the root of all the problems. If I rode the bike everyday I don't think it would be an issue as that would give it a sufficient charge but after 3-4 days of not riding that seems to be killing the battery. I took the charger off and the bike was running well again. This may be something I'll just hook up before long road trips (like my upcoming trip in May/June from Spain to the Isle of mann!) but isn't warranted on the daily grind. Though it turned out to be an extremely simple fix I appreciate all the input from you guys on here (I'm blonde so I need all the help I can get!).

 

[[email protected]]

Battery Tender make a USB power source that plugs in to a regular battery charger pig tail. Plug it in when needed and unplug when not. I got one and it's great. I use the pig tail for my charger, heated vest, booster cables and USB charger.

 

[AG6]

You should test the battery. I am betting that you have a bad cell.
A replacement should be in your future.
Anytime you completely discharge a battery, it will never come back 100%.

This is a good time to install a Honda battery. The bike will thank you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65gsv5KX2hY

Great videos! Keep it up :yo: