Hi all, I have been reading the threads regarding 04/05 bikes and starting/charging problems. I am wanting a bit of help/advice regarding an issue I had with my bike last week. I have only had the bike 3 months and with work commitnemts and the crap weather I have only been out on it a few times. Last week I went out for a ride to my local biker cafe, after my usual coffee and pie I returned to the bike to go home. As I got on the bike and tried to start it, the bike turned over but didn't fire up. I stopped, then tried again, this time it turned over but again didn't start, and it really sounded like the battery was going to die. I tried the kill switch, off and back on and then tried to start the bike. This time it fired up......Thank goodness. On my way home I stopped for fuel and the bike started no problem. I got home and put it away in the garage and plugged the battery into my optimiser. The optimiser has 4 lights on it. On my previous bike the 4 lights have always lit up. (Green when fully charged). On the blade only 3 of the lights illuminate. I thought the battery might be knackered so I have bought a new one. I fitted this today, and still only 3 of the lights illuminate. I have tested the battery and it is holding charge, I have tested it with the full beam and hazzards on and there is no significant drop. I have tested the 3 yellow wires that run from the alternator/stator and all 3 are giving the same reading.(how hot should the cover on the alternator/stator get, mine is fairly hot with the engine running but seems to get hotter when the engine is switched off) I hope that the kill switch might just be a bit dodgy as every time since last week, when I have started the bike it has started no problem. Any advice or words of wisdom gratefully received. Cheers Daz
One thing it can be too is a loose connection in the antenna on the Ecu for the hiss system.first series 1098 dukes would some the same Thing when you put a carbon key surround on the bike.was enough To block the signal from the key.
I seem to recall that the kill switch can be dodgy on these (that may be rubbish but i do seem to recall reading it). For me on my old RR8 the starting issues i experienced (and they seemed similar to yours) were simply down to loose battery connections. Tweaked the old screws up nice and hard and she span up nicely on the button everytime after that. Good luck sorting it out
Hi mate, I have just bought a 2011 HRC Blade, brand new, and after I had it home for 5 days the battery died. The dealer were excellent and collected the bike replaced the battery and checked all the systems. They returned the bike and I put it in the garage on my optimiser. I went out for a short spin the following weekend and the bike was very sluggish to start, like you I stopped off at my local watering hole for a coffee and when I went to start the bike it was again very sluggish and slow to start almost like the battery was dying again. I had previously had a 2007 Blade and this spun up like a good un every time. I contacted the dealer again and was told that Honda had fitted smaller batteries to my model to save weight and I should not worry but they have recorded my concern just in case. I guess when the weather gets better and I can run the bike longer I will find out. Cheers John
This happened to my mate on his 848 at the isle of man a couple of years ago, we checked everything and a few phone calls later removed the carbon surround and hey presto! He was a relieved man!!
I dont know if this is relevant ,but on my 04 I stopped for petrol a few weeks ago and when I went to restart there wasnt a peep out of it. Fuel pump ran, dash ok, power ok, twiddled kill switch, removed key a few times and then she was fine. Hubby checked everything when I got home,couldent find anything wrong,sprayed wd 40 into kill switch (which dosent seem to come apart?) and its been fine since,started it loads of times. Can only blame the kill switch.
There are a few threads on batteries, I had similar problems, search for "A tale of two batteries" on this forum to find my original explanation of my experiences. I think the kill switch thing is a bit of red herring, I tried that, including taking apart and cleaning it and it "seem" to improve the issue but I think only because of the slightly cleaner contacts. Your description of going to your local cafe etc sounds very similar to my experience. These small batteries seem to only last around 3 years so a dead/dying one on an 09 bike is par for the course. As I've said in other posts make sure you get a good battery, check the spec and make sure it has 130CCA or more. Avoid the POWEROAD battery it only has 80 CCA and just isn't up to the job.
My 08 has done 60k and is on the original battery - not lived on an optimate and been flattened a number of times - maybe I'm just lucky although I do think it needs changing this year.
I think battery life will vary on the type of use your bike gets; Used everday for a long run is better than once a week for a short run for instance. I live on the Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands which is a 25 square mile Island and there is a MAX speed limit of 35mph. This time of year I use my bike once or maybe twice a week and 30-40 miles is a long run so you can imagine, a couple of starts, using the heated grips and only doing 30 miles I'm lucky if I put enough charge back into the battery to cover the use it's getting so every 2 weeks or so I put it on the optimate.
