Won’t start

[1NorthRyder]

I’ve been doing winter maintenance on my 2000 Interstate including testing the battery which is good. Problem is when I hit the ignition it is very weak, and the bike won’t start. Sounds like the battery is low on juice but tests at 12.5 amps. Any ideas? Starter perhaps?

[hubcapsc]

I’ve been doing winter maintenance on my 2000 Interstate including testing the battery which is good. Problem is when I hit the ignition it is very weak, and the bike won’t start. Sounds like the battery is low on juice but tests at 12.5 amps. Any ideas? Starter perhaps?

I'm real low on the totem pole for electrical issues... but how did you test the battery? 12.5 just sitting
there might seem OK, but if you put the tester on it while you're trying to start the bike, you might
see that it drops off to way too low right away... bad or discharged battery... I never hear of Valkyrie
starters going bad...

-Mike "batteries are easy to fix with $75  "

[Chrisj CMA]

Jump it to your car(car not running) if it starts buy a new battery and charge it fully before installing

[Chrisj CMA]

I’ve been doing winter maintenance on my 2000 Interstate including testing the battery which is good. Problem is when I hit the ignition it is very weak, and the bike won’t start. Sounds like the battery is low on juice but tests at 12.5 amps. Any ideas? Starter perhaps?

You mean 12.5volts. That’s a little low but the amps may be too low to fire the ignition

[Bob D]

I had the very same issue last week. Battery would hold voltage fine, but lost it’s CCA power. Ohm meter confirmed alternator was doing its job. Battery was over 4 years old. Replaced it with OEM AGM battery and I’m back in business!

[da prez]

Everyone forgets the basics. Clean all connections. Fully charge the battery . If it starts , check alternator output.
 If good , load test the battery.

            da prez
 

[1NorthRyder]

I tested the amperage while engaging the starter, it didn’t drop below 10.5 amps. I put a larger charger on overnight and it started the next day ok. Battery isn’t one year old yet and it was a good quality Yausa. I’ll look into it a little more.

[Bighead]

Battery is getting weak. 1 yr old or not.

[John Schmidt]

I tested the amperage while engaging the starter, it didn’t drop below 10.5 amps. I put a larger charger on overnight and it started the next day ok. Battery isn’t one year old yet and it was a good quality Yausa. I’ll look into it a little more.

As stated above, you didn't test the AMPS, you tested the VOLTAGE. As for the issue you described, I had the same thing a couple weeks back. Showed full charge of around 13.7 VOLTS, soon as I turned on the ignition it dropped to about 11.5 VOLTS. Hit the starter and barely got a grunt out of it and the voltage dropped to below 10 VOLTS. Tried a recharge overnight, next day same thing so new battery installed following initial charge. Bump the starter and it fires right up. Battery was about 4 yrs. old.

[1NorthRyder]

Can you check to determine if there is any load on the battery when the bike is turned off?  Is there resistance between the battery terminals when the switch is off?   Maybe an added accessory that may drain the battery?

That’s what started this whole project, something was draining the battery down when it was sitting. I discovered it was my amplifier which wasn’t shutting off as it should. I’ve fixed that issue. Probably going to need a new battery.

[gordonv]

You've also an IS model, and there is the radio/clock memory too, to drain down the battery faster than a std/tourer model would.

What you most likely have is a dead/bad cell in your battery. It registers 12+ V, but there is no power behind it. Without power (AMPS) there is nothing there to power the starter/ignition. That is what CCA is, Cold Cranking Amps, this is the force behind the electrical V.

Think of electricity as water. V is the flow of water. A is the PSI. Without enough PSI, you can't turn over your starter motor.

[1NorthRyder]

Thanks for the advice guys, and yes I know it’s volts, slip of the tongue. I never was much for auto electrics.

[Cracker Jack]

You've also an IS model, and there is the radio/clock memory too, to drain down the battery faster than a std/tourer model would.

What you most likely have is a dead/bad cell in your battery. It registers 12+ V, but there is no power behind it. Without power (AMPS) there is nothing there to power the starter/ignition. That is what CCA is, Cold Cranking Amps, this is the force behind the electrical V.

Think of electricity as water. V is the flow of water. A is the PSI. Without enough PSI, you can't turn over your starter motor.

"Think of electricity as water. V is the flow of water.A is the PSI"

I think you might have that backards.
Air being compressible might be a better analogy than water.

[gordonv]

The analogy of water is because of the piping. You can see a hose, the copper lines, the taps. People are familiar with placing their finger over the end of the hose, reducing the flow and getting further range on the spray. This can be moved over to wires. + to -, red to black, the flow of water to the ground. It's all visual.

[RonW]

the *open* and *close* analogy doesn't though. "A water facet is closed," isn't synonymous with "a switch is closed," instead it has the opposite meaning. You *open* a water facet, water flows. You *open* an electrical switch or circuit, electricity stops flowing, and so on.

[Tfrank59]

the *open* and *close* analogy doesn't though. "A water facet is closed," isn't synonymous with "a switch is closed," instead it has the opposite meaning. You *open* a water facet, water flows. You *open* an electrical switch or circuit, electricity stops flowing, and so on.

   "open" for electrical = ain't working, i.e., broken continuity

[ValkStrom]

Mine had a hard time starting a few weeks back, was turning over just fine but I was suspicious the battery voltage might be a tad bit low. I threw the battery charger on for about 4 hours until the green light came on, hit the starter button and it fired "right up".