Sorry...if I'm out of line asking this question on a CB1100 forum, I'll understand. But, perhaps this could happen with our CB's and we all might learn something. I was back in Ga. last weekend and went to fire up the KLR. Took it off the tender, turned the key (the lights came on), I then thumbed the starter and the bike went immediately dead, lights out, the engine never turned over. Turned off the key, turned it back on...deader than a door nail. I'm not on any other forum but have communicated with other KLR owners on Facebook on their thoughts. Does anyone have any ideas? The battary was replaced 2 1/2 years ago, it is maintenance free (believe it or not, the orig battery was not). I last started the bike over the holidays...no problem. It was not ridden much last year, maybe 500 miles. Thoughts? Bad battery? Blown main fuse? The tender seems to be fine...
Guth, if you end up deleting the thread, I'll understand. Thanks all.
first guess is battery. Can you get it tested under load?
In my experience Gel batteries need no maintenance but offer no warning when they give up. Check kill switch, check for tight battery connections, check main fuse, and if all those check out, I would suspect the battery. You can try a jump to another bike, or try a push start, and if either of those DO work, it's definitely the battery.
How long has the bike been sitting?
Battery would be a likely culprit if you haven't had it on the charger all this time, but with neglect like this, it ain't gonna be cheap.
Is it carbureted? What year is it?
If it's been sitting for a long time, you're probably going to have to clean the shellacasoline out of the bowl, then take the bike to the top of a steep hill and push it down the hill in 6th gear to get things working again.
Don't despair though. The KLR is the Sherman Tank of motorcycles. They thrive on neglect and abuse.
Here's easy way to check battery...............get to the battery put a voltmeter on it should read around 12.5v, hit the start button if it drops down significant battery is toast (this is after a good charge). Mr. Ferret is right these gel batteries are great but when their life is over they give no warning, I've had one start good in the morn and go dead in the afternoon.
In addition to checking out the battery, check your connections on the cables leading from the battery. A loose or corroded connection can support a small amount of current (such as the lights when you turn on the key), but cut out when a high current draw like the starter hits it. Your series of symptoms sounds like a lot a bad connections I've seen before.
Thanks guys... to answer some questions. The bike is an '09, has about 1800 miles on it. I bought it new in Florida as a leftover in 2010. Almost immediately had to have the carburetor cleaned... but then started turning off the gas and running it dry when done riding. I have had no carburetor problems since but have gone back to just turning off the petcock when done riding and not running it dry. Someone on this forum suggested NOT to do that since it could cause more problems down the road. I keep Stabil in all my motorized toys... I had a similar starting issue with my Harley last year when it was still in Florida. I hadn't been riding it much (after the CB joined it in the garage) and went to ride it... and all I got was a 'click, click, click,'. The lights never went out, but the bike was not going to start. A new battery solved that. I'm inclined to think it's the battery but since it went so dead and so fast, I'm thinking the fuse too. But, if the fuse, why would that have popped?
Sounds like a fuse to me. First you have to make sure it was a fuse then we can worry about why. When you hit the starter current goes to the solenoid and the starter so there could be a short. Maybe the fuse was ready to go and a new one is all you need. (wishfull thinking I know).
Double check the terminals to make sure they are not corroded.
I'm not familiar with the failure modes of a gel battery, but at this point I'm not sure how a gel battery could cause a current surge to toast your fuse (assuming a fuse when up in smoke).
Sound like loose battery cables. Check your cables for corrsion on the connection. Sometimes you can't see the corrsion until you remove the cable.
(02-27-2014, 03:16 AM)Gingersdaddy_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Sound like loose battery cables. Check your cables for corrsion on the connection. Sometimes you can't see the corrsion until you remove the cable.
that's always a good thing to check. With a bad connection, it won't let the battery provide full current, but also it won't let the system charge it right.