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Buell Forum » 1125R Superbike Board » Archives 001 » Archive through June 12, 2008 » Symptom: Key on then absolutely nothing. Help! « Previous Next »

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Archangel_g
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Can anyone help me?

I have 2030km on the odo. Got the reflash and the solenoid fixed Wednesday May 28. Rode it the two following days but noticed low battery light before start. It still started fine both days. Then I parked it until last Wednesday when I tried to start it. By "tried to start it" I mean turned the key to the on position then absolutely nothing happened, not even the instrument cluster turned on, nothing at all...

I thought that it could be the battery so I put the battery on the tender. The Battery tender light was showing the red light meaning low battery. I left it on the tender for 72hrs and it was still showing red. I took the tender off and tried the key again, still nothing.

Any ideas?
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Cataract2
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Possible the battery is a bad one. Try a new battery in the bike.
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Fresnobuell
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:08 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I had the dead battery episode and it took 2.5 days on the Tender and it barely turned over at that.
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Doerman
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

When the dealer does the re-flash they probably left the key on for a long time draining the battery. When a battery gets low enough a tender might not be enough to get it back up again.

I did the same thing myself long time ago fiddling with the ODIS to figure out all its ins and outs. That took a bite out of the battery so I put it on the tender. The tender stayed red for a few hours so I switched to a regular battery charger (6AMP) and charged it right up.

Or it could be a bad battery.
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Archangel_g
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 02:32 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Ok,
I will try a car battery charger first then if it still does not work I will return the old battery.

Thank you.
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Buellgator
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 02:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Take the battery back to the dealer, and have them test it. If its bad they should replace it right then and there.
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Shwinston
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 03:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

A very similar thing happened to me. Except all the battery testing was done at the dealer. They just concluded that the battery was a bad one and gave me a new one. So far I haven't had any issues with the new battery. During the time I had the bad battery it lost its charge twice, and by the second time it couldn't even hold its charge. Mind you this was all before the solenoid fix.
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Spectrum
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 04:18 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

They ran the battery down on my bike doing the flash. May have had some thing similar happen to you if they made several attempts trying to get the flash to take.
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Archangel_g
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 05:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Don't get me started on the reflash. I had to go to the dealer twice and the first time was 4hrs wasted on fruitless attempts. So, the answer is yes they ran down the battery. But it should have recharged with the ridding I did afterwards, no?

Another thing, don't you guys find it strange to read about so many "bad batteries"?
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Zac4mac
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 06:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The only time I had a dead battery was right after the reflash.
I put it on a charger, not the tender, no problems since.
That was1100 miles ago.

Z
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Mustangturbo
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 08:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I think that it is a case of under trained techs... BMC should've better trained these guys. I took mine to the dealer and they looked at me like I was an alien, then told me they hadn't yet received the technical manuals for the bike yet and would have to get back to me. So, I left my number and went on my way.
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Eddie
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 02:13 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

just a thought.. make sure the kill switch is not in the off position...only because I did this : )
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Big_dog
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 02:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I had the battery issue myself at less than 400 miles. However, when I turned the key on the message read, "Theft Error", no other indications. Dealership came and got the bike. The next day they told me the battery was dead and that I left the key on. Well, I didn't!!

Recharged battery and fine since.
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Chevycummins
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 03:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Some of these battery chargers have a polarity protection device in them. It requires that there be at least 3V in the battery so the charger can sense the polarity. If under that voltage it will not charge. Use an old school charger to get it charged up some then switch to the maintainer to fully charge.
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Pizzaboy
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 06:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

IM EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE MOMENT!!!

my bike is an april 08 build date so i believe it already has the reflash done.

i have ridden the bike every day since i bought it now 3 weeks ago with no problems; just that worry in the back of my mind about what seems to be a problem with every single 1125 of battery discharge. no problems, fired up fine every of the first ~50 times.

i had seen the battery light on the instrument cluster pop on a couple times over the few weeks when i key on before turning over, yet it still fired right up and the light went away within seconds.

after not touching the bike for 4 days, i came back to it yesterday evening and it was bone dead showing about 5.7v.

i threw on the battery tender subsequently, and then checked it again this morning. 5.7v. left it on till just a little while ago(now 3:30) and still nothing.

i took a different, charged, MC battery, connected it and it is fine. at the moment i have the factory battery on the battery tender disconnected from the bike to see if that helps any.

i may be riding over to my dealership with a dead battery tomorrow.
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Pizzaboy
Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 06:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

...and i have used the kill switch to shut the engine down every single time, since the first time i learned how to ride a bike. this issue will have nothing to do with the kill switch observation.
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Cutty72
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - 03:07 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I think eddie meant if you left it in the kill position... then nothing will happen when you try to start it.
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Pizzaboy
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - 05:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

oh! i was referring to the other kill switch debate where the amp draw is more on these bikes if you leave the kill switch to 'run' instead of it being less when it is on 'stop' position.
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Big_dog
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - 06:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

In the June 08' issue of Cycle World they talk about the battery issue, they had to test on the 4th bike because all the others had battery issues. Buell claimed it was a stator malfunction.
The article compares R to Ducati. I think it hits the nail right on the head with the short comings of the R but it also speaks very highly on it's PLUSES!!!

If you haven't read it check it out...
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Archangel_g
Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 11:39 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I am back up and running. I used a 10amp/hour car battery charger to bring my dead battery back to life. Then I went to the dealer to have some tests done on the battery, charging system etc... They found nothing?!? At first they said that their diagnostic system was telling them to change the battery, but when the battery cooled down they tested it again and it was fine. They also tested the charging system and it was fine. Anyway I got them to give me a new battery. I hope this one will last.
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Silenc3r
Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 05:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I'm having the same problem. I got the battery charged, and rode it last night, and again for a short while today. At the end of each ride, I noticed that the battery light came back on again after parking (when the fans came on).

I also noticed that my idle is all over the place, all my lights pulse with the RPMs and I seem to have gotten my surge back in a big way. My bike was reflashed at the dealer about 2 weeks ago when I brought it in for it's first service.

I noticed after the reflash, that the surging was still there, but not a big deal. It was never very noticeable in the first place (I guess I was lucky, since it sounds like some people have a pretty rough surge). But I put about 250 miles on the bike without a problem. Last weekend I put it in the garage and it wound up sitting there for about 5 days. When I went to start it, noting. No lights, no whir, nothing. figured it was the discharge issue everyone seems to be having, so I put on the battery tender and let it sit for 2 days. The light never did go green, but the bike did start, reluctantly. I figured a nice, spirited jaunt through the hills would get it back to full charge. No such luck.

The only thing I did differently when I parked it before it died, was that I did not use the ignition lock, like I usually do. Also, when I put he bike away was also the first time it has seen rain. I got caught in a thunderstorm on my way home and rode for about 40 soggy minutes.

I popped into the dealer today on the the bike and will be bringing it in tomorrow. Hopefully they can fix it and get me back my baby before I have to leave for the Homecoming. I'd really like to take the R.
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