Triumphrat

Pipes73 · 09-05-2009, 11:13 PM

I finally got my T140RV's gear box & shifter lever back together. I rode it to work last Monday and everything was good. It started up on the first kick & rode perfectly. At quitting time it kicked over on the 2nd kick; not bad I thought to myself. But on the route home I had to stop for some construction about 2 blocks from the office & the motor died. I pushed it over to the side of the road & it wouldn't start. I looked at the headlamp & it was very very dim. Thankfully my family was home to rescue me. Anyways to get to the point something is draining my battery. How do I figure out what the culprit is? Is there an easy test for this sort of thing?

Wombat · 09-05-2009, 11:21 PM

First thing to check is if the charging system is in fact charging.

What will drain the battery with the bike running is the ignition and lights etc, if the charging system is not doing its job.

Pipes73 · 09-06-2009, 11:56 AM

Is there a method to do this? Or is it just a matter of getting out the volt meter & checking the lights, ignition, etc with the bike not running & see if any of them are drawing power.

denny · 09-08-2009, 12:09 AM

Check the voltage at the battery.

Running and not running.

For current bikes
Running should be about 14 - 14.5 volts - at 3000 RPM
Not running should be a little above 12 volts.

That's with a really good strong battery.

Pipes73 · 09-08-2009, 07:25 PM

I don't know anything about electrical systems. And looking at the wiring diagram in the shop manual doesn't clear it up for me either so any insight will will be appreciated. I charged the battery up to 12 volts & used the meter to try & figure out what the drain is. I left the motor off when I did the testing. Is the ignition suppose to have power running through it even when the switch is in the off position? I know Wombat said the ignition could be the problem but is this what he was talking about?