Ya Dork!

**slofox** · 4th December 2008, 10:20

Got up this morning, got the gear together and headed down to pull out the bike........turned on key......hmmmmmm, stone dead!!!

Try again. Still stone dead. Jiggle key a few times, no luck at all.....

....ahhhhhhh! Insight moment....there was a little glow showing from the garage last night - I thought I had left the light on......welll in a way I had, but not the garage light. When I had turned the key to steering lock I had gone one click too far and put the bloody parking lights on....which stayed on all night....and drained the battery completely......bastard!

So I have learned that the bike does have a tool kit - really does! And it has quite a range of tools in it as well (albeit of the normal cardboard steel variety....). But having pulled it out of its little box I just bet I will never get it back in again....it was packed tighter than a nun's....errrr never mind....
AND I managed to get the seat off with a minimum of fuss and pull out the battery and stick it on the charger for the day.......just as well I own a charger.....

What a dork!

**snuffles** · 4th December 2008, 10:24

Been done by many!!!!!!

**vifferman** · 4th December 2008, 10:25

It happens.
I did the same thing more'n once on my VF500, as it had the same stupid "Prak" position on the key lock. Must've bump-started it 6 times or more in one year.

**slofox** · 4th December 2008, 10:41

Originally Posted by vifferman

It happens.
I did the same thing more'n once on my VF500, as it had the same stupid "Prak" position on the key lock. Must've bump-started it 6 times or more in one year.

Bump starting didn't work - the garage is at the bottom of quite a steep slope and I couldn't push the bike up far enough to get a good run.....
Wasn't sure if it would bump start anyway what with EFI etc etc.....?

**pzkpfw** · 4th December 2008, 11:17

Is a car battery charger good for a bike battery?

(Thought I'd read somewhere it wasn't a good idea, though both batteries are 12V.)

**nudemetalz** · 4th December 2008, 11:26

I did it once before in the bikepark in the middle of Welly CBD.
Do you know how cool it is trying to push start a heavy Guzzi at 5pm with a bunch of people in buses watching you. (It's not !!!!)
Oh and to make matters worse, the WCC was resurfacing the area in front of the bike park so I had to do that on a gravelly surface !!

So...now I check my park lights everytime I jump off the bike in the morning at the bikepark.

**slofox** · 4th December 2008, 11:45

Originally Posted by pzkpfw

Is a car battery charger good for a bike battery?

It's not specifically a car battery charger - I used to use it to charge the battery on a sprayer unit - which was a motorcycle battery.
I have the charger on a timer - it will switch off after six hours. The charger runs at 2.2a. Six hours is about primo for this capacity battery (according to the book....)

**vifferman** · 4th December 2008, 11:46

Originally Posted by slofox

Wasn't sure if it would bump start anyway what with EFI etc etc.....?

Yeah, there is the problem that the injectors aren't primed if there's insufficient ergs to run the pump.

**vifferman** · 4th December 2008, 11:52

Originally Posted by pzkpfw

Is a car battery charger good for a bike battery?

Depends how many amps it runs at. Car batteries are much bigger (more amp hours) so the chargers typically run at higher amperage (5A or so). A smart one won't cook a bike battery as it will step down the current as the battery charges up, but your average one is just too grunty. A bike battery can be quick charged for up to an hour at 5A, but overnight it needs a charger that will step down to about 1 or 1.2A.

**slofox** · 4th December 2008, 12:11

Originally Posted by vifferman

Depends how many amps it runs at. Car batteries are much bigger (more amp hours) so the chargers typically run at higher amperage (5A or so). A smart one won't cook a bike battery as it will step down the current as the battery charges up, but your average one is just too grunty. A bike battery can be quick charged for up to an hour at 5A, but overnight it needs a charger that will step down to about 1 or 1.2A.

See post above - charges at 2.2a........six hours oughta do it.....