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falconkidding

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Falcon Kidding
So mechanically i'm only adequate if that, and just wondering if anybody knew the reason for the way my bike acted today.

I have a 2004 honda 599 and the battery ran down over the holiday months when I didn't ride much, it wouldn't start which is to be expected got it bump started and started riding rode fine for 15 minutes or so then when approaching a stopsign in neutral it died when I hit the brake. Luckily I had enough speed to still bump start. Rode another little bit and just used engine braking at stops eventually had to hit the brake and it died and wouldn't even bumpstart going down a quarter mile hill.

I'd assume the battery is bad but surely with it running it would still maintain some sort of current I mean the headlight still worked just whenever any kind of extra load was added like the brakelight would cause it to die.
I'm kinda clueless on electrical things but would a dead battery cause some sort of ignition issue even when it was "running" Eventually to the point where even bump starting it just meant it was turning over but not "firing"

Maybe thats normal behavior if a battery is bad but I have no idea.
 
It's a dead battery. Motorcycles' alternators typically do not produce enough juice at near idle. You can keep the revs up, but if the battery is that discharged, it's likely permanently dead. Automotive batteries do not like deep discharges. You need a new one.

Edit: adding: I'm assuming it's a fuel injected bike. If the voltage drops below certain point, the computer(and ignition) will not work.
 
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How long did the gas sit in the tank? If the gas in sat in the tank, it could have gone bad if you didn't run it long enough. Normally, there isn't enough drain on the electrical system to prevent ignition continuing once it started. If the tank wasn't full, with a preservative like sta-bil, then I'd start with the fuel system before trying to chase down an electrical gremlin.
 
TCABM said:
How long did the gas sit in the tank? If the gas in sat in the tank, it could have gone bad if you didn't run it long enough. Normally, there isn't enough drain on the electrical system to prevent ignition continuing once it started. If the tank wasn't full, with a preservative like sta-bil, then I'd start with the fuel system before trying to chase down an electrical gremlin.
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Couple of "holiday months" isn't going to gunk up the gas. And if it's an FI bike it would take a while to get to a point of not starting. And if it got there, it would not start at all or run rough.
 
Its actually not fuel injected(2006 was the first year the 599 got that), I probably last put gas in it the week before Christmas.
 
Sounds to me like a bad battery that is shorted and dragging the electrical system down to the point of quitting at or near idle.
 
I think it's your battery too. Motorcycle batteries are notorious for being hit or miss, regardless of brand. Some stay good for years and years, others go TU almost right out of the box. Yours is probably just barely clinging to life, it's time to pull the plug.
 
Is it this one?

It sounds like when you activate the brake lights, the additional drain on the system cannot keep up with power needs for the ignition/computer (noted in link)
Easiest test is to run it with a good battery. You're going to need one anyway, right? (Not sure how safe it would be to run it with no battery)
 
^yep its the cb600f/599/hornet
I guess I'll pick up a new battery in the am and give that a shot seems to be the consensus.
 
falconkidding said:
^yep its the cb600f/599/hornet
I guess I'll pick up a new battery in the am and give that a shot seems to be the consensus.
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You can test the battery at any auto parts store. Just to be sure.
 
My guess is its not the battery....or, more accurately, not completely the battery. If I had to take a guess, I would investigate the reg/rec and/or the stator before buying a new battery. Easiest way to do it is to get the bike up to idle and then put a multimeter across the terminals of the battery. (Very) generally speaking, at idle, it should be around the 12.4V mark. Also, if you have a friend, keep the multimeter on the terminals as you crack it over and see how much the voltage drops.

You'd have to check in your service manual (something you can download online as a PDF for free, most likely), but it should give you a number as far as RPMs go (generally anything over 2-4K depending on make/model/engine) and at that number, you should be seeing the battery being charged with a reading of about 14.4V. In the troubleshooting section of your manual follow the steps to troubleshoot your reg/rec next, and then (if it comes to it) your stator. I don't have the link on me now, and quite frankly, i'm too lazy to look for it at the moment, but if you'd like, let me know and I can forward you a fairly simply step by step process on how to troubleshoot the regulator and stator.

As far as the battery is concerned, it may or may not be shot...it just depends on how low the charge got on it. Really no quick way of telling without taking it to an auto parts store and letting them test it.
 
vkhosid said:
My guess is its not the battery....or, more accurately, not completely the battery.
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He let the battery go flat and it stayed that way for a while. The battery is probably toast, but he *could* try one of the charger/tenders that is programmed to revive dead batteries.

The charging system on most bikes (except for tour/sport tour) is barely adequate for the job when the battery is good. It certainly isn't going to revive a dead one.
 
It's probably the battery. If it's running at all and idling acceptably then you likely don't have a carb issue.

Most of the modern bike batteries are agm (glass mat) and won't test properly on an auto parts store charger. Trickle charge it and see if it will get to a proper voltage, and hold that voltage for a day or two. Or just replace it. With bike batteries if you think it's toast it probably is.

Scott
 
Though in the spirit of "cheapest problem first" check that the battery terminals are clean.
 
Flux capacitor.

If not that, battery.
 
scottfromboston said:
It's probably the battery. If it's running at all and idling acceptably then you likely don't have a carb issue.

Most of the modern bike batteries are agm (glass mat) and won't test properly on an auto parts store charger. Trickle charge it and see if it will get to a proper voltage, and hold that voltage for a day or two. Or just replace it. With bike batteries if you think it's toast it probably is.

Scott
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For that matter, you can't charge a dead AGM battery on a standard charger either. Although there is a workaround you can do to get it to work.
 
So borrowed a charger from my brother and let that run overnight took it off and it fired right up. Rode around for about a hour and it seemed to be fine. Not sure if this is the case but the headlight shining on the wall gets brighter when I rev it over idle so does that mean its probably charging? Gonna let it sit over the weekend while i'm at work and see if it holds a charge, if it does I guess everything is fine.

I see my Reg/Rec is from ducati and my bike was made in italy so now when someone ask me what I ride I'm gonna say it was made in italy and has ducati parts...Make it seem like my budget honda is classier than it is.
 
You're probably good. Don't be surprised if the battery suffers early mortality.
 
falconkidding said:
So borrowed a charger from my brother and let that run overnight took it off and it fired right up. Rode around for about a hour and it seemed to be fine. Not sure if this is the case but the headlight shining on the wall gets brighter when I rev it over idle so does that mean its probably charging? Gonna let it sit over the weekend while i'm at work and see if it holds a charge, if it does I guess everything is fine.

I see my Reg/Rec is from ducati and my bike was made in italy so now when someone ask me what I ride I'm gonna say it was made in italy and has ducati parts...Make it seem like my budget honda is classier than it is.
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God help you with Ducati R/R... Trust me, I know! :). Although my Honda F2 from the early 90s regularly burned R/Rs. Dimming is normal, and a sign of dying(can't support the load) battery more so than a good charging. You need a simple DC voltmeter to see if charging is good(should go over 13v around 2KRPM and max out around 14V), and AC voltmeter to check the stator phases. Both are simple procedures, but not really necessary
 
Buy a Harbor Freight Battery tender for 5 bucks, hook it up and plug it in if you plan to not ride for longer than a week. Will save the battery, those little batteries aren't cheap.
 
Check the Regulator Rectifier too. Sometimes the go out all together sometimes the get cranky and go out intermittently usually when the bike gets warmed up.
 
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