Seeing as how my KLX is set up for track only (no lights or turn signals) I was wondering if it were possible to run the bike without a battery ?

I tried it the other day and it will start and idle fine, but the instrument panel does not come on and the engine won't rev more than 4k or there abouts (no display on gauge so just guessing).

I have terrible luck with battery life if the bike isn't being ridden regularly and those battery tender devices don't seem to help much (I have a stack of shot MC batteries in my shed to show for it). Since the bike will only be run about once a month for track days I was hoping to just set it up where I can jump start the bike of a battery pack in the pits and maybe install a kickstarter down the road.

I was reading that the second generation KLR 650 has the wiring done in such a way that the ignition needs the battery to function (unlike the gen 1) and I'm afraid the KLX might be setup the same way unless I'm just dense and missing something.

Anyone done a successful battery delete on a modern KLX 250 ?

 

You're not turning in your dead batteries when buying a new one?

Oh my...Al Gore and some other greenies will be descending on your home shortly with warrants.

Wildcard, I've not studied the wiring diagram close enough to know for sure, and I've never seen anyone mention it here. Sounds like the coil needs a full 12V source to run properly, but I won't swear to that.

I'm surprised you can't get a good battery tender to make your battery live longer. I rarely ride my KLX except on big rides or trips out west, but I can get one to last for years. Are you using too powerful a charger, perhaps? I use a Deltran version that has its own little brain.

 

I would not do that. The battery is part of the voltage regulating function: it smooths the 12V rail, which is required because the magneto and regulator combination produces current pulses. Without the battery, the rail voltage swings from close to 0V to over 30V every cycle of the magneto. This is really not good for electronics (dash and cdi box).

Note that even a small 1Ah battery will do the smoothing properly. It won't start the bike but it will get low enough ripple on the 12V rail once the engine is started.

 

I have a smart charger but can't really keep it connected to all the batteries I need to charge so things get cycled out. I'm not really comfortable keeping a charger/tender plugged in all the time (months on end in the off season) since a friend of mine had one and it used to get really hot when plugged in for extended periods. I don't want to be burning down my garage in the middle of the night.

Go figure that my lawn mower has been running on the same battery for 8 years now and I don't even remember when the last time I charged that thing.

As for turning in battery cores, I buy my MC batteries online so there isn't a way to turn in a core. Walmart wants $60+ for a battery to fit the klx that won't last any longer than the $30 cheapo that I can get online.


Well, crap. Its not really possible to use the bike anyway since the gauge is blank and it won't rev.

Any idea on a cheap little battery that would get the job done but not explode when the charging system tries to pump some amps into it ? Or should I just be able to use the cheapest 12v battery that will fit in the bike ?

Thanks.

 

I now use Yuasa batteries only. All the cheap ones die out too easily.

Walmart carries the 4 bank battery tender for about $180 - save on batteries in the long run.

If you want to go battery free you might see if you can swap out for a KLX300R set up. No battery, no key, skip the lights. I'd think you could find the stuff used.

 

What about a capacitor in place of the battery? Would that smooth out the voltage ripples? Maybe even store enough juice for moments of high demand???

 

A battery is like a huge capacitor. In fact the electrochemical processes in both are of the same nature. A 1F capacitor (10000000uF) would possibly be ok, not sure. I would need to do some computations to confirm.

 

Look at the NOCO Genius chargers/maintainers. They are very compact and come with alligator clips as well as a battery connector with eyelets that you can hardwire to the battery terminals. Takes me 10 seconds to connect the charger to my bike, and the charger is smart enough to not cook the battery. Buy a Yuasa battery as suggested above (less than $60 from Amazon) and you can call it done for a very long time.

 

The battery solution I've been using the last six year is a Shorai Lithium. No need to tender, even for months of non-use. Never have to recharge it. Cranking is more powerful than with a lead acid. Cost is less (if you consider I would have needed two or three conventional batteries during these six years, as I tend to neglect them). Weight is less (much less!!).

Some would say a Lithium battery is potentially more hazardous than a lead acid, but I've not heard yet of a lithium related catastrophe in the enduro world. A lead acid battery is a hazardous device too. It's sulfuric acid Inside .

 

Even with a battery tender, I only connect it up once or twice a month for 1 day. Seems to work, if I can remember follow my procedure.