Weak Starter/Battery?
 

Good afternoon,

I recently bought an '07 KLX250 with a few minor mods already done (jetting, slip on, pro taper bars, few other minor things) and so far have enjoyed the versatility and ease of the KLX ride.

The guy I bought it from claims he put in a new battery a few months ago, and it does look fairly new, however each time i start it the starter sounds weak and slow to turn over. I am wondering what types of battery you guys use (wet cell vs. gel cell) and any added benefit for each. I am not sure if this battery is 100% good as I haven't tested it, however it seems the light horn and all accessories are working ok and the battery doesnt drain so I think the stator charging system is working OK too. Anybody else have experience with a weak start? (kind of wish it had a kick start as a backup in case of a dead battery! )

I've attached a picture so you can see the beauty


Thanks

Well, first of all welcome to the forums, the best bike ever and a great bunch of guys that are here to help. How long did the bike sit with the "new battery"? Get yourself a battery tender and keep it topped off at least once a week as it sits. Next or maybe first, check the connections and make sure they are tight. It doesn't take much to keep the battery from charging, and that brings me to #3, get a volt meter and see what the output is with the bike not running, and then one as it is running. That will tell a lot. I'm still running on the original battery after 4 and a half years and 13,800 miles. But then again I ride it everyday I can. Let us know what you find out. And good luck. :)

My stock battery lasted me 2 yrs. Almost all of that time it was kept on a battery tender, and ridden quite a bit. I bought my "07" in the spring of "08" and the battery died this spring. Got a new one at Batteries Plus for ~$50. I was never impressed with the starting system on the KLX, it always seemed weak to me. didn't spin the engine very quickly and if I didn't get it started after a few tries the battery would be discharged. The new battery seems a lot stronger than I ever remember the stocker being??
Dan

Do what Deej has said. Use a voltmeter and test the voltages. As for type of battery, use an AGM type battery. It will provide more CCA and be more durable on the off-road trails. My KLX still has the original OEM battery and it still cranks good. Every so often in the winter, I let my solar battery back-up/charger charge the battery to full.

OK so I checked out the battery voltages today before i headed out to enjoy the nice riding weather and found the following:
As measured from Positive to negative terminal of battery -
Ignition off ~12.6 volts
Ignition on (light on) ~ 10.5 volts
Starter depressed - dropped to 6 volts!
Battery voltage climbed up to about 7 or 8 volts and stayed steady until she fired up. Once started and warmed up ~13.5-14 volts

This tells me my stator/rotor and voltage regulation circuit is good and charging the battery, i fear i may just need a new battery. The Battery is a scorpoin sealed maintenance free VRLA AGM battery. Seems fairly new, no swelling or corrosion of the posts. The guy i bought it from last month said it was new. My guess is maybe from sittin a few weeks while he had it for sale it discharged and I haven't rode it long enough to completely charge it back up yet. I wonder if trickle charging it for a few days will bring it back up to snuff...what do you fellas think??

From those readings, the battery is dieing. Maybe a PWM charger could bring it back to life, but no where near full health. I suggest you start researching for a new battery. The OEM battery from Kawasaki is actually a pretty good battery, but it runs from $70~100 for it. Interstate is another good battery and they run about $60~70. For the KLX, make sure you get an AGM type battery.

I replaced the one on my 06 a while back from BatteryMart good price...$37 + $10 shipping and its agm. I really don't think brand name matters because I bet they are all made in the same factory in China....besides I got a kicker :D

link http://www.batterymart.com/p-YTX7L-B...e-Battery.html

Brand names like Yuasa don't build them in China I don't think. I bought a cheap no-name battery with a Chinese cell for my R1150R and the sucker lasted only about a year and a half. I actually still have the original Yuasa battery in my '04 CBR600RR!
You have to be careful as the Chinese are very tricky. The mandatory country of origin is not stamped proudly out in the open as in Made in USA or Made in Japan. The Made in China is usually stamped on the bottom in miniscule letters to try to conceal the fact that it's a POS product from China.

Battery being fairly new doesn't really mean much if the purchaser didn't give it a good initial charge or long 2 hr ride after he put it in.

Small (750-850ma) trickle chargers will not bring back a battery that has voltage much lower than 12.5. So even if your too low battery was left plugged in it's not coming back.
An automotive style 1.5a battery maintainer would be better, or a charger that has a 2a setting.

My battery is stock battery, never seen a tender or charger of any sort, only disconnected once for about two months when I couldn't ride from dislocated shoulder.

It's strong like bull!!!! I think it's just like the cold start issues, some are better than others.. Mine is perfect in both categories :D

Good luck