motorcycle dies after i disconnect jumper cables....?

Question

I have a 2005 Suzuki GSXR 750 and the battery died, and cant be charged up to 13 volts. so i hoooked up a car battery to it with jumper cables. the motorcycle starts fine, everything is great. but as soon as i disconnect one of the jumper cables the motorcylce dies. anybody know what the problem is?

also if you think its the altenator then how do you trouble shoot to make sure that there is something wrong with it? before i go and waste money?

Answer 1

First off, jumping the bike from a car is FINE. There's nothing wrong with doing that.
OK here's your test. Connect your car battery back up to the bike with the jumper cables and start the bike. The easiest way to to test the charging system is to simply look at the head light. At idle the headlamp will be somewhat dimmer and as you get up to about 3,000RPM or higher the headlamp will get brighter and stay a steady brightness through the rest of the rpm range. If it doesn't then there is a problem with the charging system.
Check your regulator/rectifier next. First test, rev the bike to about 5-6000 rpm and hold it at that rpm for a good minute. Put your hand on the reg/rect if it's too hot to touch then the problem lies there. You'll need to replace it. if not continue on. You'll need a volt meter to do so. unplug the reg/rect. set your volt meter on at least 60VAC or higher not DC, but AC. put one probe on negative terminal of the battery. put other probe on one of the three yellow (or white I can't remember what color they are on suzuki, but there are three wires of the same color either white or yellow) prongs of the plug on the wire harness side. Rev the bike up to near red line. you should get about 45 volts I believe. Test all three prongs. If any one has no voltage or substantially less voltage then you'll need to replace the stator. If this tests good then it's probably just a break in the wiring between the reg/rect and the battery. There's NO fuse involved. The charging system is unfused. But I think there's a plug between the reg/rect and the battery.

That should be enough to diagnose your problem.

Answer 2

Some bikes are odd, even if the alternator is functioning, they need a battery to run. Take the original bike battery and have it charged and tested first. A battery shouldn't go bad in 1 year. If it tests bad, get a new battery(under warranty?). Now if a good battery won't hold a charge once you put it back in the bike, then the charging system has a problem. The voltage regulator is part of the computer and if the rest of the bike functions OK, this is probably a good sign. On an older bike I would say it's likely the alternator, but not on a year old. Look around for a blown fuse, loose connections; either where they plug in, or are screwed down. Make sure they are not tarnished and are tight. These are all things that are easy to check, and are more likely to be your problem. If all else fails have a pro check the alternator.
Hope this helps, and good luck hunting. Charley

Answer 3

If the battery can't be charged, then the battery is shot. DO NOT EVER JUMP A BIKE WITH A CAR!!! It has WAY too many amps for the bike's system and you can cause a lot of damage if done repeatedly.

I doubt it's your alternator because it's so new, but the alt could be defective.

I'd start by replacing your battery. I don't know about that particular battery, but if it's a wet cell (meaning you need water in it) check the water level by popping off the cover. If it's empty, there's your problem and you need a new batt.

If it's a gel cell, then you won't find any cover to pop off. But if your battery doesn't hold a charge, that's all it is.
It is very odd that a battery that new is fried so you might be able to get it replaced under warranty.

Answer 4

Ok you have 2 problems here. First you need to charge the battery in the bike the once the bike starts check out the alternator . IT has one just like a car and if it is not putting out, the bike will only run as long as there is a charge in the battery.

As long as the cables are connected you are supplying the juice it needs to stay running. When you take off the cables it dies

Answer 5

could be that the battery is done; have it charged and load tested, take a multi meter ans check to see the DC voltage at the battery when running should be 12-14 volts average. If not disconnect the alternator wiring and check AC voltage from the alternator

Answer 6

See if you can charge up the battery,jump off the car will do or if you can borrow a trickle charger would be better.then you will see if battery holds charge.Then start engine and see if voltage rises above 14 volts,if it doesnt there is something wrong in charging circuit.Look for fuses,loose wires etc.before pulling anything apart for repairs.

Answer 7

Either the Battery has totally crapped out (no Voltage) or the Magneto has died or the wires from it , or a fuse is Smoked ! That's alot of amperage 2 put through a bike battery from a car battery.

Answer 8

First off, jump starting with a car is just bad news. If the motorcycle doesn't die right away then you are having alternator problems. If it does die right away then you may have just battery problems or a combination of both. If it were a magneto problem then it shouldn't be able to run even if connected to a car.

Answer 9

Motorcycle Jumper

Answer 10

If it dies after jump starting, it is the alternator. The battery is probably also shot, since it was probably run down to far to recoup.