Starting with dead battery????????

[cadvette]

Will an 03 WR450 kick start with a dead battery?

[comrade_yzf]

I doubt it if it cant get a spark. How dead is it? You may need a new one or just charge it.

[jbrooks26]

It would be kind of worthless if it didn't. The ignition spark does not come from the battery, it is only there to run the accessories such as the lights and the starter. The ignition spark is still generated at the flywheel by the magneto(?sp?). It should start just fine with a dead battery. Hope this helps.

Josh

[Bosco83]

Yea they start just fine and charge back up pretty quick. I have left my computer on for a week and killed the battery .

Brian

[Ibis]

The WR 450 has 3 separate stator/flywheel (generator) circuits.

1-Ignition

2-AC from the regulator to power the headlight and taillight.

3-DC from the regulator/rectifier to charge the battery which powers the starter and misc lights and accs that work when the engine is off.

If the AC and/or DC systems go kaput, the ignition still works.

[comrade_yzf]

Well dam*. I also learned something today.

[jbrooks26]

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

[cadvette]

Thanks everybody. That is what I thought. I was just having a little brain fart.

[cadvette]

Ok do you still have to push in the button behind the head light to get it to run when the battery is dead or just get on and kick it till it goes? When I get off of the bike I usually just push the main power button behind the light to turn off the bike. The bike has a Baja Designs kit installed with their stator mods done.

[jbrooks26]

Are you talking about the stock kill switch? You should not have to push any buttons to get it started. If you have an ignition switch then it will need to be in the run position. Other than that it should just start. Hope this helps.

Josh

[Moto5]

Ok do you still have to push in the button behind the head light to get it to run when the battery is dead or just get on and kick it till it goes? QUOTE]

Yes the ingnition switch has to be on or it won't start.

[BajaFool]

The strange way that the electrical system works on our WR's has been the subject of much discussion among my friends. There are those who say that the rectifier can fail in the field and you are dead in the water. There are those who say that with the Baja Designs kit installed the rectifier has failed and the engine could not be started with either the electric starter or the kick starter.

So, let's make some assumptions for possible real world situations that may be encountered in the field even though Ibis in his earlier reply has clearly stated the probable answer:

The rectifier fails (either shorted or open). Will the bike kickstart,

assuming that the ignition switch is turned on?

The battery shorts out or loses its charge for whatever reason. Will the

bike kickstart, assuming that the ignition switch is turned on?

You remove the battery entirely from the bike. Will the bike kickstart

assuming that the ignition switch is turned on?

Will running the bike in any of the above scenarios cause damage?

Now, please don't take this personally, but answers from someone with first hand knowledge or demonstrated automotive/motorcycle electrical experience, with the ability to read and accurately interpret schematics would be appropriate here. Answers that begin with " I'm not sure, but I think" or "My buddy says that he heard that----" probably won't add anything to the discussion.

[Rooster426]

I can give real world input, I have the baja kit and the rectifier went dead-how do I know this? The headlights, tail lights, horn, signals would not work. Granted I have a 2001 WR which does not have the electric start. The bike would run and kick start with a dead rectifier, it would start fine except all electrical is/was dead. The other thing is that the baja kit does have a 15 amp fuse, I suggest you check that first as well.

[joshbeene]

Yes, you must have the ignition switch on, the one behind the headlight, or it will not start.

[PBDBLUE]

Okay. Bajafool knows my credential's so here's the definitive answer. After all this discussion I decided to try an experiment. Pulled the fuse on my '03 and it kick started fine with the ignition switch on. Then just to go a bit further I disconnected the battery and again it kickstarted just fine. So there you have it. Now if you had a shorted battery you might have to pull the fuse to get it to start but it certainly is do-able in the field. BTW - The '03 and '05 schematics are identical except the '05 does not have the headlight switch (which is removed from my '03 so they should be comparable).

[BajaFool]

I knew if I waited long enough, PBDBLUE would step up to the plate and provide the definitive answer without my making a telephone call.

PBDBLUE, call me, I will give you the debrief on the Rancho El Compadre trail ride.

[walshy]

Okay. Bajafool knows my credential's so here's the definitive answer. After all this discussion I decided to try an experiment. Pulled the fuse on my '03 and it kick started fine with the ignition switch on. Then just to go a bit further I disconnected the battery and again it kickstarted just fine. So there you have it. Now if you had a shorted battery you might have to pull the fuse to get it to start but it certainly is do-able in the field. BTW - The '03 and '05 schematics are identical except the '05 does not have the headlight switch (which is removed from my '03 so they should be comparable).

I was told by "BALLARDS" not to start the bike with the battery disconnected, it would blow the CDI. They have a thingy called a "battery eliminator" to use when running the bike without the weight of the starter motor, battery, starter clutch and gears.