I don't get it!

[ozzytim]

I just bought a 04 wr450 and love it! However the battery is completely stuffed and won't even charge so i’ve been riding around with no battery and haven’t got onto getting a new one because the bike has been so easy to kick start! Hot, cold or warm it has never needed more than a few kicks. The thing is, during a ride i left the bike running while i got off to open a gate and it stalled. After bruising the arch of my foot from kicking the thing so much i wheeled it home and wired on another bike's battery. Sure enough it fired up easy with e-start and strangely with the other battery still connected it kick started just as easily as it ever has. Disconnected the battery and it showed no sign of kick starting. Any ideas what might have changed? Why do i now need a battery connected to kick start her?

[cumminsgetsome]

Did you use the hot start when you were trying to kick it sometimes mine needs it other times it don't like it?

[ozzytim]

- yeah tried everything, i would have spent 2 hours trying different ideas. None worked but as soon as i hooked up another battery it started first kick!

[trailordune]

I just bought a 04 wr450 and love it! However the battery is completely stuffed and won't even charge so i’ve been riding around with no battery and haven’t got onto getting a new one because the bike has been so easy to kick start! Hot, cold or warm it has never needed more than a few kicks. The thing is, during a ride i left the bike running while i got off to open a gate and it stalled. After bruising the arch of my foot from kicking the thing so much i wheeled it home and wired on another bike's battery. Sure enough it fired up easy with e-start and strangely with the other battery still connected it kick started just as easily as it ever has. Disconnected the battery and it showed no sign of kick starting. Any ideas what might have changed? Why do i now need a battery connected to kick start her?

I hope someone chimes in here because I have similar issues. My bike left me stranded on the last 90 miles of the Sheetiron 300 in Cali with a dead battery. I got it started with jumper cables but it died when I pulled them off. Now at home I'm still stumped. With a charged battery the bike will start and stay running after disconnecting the battery but will not kick start with no battery. I'm looking for any imput here so please throw something out there right or wrong.

[MN_Paul]

most modern vehicles with batteries require DC to run the ignition system. With a totally dead battery, you probably don't produce enough of a charge to get the system off the ground. A near dead battery might supply enough juice to run the ignition requirements, but if the charging circuit is fried, eventually the bike will die once the battery is exhausted. Bikes without batteries, are set up differently.

Paul

[ozzytim]

most modern vehicles with batteries require DC to run the ignition system. With a totally dead battery, you probably don't produce enough of a charge to get the system off the ground. A near dead battery might supply enough juice to run the ignition requirements, but if the charging circuit is fried, eventually the bike will die once the battery is exhausted. Bikes without batteries, are set up differently.

Paul

Thanks Paul but the thing that confuses me is that my bike ran for the first few rides just fine with no battery at all, as if it were an mx bike. But now for some reason that has changed and i need a battery for the bike to kick start. I guess it doesn’t really matter, but it would be good if i didn't have to rely on my battery.

[ozzytim]

I hope someone chimes in here because I have similar issues. My bike left me stranded on the last 90 miles of the Sheetiron 300 in Cali with a dead battery. I got it started with jumper cables but it died when I pulled them off. Now at home I'm still stumped. With a charged battery the bike will start and stay running after disconnecting the battery but will not kick start with no battery. I'm looking for any imput here so please throw something out there right or wrong.

I feel like an idiot. The previous owner told me the headlight was blown so i have paid no attention to the light switch, which somehow, mid-ride has turned on. This is where my problem came from because kick starting could not power the headlight and fire the engine up. I realized this, and straight away no problem kick starting- even with no battery. Does this help you trailordune? Sorry bout that waste of time everyone else!

[cumminsgetsome]

I think the ignition is a totally seperate from the lighting coil. One should not be able to affect the other. But I may be wrong about this.

[biker t]

Looks like the ignition needs a boost from the battery to get it started even when kick starting it. definately looks as though there is a short in the charging circuit, possibly the charging diodes are down.solving that could be the answere.

[trailordune]

I feel like an idiot. The previous owner told me the headlight was blown so i have paid no attention to the light switch, which somehow, mid-ride has turned on. This is where my problem came from because kick starting could not power the headlight and fire the engine up. I realized this, and straight away no problem kick starting- even with no battery. Does this help you trailordune? Sorry bout that waste of time everyone else!

Hey ozzytim you really helped me out even though my situation was different. I don't have a headlight switch but when I unplugged it my bike now charges at 14.6 volts as it should. This really blows me away because there must be a short in the headlight bulb itself. When I plugged it back in, the bike is back to charging 12.8v basically nill. Then I plugged in the headlight off my buddy's and I'm back to 14.6v. These are both original factory bulbs on 04 machines and mine still worked. This reply is long winded but I've had this charging problem for a long time and going by the book I replaced the regulator last year and then the stator earlier this year both with no results. My bike would E-start about 15 times on charged battery then it was kick only the rest of the ride.? I feel stupid but I've never heard of a bulb causing a drain like this.?

[ozzytim]

Hey ozzytim you really helped me out even though my situation was different. I don't have a headlight switch but when I unplugged it my bike now charges at 14.6 volts as it should. This really blows me away because there must be a short in the headlight bulb itself. When I plugged it back in, the bike is back to charging 12.8v basically nill. Then I plugged in the headlight off my buddy's and I'm back to 14.6v. These are both original factory bulbs on 04 machines and mine still worked. This reply is long winded but I've had this charging problem for a long time and going by the book I replaced the regulator last year and then the stator earlier this year both with no results. My bike would E-start about 15 times on charged battery then it was kick only the rest of the ride.? I feel stupid but I've never heard of a bulb causing a drain like this.?

Good to hear you you'v finaly sorted it out. It would have been the last thing i thought of only the the light being on was the only thing that had changed from when starting was no issue. mabey my globe is shorting to...

[trailordune]

Good to hear you you'v finaly sorted it out. It would have been the last thing i thought of only the the light being on was the only thing that had changed from when starting was no issue. mabey my globe is shorting to...

I tried about everything before unplugging the headlight. I had even cleaned the connections and plugged it back in along with all the others on the bike, just never put the volt meter on without the headlight. Like I wrote earlier, this is the original bulb and has been causing me grief for years. Oh well, I still love this bike. ?

[Impaler]

bike'll run without batt...check hotstart system..04's are known to have difficulties..or loose wiring needs to be hunted down...

[Impaler]

sorry...could also be charging system probs too..

[ARin]

wont bruise your foot if you wear proper boots.?

[yam314]

My '04 did this recently during a race. It flat would not start w/ the button or the kick.After the race, I could measure the voltage at 13v,but as soon as I turned the on/off button on,voltage dropped to 1v.I replaced the battery w/ a $20 gell cell battery,and now everything works great.

I was going to get the proper Yoasa battery,but this one seems to work great and weighs much less.I have been kicking it more to save drain on the battery, but otherwise,it will start using the button whenever I need it to(after a stall).