Is it normal for my battery to drop to 8volts when trying to start the bike?

I have a 1980 kz250 LTD and when trying to start it the battery drops to 8volts and fails to turn over the engine fast enough, is it normal for it to drop this low?

No not normal...battery weak... starter drawing too much .... meter inaccurate .

Any Voltage drop value lower than 10 Volt during the e-start indicate a weak battery !

Buschpush wrote:

I have a 1980 kz250 LTD and when trying to start it the battery drops to 8volts and fails to turn over the engine fast enough, is it normal for it to drop this low?

9.5-10v would be normal but 8v suggests the battery is not scrap and will potentially take a charge. On another note please try and keep to one thread to help people to help you. You have another post running ref "low compression" but that will be the case if the engine is cranking slowly due to a weak battery and doesn't indicate a problem

Thanks man sorry about that

Buschpush wrote:

Thanks man sorry about that

No worries, but as you can see potentially one issues effects another (compression/cranking speed) during a compression test you spin the motor for a few seconds to "build" pressure so obviously if it isn't spinning fast enough you will get a low reading

I have a 1980 kz250 LTD and when trying to start it the battery drops to 8volts and fails to turn over the engine fast enough, is it normal for it to drop this low?

In your other topic you said the voltage after charging was 11.9 VDC which indicates the battery isn't fully charging. The voltage drop to 8 VDC is another indication that the battery needs replacing. After charging with a good motorcycle charger, the battery should be at least 12.6 VDC.