Battery Drain

So I've been having a bit of a problem with the battery in my '78 KZ650 lately. It will start up fine in the morning after having it on the charger, but by the time I'm ready to go home after work I have to jump it half the time. I've refilled the water in the battery several times and it continues to charge up. It seems to drain the most after riding on the freeway for longer than normal periods. Would this be a problem with the regulator and allowing the battery to overcharge and boil off the water? How would I check if that were the case?

I copied this from a post Patton did some time ago:

The Dreaded Shorting/Intermittent Electrical Problem!

Here is the most basic method I know:

1. Charge your battery and have it load tested if you can. The floating ball hydrometer can be used to check the specific gravity of the charged cells in the battery.

2. Disconnect the Black lead from the (-) Battery terminal... or Red from the (+) Battery terminal, it does not matter which one.

3. Connect one of the following test setups in series with the Battery terminal and lead:
3.1 A 12 V light bulb,
3.2 A 12 V test light,
3.3 A 12 V test buzzer or,
3.4 A 12 V horn... you get the idea.

4. With the Ignition Switch OFF, go through your harness and wiggle the wires while looking/listening for the test setup to go on/start buzzing.

5.With the Ignition Switch ON, repeat the test except this time the looking/listening for the test setup to go on/stop buzzing.

6. Be prepared to open the Ignition switch and check/test for solder joint failure and or circuit board micro breaks (don't ask how I know this ).

7. Be prepared to pull the wires out of the Head Light to test for failures at or near the grommet.

8. Be prepared to open the harness at or near the Steering Neck for failures. This is where wires tend to exhibit fatigue due to repetitive movement.

9. Be prepared to open the left and right switch gear to search for rust and or broken parts. CAUTION: watch out for flying springs, ball bearings and stuff. Do indoors on White sheet (again don't ask ).

10. Be prepared to follow the heavy gauge wire from the Starter Solenoid (Relay) to the starter for bare ware wire exposure. Especially near bends and grommets.

11. If you can reproduce the fault symptom your are pretty much home free. Be prepare to find and repair/replace any internal wire breaks, insulation break downs, exposed wires, rubber grommet failures, etc. Often, shrink tubing will solve the problem temporarily until something better can be done.

12. I use a very good electrical contact cleaner/preservative called De-oxit made by Caig Labs in San Diego Ca. Their website is www.deoxit.com It can be purchased at Radio Shack and any other electronic supply store. I use it on all of my motorcycle’s electrical connectors , in my home entertainment center’s stereo patch cords and cordless phones charging cradles.

the chart is a good idea,, but have you checked to see if it is charging in the first place? it kind of sounds like it is not and you are simply running the battery down as you ride.

Also my 77 650 HAD the wires run inside the bars, if they are take them out and repair any bad wires and run them outside, it will save you a lot of pain

BSKZ650 wrote:

the chart is a good idea,, but have you checked to see if it is charging in the first place? it kind of sounds like it is not and you are simply running the battery down as you ride.

+1. Here's an easy way to find out that requires NO equipment: start the bike and have a buddy watch the headlight for brightness. At idle, then rev it to about 3000. The headlight should brighten a little as the system voltage goes from about 12.5V at idle to 14V at 3000 RPM if and ONLY if the alternator/regulator is charging the battery. No change in headlight = NO CHARGE.

I know that the headlight gets brighter when I'm riding. The whole headlight getting a bit dimmer when I shift is kind of annoying at times.

Is the battery still full of fluid after charging it? Many inexpensive chargers have no shut-off function and can cook a battery dry if left on too long.
Is there evidence of heavy sulfation? Assuming that the case is clear or lightly opaque, do the lower portions of the plates seem to be distorted, or joined together by junk that looks like mineral deposits? Are the sides of the battery case bulging? If "yes" to any of these, the battery is a gonner and will not hold a charge no matter what you do.
A quick test of the alternator output will confirm any suspicions of that part of the system.
Patton's post that is copied above is a good systematic approach to finding a wiring problem, should the battery and alternator prove to be ok.

Patients, a volt meter, a test light, and some alcohol should get the job done.

kzmitch wrote:

I know that the headlight gets brighter when I'm riding. The whole headlight getting a bit dimmer when I shift is kind of annoying at times.

If the system voltage drops so much that YOU see the light dim, I am thinking the battery is hosed.

Try this test: pull the plug wires and measure the battery voltage as you crank the starter. If it drops below about 9.5V, the battery is hosed.

TexasKZ wrote:

Patients, a volt meter, a test light, and some alcohol should get the job done.

The alcohol goes in you, not the battery....:laugh:

General condition of charging system may be checked by using a voltmeter to measure battery voltage across the terminals.

First assure fluid levels are correct and that battery is freshly charged. And both battery terminal connections are clean and snug, including the negative cable terminal to ground where it attaches to the engine.

At idle rpm, look for 12~13 volts.

At 4000 rpm, look for 14~15 volts. If over 15 volts, the regulator is likely defective (unless there's an issue with wiring or connectors). If under 14 volts, the rectifier or alternator may be defective (unless there's an issue with wiring or connectors).

A defective regulator (or an issue with its associated wiring or connectors) may allow excessive current into the battery which overheats the battery and will "boil" off the water. As known, whenever topping up the battery fluid, use only pure distilled water, And never add acid. Because the acid component doesn't evaporate or "boil" away. Only the water component evaporates or "boils" away.

Good Luck!

So, it's been a while since we talked about this but I finally got a multimeter. Topped off fluid in the battery last and got it charging. Put it in the bike this afternoon and started her up (been sitting since last time we talked). Voltage across terminals was at 12 volts prior to putting in bike. Don't know if you guys are gonna believe this but voltage at idle was 23V, up to about 50V at 4500rpm!! This is definitely a very bad thing. Turn signal blew the minute I tried them. Situation has certainly deteriorated since last check-up. Any ideas??