battery life effecting kickstart?

my kz650 has a battery that wont hold a charge. It can be really difficult to kickstart cold. I put a tender on the battery so its fully charged (still wont hold it) and it kickstarts the first try, even when i don't get a full kick in. whats the deal? I thought that kickstarting it negated any effect on starting that the battery had.

What type ignition? The electronic type need a 12v signal for the spark.

My KZ650 won't run worth a darn if the battery goes flat even if I kick start it. I highly recommend you replace the battery as I suspect that will solve your bike's problem. Ed

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationdo your self a favor ditch the "tender" I had 3 of the tender pluses (junk) ,1 original tender which died after being in a flooded basement.. I bought this instead.




desulfates and brings back low batteries.....spins the engine like the spark plugs are missing . i use it on all my vehicles/bikes now. I have 3 of them

The battery is an important part of the ignition system, as it supplies power to the coils. In the manual it's the first component shown in the ignition system drawing. I don't know that much about this stuff, but I do know that the bike needs a good battery to run right. One time my bike would lose power then quit at high speeds - the electrolyte was low. Another time it started cutting out oddly - the battery was bad - it wouldn't hold a charge. I now test & check the battery much more regularly. :blush:

martin_csr wrote: The battery is an important part of the ignition system, as it supplies power to the coils. In the manual it's the first component shown in the ignition system drawing. I don't know that much about this stuff, but I do know that the bike needs a good battery to run right. One time my bike would lose power then quit at high speeds - the electrolyte was low. Another time it started cutting out oddly - the battery was bad - it wouldn't hold a charge. I now test & check the battery much more regularly. :blush:

+1
I've got a decent agm Interstate battery that works great for a few un-tendered days, then needs to get juiced up for a night. Its probably time to find a new one.

martin_csr wrote: The battery is an important part of the ignition system, as it supplies power to the coils. In the manual it's the first component shown in the ignition system drawing. I don't know that much about this stuff, but I do know that the bike needs a good battery to run right. One time my bike would lose power then quit at high speeds - the electrolyte was low. Another time it started cutting out oddly - the battery was bad - it wouldn't hold a charge. I now test & check the battery much more regularly. :blush:

I brought a couple of car batteries back from the dead with this charger :evil: ....... people discard /replace batteries that are still usable ......yes, if the battery is too far gone it can't be brought back to 100 % charge...... we as consumers are being scammed , buying tenders and such as they do not de-sulfate the battery plates......sulfation of the plates is the # 1 killer of lead acid batteries :S

after using the xtreme charger my hayabusa turbo's battery spins the engine like the spark plugs are missing.....

before I bought the xtreme charger my 4 year old Bandit 1200 S battery (agm) seemed like it was going away even though I use a maintainer religiously :blink: I got the dreaded solenoid click :S ......SSSSSSSSSSSo i got my 1st extreme charger and hooked it to the bandit. the battery had 25% charge showing on the xtreme charger....... it steadily got higher, 50%, then after 3 days of being connected 75%.
after about a week 100% charge. at first, it did only hold the 100% for a couple of days ,then drop to 75%.

needless to say I left the battery hooked to the charger "full time" and after a couple of weeks charging it's holding the 100% charge .....the battery now spins the engine like the plugs are missing....I checked the battery on my pricey small engine battery load tester and now the battery tests as "GOOD".
I'm sold on these and have since bought 2 more....
as costly as batteries are now , my xtreme charger has more than paid for itself......extending my batteries life.

SEE from their site below...... :dry:



Smart, Safe And Simple Pulse Maintenance Charger

This innovative, state-of-the-art battery charger automatically knows what to do so you don’t have to be a battery expert to use it. Unlike other smart chargers on the market, you don’t need to select the battery type or the proper charge rate to avoid the risk of unsafe or improper charging.

There’s no guess work involved because fuse protected, reverse polarity protected, spark-proof Xtreme Charge® works on every type of 12-volt lead-acid battery. Proprietary algorithms combined with microprocessor controlled technology measure the batteries voltage and current to automatically determine and deliver the precise charge rate based on the size and condition of the individual battery, both initially and continuously throughout the 5-stage charge process.

Xtreme Charge is more than a battery charger and maintainer. During the maintenance cycle, PulseTech’s patented, optimized high frequency pulsing constantly works to minimize and reduce naturally occurring battery sulfation, the main cause of battery failures. By reducing the size and number of lead sulfate deposits inside your battery that negatively affect your batteries ability to accept, store and release energy, your battery will charge deeper, maintain greater reserve capacity, and last up to five times longer.

The Xtreme Charge is ideally suited for AGM and Maintenance-Free Batteries. The combination of PulseTech’s patented pulse technology and proprietary charging algorithm allows it to charge these high-performance batteries more fully while maintaining a safe charge profile for traditional batteries.

Includes fuse-protected quick-disconnect battery clamps and lugs, Important Safety Instructions and Quick-Start Guide. The Xtreme Charge is fuse-protected, spark-proof, and is UL and CE certified.


I'm just trying to save some of the list members a few bucks/ headache and have no affiliation with xtreme chargers. I too ,was skeptical at first

I use a low tech Schumacher charger, but I've been considering getting one by Ctek. They seem to have similar features as the Xtreme charger. Coincidentally, I just got around to finding out where they are sold this week.

Thanks for the replies guys. i had no clue the battery was so important to the electrical system. i knew it acted as a capacitor on the bike but i never figured it would effect starting so much. It makes me realize why they got rid of kick-starters. if its that difficult to kick i usually find a small hill to bump start on. i might have to pick up one of those chargers.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationlooks to do the same as the xtreme.....
ctek 0.8 u.s.

My buddy's KZ 400 would kickstart on the first kick with a scooter battery that was dead for years. It wouldn't even light the headlight. But when running the it would get up to 14v. When turned off, the battery was at about 11v. Now this battery was damaged in that it wouldn't hold a charge, but it did not drag the voltage down. It did have a tiny bit of juice, though, as that was required to get the charging system's field coil energized.

If your battery is damaged to where it drags the voltage down too much, it will be difficult/impossible to start.

DoctoRot wrote: Thanks for the replies guys. i had no clue the battery was so important to the electrical system. i knew it acted as a capacitor on the bike but i never figured it would effect starting so much. It makes me realize why they got rid of kick-starters. if its that difficult to kick i usually find a small hill to bump start on. i might have to pick up one of those chargers.

If it's US bike, it probably has the "headlights always on" feature. So you turn the key on to kick start and the lights are dragging down a weak battery and the voltage is too low to fire the coils well. Hence, very hard to start.