[SkyDiddy]

Hi everyone,

Im a new motocycle owner and this is my first bike/
I bought this motorcycle and it was running good. I had it stored for 2-3 months, i wasnt able to drive it.
I went to check the bike and it wont start. After some search on google, it could be battery or maybe fuse?
Here, check the video please

Vstrom 650 wont start

youtube.com

The key is on, but nothing happens

 

[dmfdmf]

Dead battery for sure. You'll need to put it on a charger and see if it will still hold a charge or just replace it if you know it is old. A battery shouldn't die after sitting for just 2-3 months so there is probably something draining the battery or the battery was bad in the first place.

 

[Motor7]

Yep, charge it up, take it to just about any auto parts store and have it load tested. If it fails, replace. You also might invest in a trickle charger and add an ethanol killer to the fuel if the bike is going to sit that much.

 

[dmfdmf]

...and add an ethanol killer to the fuel if the bike is going to sit that much.

Unfortunately, despite the marketing BS, there is nothing that can dissolve or prevent the ethanol gas from forming the goo that plugs up pumps and injectors, & etc. The gas additives prevent gum formation which is oxidation of the hydrocarbons which is a different process and that really isn't a problem unless the bike is sitting for 6mo or more. The ethanol in the gas combines with water from the air and the goo precipitates out and sinks to the bottom of the tank in the 2-3mo time frame. The only solutions are non-ethanol gas, drain the fuel system for long-term storage or keep the tank brimmed to the top of the neck with fresh gas before parking. Brimming it minimizes the surface area exposed to air thus minimizing the exposure to water in the air. It also protects the tank from rusting.

 

[SkyDiddy]

Should i charge it with jump cables connected on a car? (might be tricky since they are not small?)
Just to be sure to check the battery is good or bad, before buying the trickle charger.
If the battery is bad, which one should i buy?
Also stupid question, when i turn off the bike, does it matter if the kill switch is on or off?

 

[jettawreck]

Charge the battery with a good automatic slow rate charger first, preferably one with a maintainer cycle for future off season periods.
If you use the"kill switch" to shut off the bike (which I never do) always turn the ignition key off afterwards because if the key is left on the headlight stays on and drains the battery rather quickly. If you use the ignition key to shut off the engine there is no need to turn the kill switch off.
It's easy to forget to switch the key off if you are in the habit of shutting off with the stop switch (which is the reason I never use it). I have a riding buddy that has left his key on more than a couple times at (extended) gas stops and has had a drained battery requiring a booster start pack (which I carry) to get started again. Yet, he doesn't learn/remember.
Don't be that guy...

 

[dmfdmf]

Should i charge it with jump cables connected on a car? (might be tricky since they are not small?)

You can't "charge" the battery with a car. However you can jump start a motorcycle with a car but you'd need to be sure the car is NOT running as the car battery has plenty of power to start it just be sure that it is 12VDC. This is fine in pinch and when you already know that the battery and charging system is working but you left the ignition on and drained the battery or something like that but you'd have to ride (not just idle) the motorcycle for 1-2hrs (?) to fully recharge it which is impractical.

In your case you have some troubleshooting to do so you can avoid getting stranded.

Just to be sure to check the battery is good or bad, before buying the trickle charger.

I'd get the current battery recharged and see if it starts then run some tests. A trickle charger is best because it automatically reduces the charging rate when the battery is full so it doesn't over charge the battery which can damage the battery using a fixed-rate charger. These trickle charges are usually ~2 amps so it could take 6-8 hrs on the charger to fully charge (but read the directions). I keep my bike on a trickle charger whenever it is parked because it extends the life of the battery. It has a green indicator light when the battery is full.

If the battery is bad, which one should i buy?

No way to know at this point but you are probably looking at a new battery now or soon but it is best to get it charged and then run some tests. Do you know how old the battery is? Can you contact the seller and see if he knows? If it is newish (<2yrs old) then it might be fine once you figure out why it died.

Fully discharging your battery shortens its life and can cause an internal short. However, given your symptoms, that battery may already be bad OR the bike has some kind of parasitic load that drains it when the ignition is off OR the charging system is not working. You'll need to troubleshoot to figure out what the problem is. In addition to the charger you should get a digital voltmeter so you can test the system once you get it running again. Do a search here or even youtube has a lot of videos on how to troubleshoot a motorcycle battery/charging system then post questions if you need help.

Also stupid question, when i turn off the bike, does it matter if the kill switch is on or off?

Kill switch doesn't matter as long as the ignition is off.

 

[ratbikerandy]

Completely dead. How old is the battery, if known? I would replace with a new battery and monitor. Is the bike stored outside in cold climate or in a relatively warm garage.

 

[SkyDiddy]

Thanks for feedback, very helpful to know these things.
It was stored in garage but it was cold inside. I dont know how old is the battery unfortunately, but the previous owner showed me it runs at aprox ~12+

 

[Stalky Tracker]

Good advice above. Welcome to the forum, SkyDiddy.

 

[Rolex]

Thanks for feedback, very helpful to know these things.
It was stored in garage but it was cold inside. I dont know how old is the battery unfortunately, but the previous owner showed me it runs at aprox ~12+

With the motor off you want to see around 12.7v with the motor running you want it above 14v.

It is very common for the stators to fail on the 650, you should have a good look at the numbers you get.

Fitting a volt meter can save you a lot of drama down the road.

 

[Gert]

A useful reference batttery voltage chart was previously posted by the late greywolf, see reply #2 of battery voltage after sitting...

 

[Hogges]

Seeing how the battery is completely dead it is best to charge it gently at 2A or less. But on the other hand since you’ll likely end up with a new battery sooner rather than later (discharging a battery this much causes permanent damage to it, but you might still get some use out of it for a while), you can certainly jump start it from a car. If it’s a cheap jumper cable or the connection is poor it helps to run the car engine to get a bit more voltage to the bike.

After you get the bike going, find out what drained the battery in the first place. It’s possible the previous owner didn’t know what they were doing and wired accessories in a way that would put parasitic drain on the battery while parked. This happens frequently as apparently we don’t teach physics enough in schools these days.

 

[Solarguy]

Lots of great advise already.

If you don't have a voltmeter on the bike, I would install one. Super useful to spot future problems before they strand you with a dead bike. They are inexpensive. You get the best information if the voltmeter is wired directly to the battery rather than tapping into the wiring harness somewhere on the front. If you want help/advise on how to do that, we would be happy to give it.

If you don't have a multimeter to diagnose these kinds of problems, they are super useful and also inexpensive. Even the cheapest of the cheap are surprisingly useful:

7 Function Digital Multimeter

Amazing deals on this 7 Function Digital Multimeter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

seven bucks at harbor freight at the moment.

You can get a pretty nice one for under $20:

Digital Multimeter Tester AC DC Volt Ohm Amp Clamp Meter Auto Range LCD Handheld | eBay

To turn it on again, simply rotate the range switch or press the button. Type Digital Clamp Table. Range Selection automatic. Over Range Indication Display "OL". Replace the Battery: If the battery "+-" sign appears on the display screen, the battery should be replaced.

www.ebay.com

Same deal, we are happy to walk you through how to use it to get a good diagnosis of the problem.

 

[BackPacker]

If this is a 2nd hand bike, check if the PO did any work to the electric system. He or she might have installed a USB charger for instance. If this is wired up incorrectly, this can cause a parasitic drain: Something that drains the battery even when the ignition is off.

On a 'Strom, there's always a tiny parasitic drain to keep the clock alive. But this is so small that it takes a year or so before the battery is drained. However a USB charger, depending on the exact internal circuitry, can drain your battery in a few weeks.

Here's how to test. Once you have the (new) battery fully charged, and with the ignition off, disconnect the battery negative terminal, make sure terminal and connector are not touching. Get a multimeter and put it in Amps (current) mode. Put one probe on the battery negative terminal, and the other on the negative connector. At this point the multimeter should show less than a milli-Amp, and you should also see the clock on the dash ticking.

(Do NOT, under any circumstance, put any probe on the positive terminal while the multimeter is in Amps mode. It can cause a short, blow fuses and burn out your multimeter if it isn't properly protected. Also, do NOT switch the ignition on - the current from the fuel pump, lights and everything can also fry your multimeter or melt the cables - if the multimeter is not properly protected.)

The battery on a 'Strom is normally 12 Ah, so it can sustain 12 Amps for an hour before it's drained. Number of hours = 12 / measured current in Amps. Or: Number of hours = 1000 * 12 / measured current in mA. You should be ending with 1000s of hours this way. Anything less than that and you've got an abnormal parasitic drain somewhere.

 

[Hogges]

Lots of great advise already.

If you don't have a voltmeter on the bike, I would install one. Super useful to spot future problems before they strand you with a dead bike. They are inexpensive. You get the best information if the voltmeter is wired directly to the battery rather than tapping into the wiring harness somewhere on the front. If you want help/advise on how to do that, we would be happy to give it.

If you don't have a multimeter to diagnose these kinds of problems, they are super useful and also inexpensive. Even the cheapest of the cheap are surprisingly useful:

7 Function Digital Multimeter

Amazing deals on this 7 Function Digital Multimeter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

seven bucks at harbor freight at the moment.

You can get a pretty nice one for under $20:

Digital Multimeter Tester AC DC Volt Ohm Amp Clamp Meter Auto Range LCD Handheld | eBay

To turn it on again, simply rotate the range switch or press the button. Type Digital Clamp Table. Range Selection automatic. Over Range Indication Display "OL". Replace the Battery: If the battery "+-" sign appears on the display screen, the battery should be replaced.

www.ebay.com

Same deal, we are happy to walk you through how to use it to get a good diagnosis of the problem.

I would NOT wire a voltmeter directly to the battery. How much current does it draw? Better know it. If it has an LCD display, maybe there is a chance it’s too low to matter. But if it’s LED based then it’s a great way to watch your battery get drained by it. Having a voltage display is nice, to see that the charging circuit works and that accessory loads are not excessive, but not necessary while parked and rather counterproductive due to the parasitic load.

The only thing going directly to your battery should be relay-controlled devices such as aux lights (with ignition controlled trigger wire) and heated gear or charging plugs with can be guaranteed to be off when the bike is parked.

 

[jettawreck]

Yes, I connected my digital voltage gauge to a switched power source so it's only active when key is ON to eliminate battery drain.
As shown before battery replacement, but when the key is ON and engine not running the headlight drain drops the voltage under what is normal, but when running it displays between 13-14 volts depending on engine speed/rpm.

The install is simple, the self made bracket was just from stuff I had on hand.

 

[Motor7]

Unfortunately, despite the marketing BS, there is nothing that can dissolve or prevent the ethanol gas from forming the goo that plugs up pumps and injectors, & etc. The gas additives prevent gum formation which is oxidation of the hydrocarbons which is a different process and that really isn't a problem unless the bike is sitting for 6mo or more. The ethanol in the gas combines with water from the air and the goo precipitates out and sinks to the bottom of the tank in the 2-3mo time frame. The only solutions are non-ethanol gas, drain the fuel system for long-term storage or keep the tank brimmed to the top of the neck with fresh gas before parking. Brimming it minimizes the surface area exposed to air thus minimizing the exposure to water in the air. It also protects the tank from rusting.

Wait, ethanol killers are supposed to prevent phase separation....no? Regardless, I use Seafoam and have never had a carb or injector problem using it on multiple machines.....maybe they added majic glitter to it's ground Unicorn horn solution?

Edit: I added Seafoam to the DL650 tank back in April after my crash. The bike has not moved in almost a year(March '21) and has been started an idled two or three times since....no issues and I know it has ethanol fuel in the tank.

SkyDitty, sorry for the sidetrack

 

[dmfdmf]

Wait, ethanol killers are supposed to prevent phase separation....no?

Yes, sort of... additives for ethanol are just water dispersants so the ethanol + water still form the goo but it is distributed throughout the gas as tiny particles. However, the dispersant can be overwhelmed and gets used up over time and, given enough time, the goo will settle since it is heavier than gas so the method delays phase separation which is helpful but not a panacea if the bike sits long enough.

Regardless, I use Seafoam and have never had a carb or injector problem using it on multiple machines.....maybe they added majic glitter to it's ground Unicorn horn solution? Edit: I added Seafoam to the DL650 tank back in April after my crash. The bike has not moved in almost a year(March '21) and has been started an idled two or three times since....no issues and I know it has ethanol fuel in the tank.

Seafoam prevents gum formation which is a different problem (oxidation of hydrocarbons) and how they made their name decades ago. However, modern gas includes anti-oxidants but only enough to last for 6mo or so. Seafoam is a good idea for longer than 6mo storage.

Fuel injected systems down stream of the fuel pump are sealed so not exposed to air (which is what cause the ethanol to form the goo) so they are more robust against problems compared to carburators. However, even in a fuel injected bike the tank is exposed to air and forms the goo. The ethanol goo is corrosive and can cause rust so on a fuel injected bike it is the fuel pump that is typically damaged by ethanol/goo. The goo is heavier than gas so it sinks to the bottom the tank where the fuel pump is and the bike runs fine on first start after storage but quickly the pump sucks in a bunch of goo and rust and has to be cleaned or replaced.

 

[Motor7]

^
running down to my shop to fill the tank to the brim with non-ethanol👹