2007 xb12s

[JykesPanda]

Ground or fuel issue?
I'm trying to diagnose a grounding or maybe fuel issue on a 2007 xb12.
Bike looks like to have the dual headlight mod done with an hid in the highbeam.
While starting the battery seems to dip in a lot of power( a volt meter shows 4 volts )while trying to start but it does start. My clock resets to 1:00.
While driving the low fuel light came on, then out, and back on. Pulled over to get gas, tank was full. Tried to start the bike and it wouldn't start. Fuel pump sounded to be priming. Took seat off to check fuses, put seat back on and bikes started but again was sluggish to do so. Got a few miles down the road, again with the fuel light on and then lost all power. Pushed myself to a close shop and the battery voltage was 11.9ish.
At home: battery on tender, and bike. Voltage at 13.19 and drops down to 12.9 a full day of not powering the bike up at all(looking for a bad parasitic draw). Start bike up first go, voltage at idle /25-3500 rev hold around 14. No clock reset. Shut bike off. Wait 5 mins batt voltage back down toward 12.9. Try to start and have to twist the throttle a bit to keep it running but it stays running, but Clock reset again. And once again fuel light is on. Rev and hold reading 14v. Kill bike. Wait two days. Battery voltage at 12.9 start bike, but battery dropped towards 4 volts while doing so, also the clock reset. Put seat back on bike and go around the neighborhood. Fuel light stayed on (1 mile trip). Parked bike removed seat *(bike still running) voltage is at 12.7 at idle/right after riding.

 

[Silverrider]

Ground or fuel issue?

http://buellmods.com/

 

[JykesPanda]

http://buellmods.com/

I'm going thru that as well.

 

[JykesPanda]

I'm going thru all the grounds. Main one off the battery, two on the inside seat rail, even took those off and cleaned up where they mount to the frame. The big ground lug and braided cable under the box. But! I'm looking for the one on the lower triple. But I'm not finding anything other than the Torx. Do all buell xbs have them and I'm just missing it?

 

[njloco]

Did you take the battery out and have it checked under load, you might have a weak cell.

 

[Silverrider]

Did you take the battery out and have it checked under load, you might have a weak cell.

Yes , Load test the Batt ,even new Batts are bad sometimes.

 

[JykesPanda]

Did you take the battery out and have it checked under load, you might have a weak cell.

Yes , Load test the Batt ,even new Batts are bad sometimes.

Will do when they open.
It's a agm batt 200cca rating. But that doesn't mean anything if a cell is bad.
As of now I cleaned all grounds, still can't find the ground under/at the lower triple.
13.1v prior to start. Key on 12.6v dip back up to 12.8. Start bike kinda sluggish battery voltage drops 4.4v(lowest I saw) kinda and then returns to 12.8-then 13.15 -14.2 v at idle..
Turned off bike and let rest. Bat volt is resting at 12.9. Key on 12.9v ign on fuel pump priming 12.6v start bike batt drops to 3.97 this time a long delay before fireup. Voltage idles at 13.45
Ride down the street about two miles, (remove seat) bike still running check battery voltage and it's at 12.19. Seat on drive a little further. Seat as t off voltage at 11.95.
Got home turned off bike and battery is back towards 12.5.
The battery dropping to 4v is where I can see a bad cell. But the sporadic voltage while at idle and 1500 to 2000 rev when the seat is off. But the not charging when actually riding is giving me thoughts of ground/charging.
Sorry if its alot of typing. I just trying to figure it out. I have videos if that is easier.

 

[Endopotential]

Occam's Razor would suggest that the simplest answer is the correct one, but this never seems to work for motorcycles.

The 4V reading does sound weird. I'm surprised your bike started with the battery reading that low.

You should definitely have a ground under the triple tree - this would mess up dash and lights, but I don't think this would affect battery charging
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?50682-All-XB-models-Ground-wire-Anomaly-and-Solution
Also consider adding an additional ground path from the ignition coil bolt to the frame
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?41712-Grounding-the-coil

Look up the tests on the stator and voltage regulator / VR. My battery just died, and I'm thinking it's the VR.

Prior to that, I had the hardest time getting the bike to catch on ignition. Initially blamed it on a weak battery. But finally turned out to be the fuel pump, which is another weak link on our Buells. Specifically on mine, the electric fuel pump itself was working but the internal connecting hose had a tiny hole in it, so the pump was essentially just pushing fuel back into the frame.

Lunaticfringe here can get you a good deal on a pump rebuild / replacement.

 

[JykesPanda]

Occam's Razor would suggest that the simplest answer is the correct one, but this never seems to work for motorcycles.

The 4V reading does sound weird. I'm surprised your bike started with the battery reading that low.

You should definitely have a ground under the triple tree - this would mess up dash and lights, but I don't think this would affect battery charging
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?50682-All-XB-models-Ground-wire-Anomaly-and-Solution
Also consider adding an additional ground path from the ignition coil bolt to the frame
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?41712-Grounding-the-coil

Look up the tests on the stator and voltage regulator / VR. My battery just died, and I'm thinking it's the VR.

Prior to that, I had the hardest time getting the bike to catch on ignition. Initially blamed it on a weak battery. But finally turned out to be the fuel pump, which is another weak link on our Buells. Specifically on mine, the electric fuel pump itself was working but the internal connecting hose had a tiny hole in it, so the pump was essentially just pushing fuel back into the frame.

Lunaticfringe here can get you a good deal on a pump rebuild / replacement.

Thanks is man, I'm looking into all of that at work now ha. But yeah that's what caught me off guard was there is NO ground or group of wires that I see at the triple. I almost cut into the loom but wanted to confirm that it is missing. I read somewhere it might be tied into a pinch bolt, but still no luck finding it.

 

[JykesPanda]

Occam's Razor would suggest that the simplest answer is the correct one, but this never seems to work for motorcycles.

The 4V reading does sound weird. I'm surprised your bike started with the battery reading that low.

You should definitely have a ground under the triple tree - this would mess up dash and lights, but I don't think this would affect battery charging
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?50682-All-XB-models-Ground-wire-Anomaly-and-Solution
Also consider adding an additional ground path from the ignition coil bolt to the frame
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?41712-Grounding-the-coil

Look up the tests on the stator and voltage regulator / VR. My battery just died, and I'm thinking it's the VR.

Prior to that, I had the hardest time getting the bike to catch on ignition. Initially blamed it on a weak battery. But finally turned out to be the fuel pump, which is another weak link on our Buells. Specifically on mine, the electric fuel pump itself was working but the internal connecting hose had a tiny hole in it, so the pump was essentially just pushing fuel back into the frame.

Lunaticfringe here can get you a good deal on a pump rebuild / replacement.

Would a bad ground or bad wire on the fuel pump cause enough interference to make it not want to charge/have a bad draw when starting? I'm hoping for two birds one stone!

 

[Cooter]

No. Your fuel pump is fine. You have not stated any symptoms of a bad fuel pump.

You have stated several signs of a bad/cheap/weak/dead battery. 200cca is not enough for a Buell, so get rid of the Wal-mart special and get a GOOD QUALITY 220cca AGM battery. DEKA is a favorite brand around here.

After you buy and install the GOD/ QUALITY battery, put your voltmeter on the terminals are re-check your charging system output voltage at 2500rpm