2016 C650 Sport won't start after battery replacement

Hi all,

Subject says it all, really.

Thanks to 2 weeks of sitting parked outside in cold NYC weather, I couldn't start up my bike when I tried one morning. So I undid the Tupperware, pulled the battery to take it upstairs to trickle-charge it.

Once I checked the date on the battery, and saw that it was indeed OE (and thus 5 years old), I decided to order a new Yuasa battery. Received it, filled it, charged it up, and neither the new battery or the original will coax anything out of my bike.

I've installed each battery correctly in testing, and nothing happens when I turn the ignition -- no lights, no dash response, no clicks from the engine compartment, and of course, no cranking.

The scoot had nothing in its battery compartment for 2 days while I waited for the replacement to arrive, and I couldn't/can't trickle-charge because I street park.

Anyone have any tips for me while the snow melts here, so I don't have to tow the scoot to my dealer?

Thanks in advance!

MoE
 

EvilTwin

Active member
Do you have a meter? If not get one and start checking voltages. Start with the battery, should be between 13 and 14 volts. Then work backwards to the fuses and see if they have voltage either with the ignition off or on.
 
Thank you both for checking in.

@slant911 -- I thought I had checked the fuses (all 10), while I was testing both the old/new batteries, but I was under the false impression that there were a couple mystery ones on the other side that I hadn't looked at. But I guess I'll double-check this AM (or after I get a volt meter).

@EvilTwin -- No, I don't have a voltmeter. Until now, I didn't particularly want one, because electricity isn't for amateurs in my experience. Would something like THIS ONE get the job done?
 

EvilTwin

Active member
That meter is fine. Keep in mind, there is only 12v dc in any motorcycle or car so you wont get electrocuted. I'm sure there are a few youtube vids out there that can help you with using it.
 
That meter is fine. Keep in mind, there is only 12v dc in any motorcycle or car so you wont get electrocuted. I'm sure there are a few youtube vids out there that can help you with using it.
Thanks. I'll order it, bone up on using it until it arrives Sunday, and let y'all know what I find.
 

slant911

Active member
While you are in there with your new meter check continuity of each fuse. I have had fuses that look perfectly fine but are blown. But do as evil spock says and work backwards from the battery. In my mind with no indication of power its either main fuse or ignition switch. Keep us posted.
 

Ceesie76

Active member
When you originally could not start the bike, was there at least some power after turning the ignition on? I.e. before you took the old battery out?
 
When you originally could not start the bike, was there at least some power after turning the ignition on? I.e. before you took the old battery out?
Yes, dash lit up when key was turned to "on," slow cranking when start button depressed, running lights/dash panel dimmed slightly while ignition was cranking, etc. Standard low-battery behavior, based on my 3 previous scooters.

That's why I'm flummoxed. The "all off" situation didn't present until I pulled the battery, and didn't have a battery in the bike for 3 days, and then tried both the new Yuasa battery and the original OE battery.

Multimeter arrived, and I've already used it on the OE battery that's in my apartment. When set to DC Volts reading, the OE battery reads 12.75 on the multimeter.

I've watched a few videos on using the multimeter (for how to check the battery itself, as well as use the leads to check each fuse without pulling them.

Waiting for it to get a little warmer today before I go outside to pull the cover, unscrew the panels and test the battery and all 10 fuses near the battery (which I'd already visually inspected last weekend, but doubt I got right, because otherwise I'd have seen a dead fuse or my bike should be starting).

Once I do my homework, I'll report back.
 

Ceesie76

Active member
Good luck - it sounds like something simple (although finding the actual fault may take some investigating, once you do find it, it should hopefully be easy). At the risk of stating the overly-obvious, make sure to check the '+' and '-' on the batteries.
 
So, I bundled up, took the multimeter out to the bike, pulled the cover, and put the key in the ignition.

Turned they key, dash lit up. Pressed start, and the bike started fine. Left it idling for about 10 minutes on the centerstand, then shut it down and covered back up.

Only things amiss on the dash were that the 2 tripmeters had zeroed out, and that the date/time was set at the moment I had initially pulled the battery (1/28/21). No service indicator showing (and wasn't before this incident, but I had expected it to pop up after this weirdness).

Since my primary goal was to get the bike to the dealership (1 mile away) for its 6k service, I'm going to have them take a look at stuff and talk through the symptoms I experienced when I take it in this week.

My best guess is that the 2-3 days off the battery had drained the relay that the fuses tie into, and that it needs some time to refill after you switch the battery. I wonder if all this was avoidable had I waited a few hours after I had made the initial swap back on the 31st of January?

Oh well, now I have a multimeter, and know how to check for faults next time. :)

Thanks for everyone's help, and any comments on my suspicions are still welcome.

MoE
 

slant911

Active member
Hmmmm.... Weird but glad it is working for you. You are wise to have them look everything over while it is in the shop. Feedback from the shop once it returns would be nice to hear.
 

EvilTwin

Active member
My best guess is that the 2-3 days off the battery had drained the relay that the fuses tie into, and that it needs some time to refill after you switch the battery. I wonder if all this was avoidable had I waited a few hours after I had made the initial swap back on the 31st of January?

Oh well, now I have a multimeter, and know how to check for faults next time. :)

Thanks for everyone's help, and any comments on my suspicions are still welcome.

MoE
Well, that's not quite how a relay or electricity works, but the fact that it started points to probably a bad connection when you first put the battery back in. In any event, good luck with the bike.
 
Well, that's not quite how a relay or electricity works, but the fact that it started points to probably a bad connection when you first put the battery back in. In any event, good luck with the bike.
You're right, EvilTwin, electricity doesn't work like that -- relays don't have any capacitance. There's a reason I've stayed away from electrical systems all my life, and it's because I know I have incomplete knowledge. :)

Got the bike back from the dealership last week after its 6k service/once-over (the bike's new to me, replacing a 2014 that was stolen last November). They specifically checked the electrical system, polled the ECU for faults, said everything checked out.

Bike's dash has lit up every time I've started it since. Weird.
 
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