not starting

[bikerboy1000]

Hi Guys,
I have my 2002 fzs 600 which has done 36,000 miles connected to a solar battery charger in my garage as I have no power.
after switching off my datatool system 3 alarm, I try and start my bike, it is not turning over, there is just a loud electrical click, could it be my battery or it possible there is something faulty like the alternator, and if it is the alternator, could I check it myself with my multimeter ?
The solar battery charger has an output of 2.4 watts.
Is there anything else I should check as I am reluctant to put it in to a garage as it might be something simple.
All help appreciated,

[Doddsie]

If its clicking I would be thinking along the lines of it being the battery. try giving it a jump start.


Solar power.............. in England........ in December????  :lol

[bikerboy1000]

I have just checked my battery and it is 11.4 volts
I have ignition lights and my normal headlight and rear light ok
I think it is the starter relay which is clicking very loudly and the bike is not turning over at all
is it possible my alarm is draining the battery ?

[His Dudeness]

sounds like the battery is a goner but you could take it out and give it a good charge and see if comes back to life. how old is it? it could be that the alarm is draining it or it could be just a weak battery. the cold weather tends to finish off weak batteries. if you can get the bike going with either a push start or a jump start you could test your charging system and see if its working properly.

[markbubble]

sounds like battery,should be over 12volts with (around 12.8 ish)no load on it,a solar charger wont do anything in a garage never mind outside on a crappy winter day! id remove batt and charge in house (check bat levels 1st) and see what volts are like then,if ok give batt terminals a clean and some petrol jelly on them and try again,hopefully it just needed a recharge

[bikerboy1000]

My solar charger was a male cigarrete type socket into a female socket on the side of my bike and onto the battery. So what i have done a test is connected crocidile clips from my solar charger straight onto my battery, then tomorrow after a few hours of daylight i will check my battery voltage and if it has even gone to 11.5 volts, then i will know if my solar charger was actually charging ir not before i try other things ir further investigation us required

[limax2]

If you are saying your soler charger is rated at 2.4w then that will be in ideal conditions if you are lucky. Even then it only represents a 0.2 amp charge, so don't expect much after a few hours at this time of year even if the sun does make an appearance.
As already said the problem is almost certainly the low battery, so your options are :-
1) Charge it up with a decent charger and try again.
2) Get a jump start from another battery.
3) Get a fit mate/wife/girlfriend (fit, as in strong) to give you a push and bump start it. Use second gear if they can run fast enough.
Then for piece of mind check it is charging using your meter and see if it shows about 14 volts across the battery with engine running.
Good luck.

[bikerboy1000]

my battery is just over a year old, so I am reluctant to change it at present until I have tried every other option.
I still think my datatool system 3 might be draining battery as I cant leave the bike without the alarm being on which is a nuciance.
has anyone removed the above alarm and is it an easy job for a bike mechanic ?
i cant think of any other way of charging bike in garage which has no mains power unless anyone has any other ideas

[John Silva]

I also have a 2002 fzs 600 and I always take the battery out of the bike to charge up thru winter, as the bike lives in a wooden shed in me garden with no power.