almost downed,lost consistant power, smells funky.

[Aggrotech]

So I was just cruisin around, goin roughly 45 in 5th gear, when all of the sudden the bike bogged down (just like when you downshift but dont revmatch properly), jolted me forward slightly and then just became all wonky.

The rev limiter went straight to 0, continued to lose power to the bike, power came back and continued to go in and out. Ended up pulling into a side road, goin roughly 10mph in 1st when my exhaust (stock no mods) backfired so loud it made my ears ring. Made a complete stop, got off the bike, turned it off & didnt see anything wrong initially.

I noticed very strong smell, i honestly dont even know how to describe it. Wasnt completely sure what to do, so i went through my options. I let the bike sit for a bit while continuing to examine it, I looked through all the little creaks of the fairings to see if i could see anything damaged or leaking and i didnt see anything.

After a few minutes i turned the bike on and ended up going through a few neighborhood streets to get home as i didnt feel the bike would cooperate on the main roads. On the way back home the rev indicator started to work again, but the power of the bike continued to not be consistent.

After i got home and turned off the bike, the same smell from earlier appeared to be much stronger and coming from the engine area, it didnt smell like gas, oil, or any other type of fluids that im familiar with...so i have no clue


Anyone have any idea wtf just happened? I have a terrible feeling its going to cost an arm and a leg to repair


smell is sso bad you can smell it in the backyard...


***edit 3*** So i had a funny feeling it was the battery, so i took off the fairings/seat and sure enough, my shorai battery had EXPLODED, ofc causing damage to the battery itself, the battery enclosure and possibly whatever is underneath the battery enclosure, I believe there may be a hole where the battery acid (thats what ive been smelling) leaked all over....and of course...tomorrow's Sunday

[Triple Jim]

Just guessing, but with the tachometer not working, a sudden loss of power, and a backfire, it sounds like a failing ignition unit causing one cylinder to not fire much. Maybe a bad connection in the ignition circuit could do similar things.

[Aggrotech]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

Just guessing, but with the tachometer not working, a sudden loss of power, and a backfire, it sounds like a failing ignition unit causing one cylinder to not fire much. Maybe a bad connection in the ignition circuit could do similar things.

what would be the cause of this?

[Alex]

Yep - sounded like a catastrophic electrical burp. Battery exploding counts.

[Aggrotech]

Originally Posted by Alex

Yep - sounded like a catastrophic electrical burp. Battery exploding counts.

im still very confused as to why...it exploded in the first place. Ive had the battery less then a year and keep it on a battery tender when im not riding. Ive had 0 problems with the battery up until 2hrs ago and it had amazing reviewss everywhere which is why i got it in the first place.

[Triple Jim]

Get out the garden hose and douse every square millimeter of the bike gently but thoroughly. Then dry it off and proceed to fix what's wrong. I say this so you get the acid off things before it eats through them! Obviously you need to avoid squirting the hose into places like the carbs.

[SLOWn60]

If acid has leaked; I would also mix a box or two of baking soda in water and thoroughly soak everything that might have been sprayed with acid. Let sit 5 minutes, rinse and repeat.

[Aggrotech]

Welp, I was able to examine the battery alittle better and the entire bottom portion of the battery from one end to the other just got annihilated and of course the dealership i bought it from is only open tues-sat, its current 2:30am on a sunday..im going to go crazy.

Already looked up information regarding RMA through Shorai's website and of course the information i need i can only get through the dealership as i no longer have the receipt. these next 2 days are going to take forever. I can also provide some pics if you guys want.

[ducatiman]

"had the battery less then a yearand keep it on a battery tender when im not riding"

"looked up information regarding RMA through Shorai's website"

Shorai battery... I'd don't think its advised to keep them on tender, frankly, that may have precipitated the failure.

This from their FAQ.....

*recharge whenever voltage drops to 13.1 volts

* “Smart” lead-acid chargers with automatic cutoff may be used for periodic charging, but will NOT work as a tender/maintainer and should be disconnected immediately after charge has finished. Older lead chargers without automatic shut-off should never be used. Improper charging is dangerous and will void your warranty.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

im still very confused as to why...it exploded in the first place........

http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/26/news/hw-3902

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_doe...system_work%3F

Copied from
http://www.dansmc.com/electricaltesting.htm

"Voltage Regulator: All the current from the charge coils would over charge the battery if we let it, so we need a voltage regulator to keep the battery charged at 12 volts. Your ohmmeter should have a DC volt scale. Set it at 20 volts and connect the positive and negative leads to the right battery terminals. Make sure the battery is fully charged, so we get a correct reading. Start the bike and rev it up. The volts should go up to 13.8-14.5 volts and then stay there. Much more, and it will over charge the battery."

[pjed]

I had a similar issue a few years back on my 05 ZX6-RR track bike. I switched to smaller 8 cell lithium battery and it got fried. The bike completely cut out after 4 laps in the middle of a corner then just went totally dead. Got a replacement battery and the same thing happened. This time, not only did the battery get fried but also the Power Commander and the ECU (which for an RR was not easy to find). The issue turned out to be a bad voltage regulator that allowed too much current to the battery. After talking with the battery company, they did suggest that the old lead acid battery may have been more tolerant to overcharging.