Well I got my four wheeler back yesterday and it started fine when we went out to there storage shed to get it. They said nothing was wrong with the charging unit and they just charged the battery. By the time I trailered it home and tried to start it, it wouldn't turn over fast enough to start.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] I had to pull the rope and hit the starter button to make it turn over fast enough to start.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

This is BULLS#!T

I think I might have to purchase the heavy duty battery or something. I don't want to get in the middle of Mille Lacs Lake and not have it start. They didn't tell me it was a "Summer" four wheeler.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

It sounds like a bad battery.
Pull it and bring it to napa or autozone, and have them do a load test on it.
You can check the charging system yourself, if you have a voltmeter. Start with a charged battery, and with out the motor running, measure the voltage. It should be around 12.6 at 68 degrees and somewhat less at these temps. Then start the motor, and watch the volts while starting, they shouldnt go below 10 volts. At idle the charging system should put out more than the voltage you measured in the first step. Rev it to about 4000 to 5ooo rpm...should get about 14. volts.
do this with nothing electrical running...liike lights, or handwarmers.
If you dont have a voltmeter, harbor frieght has a digital one for 3 bucks, that works just fine.

 

I'll have to try that this weekend. I store it at my dad's so I won't get to it until I go back up there.

 

You have something shorted, probaly a high resistance short that is slowly killing your battery, even a short run like out of the shed and into your truck or trailer should rechage a starting drain on the battery. A new battery will just die the same way the old one did. Do hondabuster's battery and charging test, it will confirm your charging system is good or bad. Then again I've seen a charging system charge acceptably (better than 13 volts but still have a bad diode in the rectifier that would kill the battery with everything off. The rectifier can be checked with a meter and if your charging system tests ok I would suggest you check the rectifier next. I can give you instructions out of the manual if you would like, just PM me. Then again you could have a bad magnito winding but that will show up in the charging test and is also testable with a meter.

 

Mine 650 is junk below 20 degrees, worst I ever had.....never again

 

up at deer camp noyrce the hardest starting machines are the polarises last year it was -17 opening day the only two that would start was the arctic and the honda once again we had to leave the polaris at camp but you have good luck with that

 

My choke cable broke because it was froze? So my dealer's part replacer put on a new cable.......carb is now way to rich at idle....If AC trained mechanics It would have been fixed sooner. Starts poor and runs like a terd when it gets warm....."choke not working properly?" They refused warranty work on 12-21-04 when I dropped it off the 3rd time. The parts replacer did not have enough knowledge to work on a carb...let alone two carbs. He felt insulted....... I think it may be Dirt Works Inc. in Elkins WV not AC that is the problem.

 

Why don't you try a Kawasaki dealer, or better yet, an AC dealer that sells Kawasaki? My dealer sells both and I can't help but believe that many of the problems are exactly as you said: AC did not train their mechanics properly. My dealer has had only 1 650 with limp mode trouble and I never see any 650s in their shop, including mine. My belt was set up correctly from the beginning. I've had no choke issues or idling or any of that. They are also a John Deere dealer, so maybe they have top notch mechanics in the first place, I don't know. I'm just guessing, but maybe AC can help you find a better dealer to work with. I'd bug them to death.

I hope you get your machine fixed right, because I think you'd enjoy the heck out of it once you experience it without trouble.

Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

 

Well I checked out the voltage on my machine this week and it read around 12 volts before I started it. When it was idling it was at 14 or 15 volts, but when I revved up the engine the needle would bounce up a little and then drop lower than what it is at when idling. Not much lower, but around 13 or so. I also tried turning on my lights and hand warmers and thumb warmer and they didn't draw too much power, so I don't think they are a problem. I am getting iritated with the problem and told my brother in-law (Grizzly fan) to go pick me up a heavy duty battery from the dealer so we could try that. He went in and ripped them a new A$% Hole, typical of him especially since he told me to get a grizz instead of an AC, and they said it doesn't need a heavy duty battery. First they said my battery is fine because it took a charge, but then when he explained what it is doing they said maybe the battery has a bad cell. Now they want me to bring it in again on Monday. Maybe they will actually fix it this time, not just charge my battery. I think I might try to get a heavy duty battery out of them for no cost though, or maybe just pay the difference compared to the regular battery. I plan on ice fishing with this thing, but if it's going to be like this I might have bought the wrong machine.

 

Mr.Dimebag,here's a simple test to check for voltage draw at rest(make sure your battery is fully charged).First, you need a good old fashion test light(12-24v).Second,make sure everthing is shut off.Now remove the ground wire from the battery and connect the test light in series with the ground wire and the battery terminal(-).(simple)If the light in the test light is glowing there is a draw.If the light is not glowing all things are good.With the test light in place and if you have no glow turn on any one thing and the light should glow.This as simple as it gets,I hope this can help you.

Just another piece of info,when the battery is fully charged and motor running and charge system working correctly,you should have 14.3 volts at a medium rev.

I also understand that motorcycle batterys are fussy and can be over charged and ruined quite easily.Maybe it's been ruined.

Merry X-mas from a Kawi Guy.The v-twin's RULE!!! M/M