My girlfriend's little brother has an LT-160 that's seen better days, but it runs and drives well. The problem is that it is only electric start and the battery just won't stay charged. Pop-starting this thing when it stalls in a mud hole or on a rocky trail sucks. What would cause the battery to not charge? We're no going to put money into it because it's probably only worth $100. other than wiring and bad connections, what else should I check?

 

Might need a new battery or might need a new stator or maybe just a wire from the stator to the battery is disconnected. Make sure you have good grounds too. Do you have a voltmeter? Will the electric starter work if you charge the battery? Will the engine run without the battery once you get it started?

 

The starter motor works just fine when the battery is charged or when jump-starting. And yes, it runs without the battery in it at all. Where is the stator on this thing? I'm used to the electrical systems on trucks and cars, not bikes. Is the stator comparable to an alternator/generator? Yes, I do have a voltmeter. Thanks for the response.

 

The stator is the same as the stator in a truck generator. Stator means that it doesn't move and the flywheel does the moving. The stator has coils of enameled wire and when the flywheel turns it induces electricity in the stator windings. This electricity should amount to more than 12 volts in order to charge a 12 volt battery, effectively raising the voltage to something higher than 12... In cars it is 14.4 volts usually. You will find the stator on the side of the engine where there are a bunch of wires disappearing into the engine case. You can find the stator on a car by just looking at the alternator or generator.

Run the engine w/o the battery and use the voltmeter to measure the voltage. Rev it up and see how high it goes. Hook the red lead up to the red where the battery used to be and the black lead to the frame or engine. Got good voltage? Then the battery should be charging and it is probably a bad battery. Since the engine runs at all w/o the battery we can most likely rule out a bad wire. Also, the stator must be working at least some. I have no idea what the ideal voltage reading is that you should get from the stator, but it would have to be more than 12 in order to charge the battery. Let me know.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out. I really appreciate the info.