Two ways to look at things

[caveman]

The bad news:
I am fairly sure I need to get a new battery for my motorcycle. I went to go to the store to buy lunch stuff and it rapidly went from turning over the motor to making icky sounds.

The good:
I now know how to clutch-jump my bike.

Let us hope that this is the end of bad vehicle mojo.

Comments

[conandammit]

did you ensure the cables were tight?

[caveman]

Not yet. That was one of the things I was going to check. I didn't take great care of my battery this winter, so it wouldn't suprise me if it went south.

[conandammit]

wishing good vehicle mojo for you. The upside is that comparibly, motorcycle batteries are cheap.

[anonymous]

Are there any bike shops around with testers? THere are a number of good electronic devices to check batteries. They'll tell you have much capcity they have and a general state of holding it.

Heat and / or completely 100% draining the battery are the two biggest killers. Letting it sit all winter seems like a bad idea but in theory should not be a problem...

If I may, I suggest getting the cables off the connection to it and cleaning them, then reinstalling them. A lot of batteries get replaced, and during that process this little step happens and it's all that's really needed. Also check the ground cable and any other connections you can find. You can do a voltage drop test if you have a multimeter, it's not too hard but more than I have the ability to type or explain worth a damn. You could also make sure the alternator is spitting out enough voltage to recharge it.

[grelvis]

^^^ No matter how many times I log in and tell it to keep it that way, it never seems to want to follow my wishes.

[20kbobo]

Glad you made it out safe and dry. My last dead battery experience held me up long enough for rain th catch up to me. Call for a bike ride sometime, before I get busy.