Lifan Kpx250-battery/electrical problem

[Hegemone]

Hey folks I am having a bit of a problem and could use some insights from some more experienced folks. I am new to motorcycles so take it easy on me.

I purchased a fully built and tested kpx-250.

The battery is dead and isn’t gaining a charge after the bike is running. And the power cut out and the dash rebooted mid ride and was harder to start afterwards.

For the past few days I have been breaking in the motor and everything has been running fine. Started strong like it should. It sat for a couple days and then today I went to start it. It was almost completely dead and wouldn’t turn the bike over. I used a jump pack to start the bike and left it running. It idled fine and warmed up. I took it for a short ride and cut the engine to see if it was taking a charge. It would turn over so I used the jump pack again.

I went for a longer ride all was fine and then suddenly I was shifting to 4th and the bike completely shut down. I clutched and tried the starter and nothing. I looked at the panel and it was rebooting. I finally regained some electrical and got the hazards and pulled off. The bike was harder to start and would only stay started at above idle rpms. I stalled it again and had to jump it one more time. I was able to get home by making sure I kept the rpm’s up.

The loss of electrical while running and the battery not taking charge are the problem are the concerns.

Thanks in advanced for folks’ advice.

[JerryHawk250]

Check that your battery connections are tight.

[TominMO]

And any other electrical connections involving the bike running, if it isn't the battery connections. Also check for a good ground. And the spark plug wire and the plug gap itself, just on general principles. Also check valve lash, again just on general principles. Very likely it is a simple problem.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Hegemone

I purchased a fully built and tested kpx-250.

Have you contacted the dealer? Did you buy from a local brick and mortar store or mail order? Either way--contact the dealer after checking all the wiring to make sure everything is tight.

[Hegemone]

Yep I was reaching out to the dealer the same time I came here fishing for information. I like to have multiple sources tell me similar things for piece of mind.

I checked all the wiring connected to the battery and engine. and everything seems tight and connected well. I took to the battery to be tested and was sitting at 10 volts so they did a charge and test. Came back as a bad cell.

I passed that info along to the dealer but no response today. I am assuming they have a backlog of tickets from the weekend. Here's to hoping that's the worst of what I run into.

I don't wait patiently well and I am running out of busy work to take care of to take my mind off of not being out getting used to the bike. MSF course done, license updated with M2, titled, registered, and tagged, and all that's left for now is getting the safety inspection done. Hopefully, I can get it back on the road before the Thursday after next.

[JFOlivier]

You should invest in a cheap multimeter, this will allow you to check the battery volage when at rest and when the engine is running whetther it is charging. This will also tell you if the battery is bad. With a short cicuited cell the battery would not be able to put out enough power to start the bike and would also drag down the voltage from the charging coils until you get to the point where you can no longer support the ignition system. Get this meter and when you hook up the new battery you can check it all out.

[Hegemone]

Originally Posted by culcune

Have you contacted the dealer? Did you buy from a local brick-and-mortar store or mail order? Either way--contact the dealer after checking all the wiring to make sure everything is tight.

Yep, I was reaching out to the dealer the same time I came here fishing for information. I like to have multiple sources tell me similar things for piece of mind. Unfortunately I purchased it online and had it shipped just to make things more complex for myself. Probably would have been good to have a dealership to nag and teach me about some of the basic stuff.

I checked all the wiring connected to the battery and engine and everything seems tight and connected well. I took the battery to be tested and was sitting at 10 volts so they did a charge and test. Came back as a bad cell.

I passed that info along to the dealer but no response today. I am assuming they have a backlog of tickets from the weekend. Here's to hoping that's the worst of what I run into.

I don't wait patiently well and I am running out of busy work to take care of to take my mind off of not being out getting used to the bike. MSF course done, license updated with M2, titled, registered, and tagged, and all that's left for now is getting the safety inspection done. Hopefully, I can get it back on the road before the Thursday after next.

[Hegemone]

Originally Posted by JFOlivier

You should invest in a cheap multimeter, this will allow you to check the battery voltage when at rest and when the engine is running whether it is charging. This will also tell you if the battery is bad. With a short-circuited cell the battery would not be able to put out enough power to start the bike and would also drag down the voltage from the charging coils until you get to the point where you can no longer support the ignition system. Get this meter and when you hook up the new battery you can check it all out.

I totally forgot I knew how to do that and had a meter stashed in the teardrop. I am going to take your suggestion to double-check things and get into that habit once I get a replacement. I am installing a battery tender pigtail and stuff for convenience so it should make testing even easier.

[Thumper]

A healthy battery resting should read 12.5 to 13V, and there should be NO CHANGE when connected or you have a resting ground fault. When the engine is running, a healthy charging system should be pushing between 13-14V or even more (without headlights on). Sometimes it needs to be running 1500rpm or more to read 13.5V or more, but less than that and you have a weak charging system.

[JFOlivier]

Does the KPX also have a lithium battery like the X-pect

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by JFOlivier

Does the KPX also have a lithium battery like the X-pect

No, just a standard sealed lead acid battery.

[Hegemone]

Originally Posted by Thumper

A healthy battery resting should read 12.5 to 13V, and there should be NO CHANGE when connected or you have a resting ground fault. When the engine is running, a healthy charging system should be pushing between 13-14V or even more (without headlights on). Sometimes it needs to be running 1500rpm or more to read 13.5V or more, but less than that and you have a weak charging system.

Thanks for that information. Swapped out the battery and ran the measurements. 13.05 with the bike off and right at 13.57-13.62 at idle or a little above. Seems like all is fine and I feel better going on longer rides now.

[Hegemone]

Originally Posted by Thumper

A healthy battery resting should read 12.5 to 13V, and there should be NO CHANGE when connected or you have a resting ground fault. When the engine is running, a healthy charging system should be pushing between 13-14V or even more (without headlights on). Sometimes it needs to be running 1500rpm or more to read 13.5V or more, but less than that and you have a weak charging system.

Thanks for that information. Swapped out the battery and ran the measurements. 13.05 with the bike off and right at 13.57-13.62 at idle or a little above. Seems like all is fine and I feel better going on longer rides now.