battery? problems with zongshen 250gs

[crossfire]

I have an '06 250gs. It runs reasonably well, except for some battery related problems. Afthe bike will start up almost immediately in my garage (I do have to pull out the choke to get her to fire), but after 5-10 miles of riding, if I turn the bike off, there's not enough power to restart it. The other day I had to jump it to ride home, left the bike sitting for 3 days with no charger, and then it fired right up again. I've had the battery tested and it seems to be good. I do get the low battery light flashing any time I start the bike. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks

[Barnone]

Connect a volt meter to the battery. Should be about 12.5 volts. Then start the bike and the volt meter reading should go up to 13 or 14 volts as you rev the engine. If the reading goes up, then you probably have a bad battery. If the reading does not go up then you have a charging problem like bad connections, stator, rectifier, or again a bad battery.

If you cannot do the above tests then buy a new battery that is properly activated.

[katoranger]

I am not very good with electrical. Somebody should have an answer shortly.

Leaning toward starter. It may not want to work when it is hot.

[Weldangrind]

The solenoid for the starter circuit could also be drawing too much current. They are cheap and plentiful. In fact, you could substitute a Ford-style for greater longevity.

[FastDoc]

A battery can put out normal voltage but be bad under load.

If the battery is more than 2 years old I'd replace it and then see where you are at.

The ZS250 is known around here for stator problems so it may have killed your battery. The way to check for that is a voltmeter while the bike is running. When you rev the bike it should get up to around 13.8 volts.

You are doing well with your bike. I never ws able to get mine to run.

[crossfire]

Thanks for the responses. Gives me some idea on where to start, although I have no idea what half of the stuff mentioned is. I do have a dealer close by who can help, I hope.

FastDoc, I got a chance to read the forum about your zongshen. It's a shame it never ran for ya. Quite a fun little bike. I bought mine last summer in working condition with only 1500 miles. Just getting it out again after a long MN winter.

[FastDoc]

Enjoy your Springtime riding. Be careful for leftover sand and salt and all. The ZS seems to be a very solid and comfortable bike. Of couse we would all like to see pictures!

[RageHardIntoTheBendies]

Make sure the connections on the battery are tight, could be a loose ground.

[crossfire]

anybody happen to have a picture of where the starter is? i'm absolutely clueless. i'm minimally capable on cars, but have no idea on bikes, especially since this is my first. i'm 99% certain the battery itself is not the problem

[katoranger]

Not 100% sure, but I believe it is on the front of the engine under the exhaust header.

I would check the solenoid first. It is much cheaper to replace. If you can start it by jumping the two big terminals on the solenoid then most likely it is the cause of your problem.

[Weldangrind]

Agreed. Is the solenoid one of the items that you'd like an explanation about?

Don't be too sure about the battery. Sometimes a bad battery can make a small engine run poorly. Do you have a multimeter? If not, Harbor Freight is giving them away this month with a coupon that is in Hot rod magazine. You might even be able to find the coupon online and print it.

If you own a China bike, you need a multimeter.

[crossfire]

i would love an explanation about the solenoid. i really meant it when i said i'm clueless

[Weldangrind]

Simply put, the starter button on your handlebar isn't large enough to handle the current that a starter motor draws. As a result, the starter button activates a solenoid, and the solenoid switches the starter on. It's basically like a little switch turning on a big switch.

BTW, a relay operates on the same principle, just on a smaller scale.

Once you find the starter (it has a rather large wire connected to it), follow it to the solenoid. You'll see that the solenoid also has another large wire and two small wires. The small wires are bringing power from your starter button, and the other large wire brings power from the battery. When you press the starter button, it causes the two large wires to connect, and that connects the battery to the starter.

Make sense?

[crossfire]

that makes sense. now, is the solenoid above the battery? does it also have 2 smaller terminals? i'm sorry to sound like an idiot. and i'm just assuming, if i jump the bike on the actual battery terminals, it bypasses the solenoid and provides enough power to start?

[Weldangrind]

That's an excellent question. If the battery is the problem, connecting booster cables to the terminals on the battery will allow it to start. If the problem is the solenoid, you might not make any progress by connecting booster cables to the battery.

When I say might not, what I mean is that if the solenoid is drawing too much current, a second battery connected with booster cables might crutch it. Not likely, but possible.

The solenoid will have two small and two large terminals, and I'm not sure where it is on your bike. You have to follow the starter wire backwards to locate it.