BLUF: A truly dead battery won't even allow you to jump start or push start and keep it running. It will short out the system so badly that there is no hope but a different battery or a trailer to get home. Last weekend we got into some nasty stuff way down a no name road after riding all day. We had all laid our bikes down a few times and I had taken a very good tumble. The day was getting late and we decided to turn back for home. We considered one last water crossing but decided the responsible move was to get back with daylight. The moment we got responsible was the moment my bike died on me. I will list out the sequence of events, our troubleshooting, and symptoms. Order of events/actions taken: 1) Battery was a little slow that morning but I assumed it would charge up fine on the long ride (it's old, mistake!) 2) I ignored a little voice the said don't push adventure riding with a sub par battery 3) Got real far back, laid bike down hard (possible final blow to internals) 4) Kept riding for another 30 min 5) During return, stopped to wait for group, bike dies 6) Won't start, quiet whine coming from battery area, check fuses and connections, all good 7) We try to jump from another bike, no change 8) We push start it, it barely runs and no response to throttle. Note here, it did start but firing was sporadic and it would only stay on if full throttle with no increase in RPM 9) All electronics still work 10) Another push start, same result, no power to go anywhere 11) Check fuses and relays again. 12) Use one motorcycle to tow me to main road and push through rough patches while other rider retrieves truck and trailer from home (out of time to screw with it) 13) Attempt to swap in a battery from Triumph Tiger Adventure, strangely does nothing? 14) Assume it must be something other than battery... 15) Trailer home, more trouble shooting in garage. 16) Check battery, 50% *17) Charge battery over night, indicates 97%, try start again, strong buzzing from starter relay followed by dash going blank 18) Attempt jump from truck, same result 19) Put new battery in, starts right up Take aways: 1) Don't roll with questionable battery 2) Failure can be sudden and with little warning other than age of battery and decreased performance on startup over time 3) The battery may still power all systems 4) Noise from starter relay will be weak like a faint whine but after charging will be a steady buzz followed by dash going blank 5) Push start will result in barely running, no response to throttle, full open to maintain, no power to go anywhere 6) JUMPING PROBABLY WON'T WORK! Just like #5, the battery is so dead it shorts under load 7) Start with battery testing/replacement rather than assuming the worse has happened! I hope this helps anyone with a similar issue. The rumors and assumptions across the internet can be confusing. This is one confirmed story of the strange super dead battery trail side mystery.
Haha, hopefully a few people got the message. Very True Starting "it is important to listen", the slightest hesitation is an indication. Sometimes you get a second or third chance & sometimes not, they collapse internally. With the terra i just replace the battery before every 3rd winter. IF in doubt, get load tested.
