Discharging battery strada

[Dave L]

The nearly new battery on my strada rapidly loses volts when I turn on the ignition.The loss stops when I open the points with a pencil.I have checked all earth connections and wiring for breakages etc.the lighting and horn and turn signals become inoperable very quickly. Could this be a battery problem? Help please!

[Duccout]

It is not a faulty condenser is it?

[Dave L]

I changed the condenser with one from another bike. I do have one more so maybe I’ll change it again

[Duccout]

I know nothing about electrics, but from what you describe it seems connected with the ignition system, so what about disconnecting the coil wires and see if it stops discharging? Could the coil have developed a fault, leading it to discharge to earth? Is the wire in the points housing touching something?

[Ventodue]

Points closed = primary circuit of the coil is completed.

So sounds like your coil is pulling too much current. Is it getting hot? . You say you've checked the ground connection of the coil, so that suggests a breakdown of the primary winding/insulation. But first ...

Yeah, it could be no more than a faulty battery. Easy check. Disconnect the primary side of the coil and turn the lights on. Does the battery drain fast? If it does, there's your problem. A healthy one won't.

[Dave L]

I disconnected the wire from the battery side of the coil, turned the lights on and the battery discharged very fast. It also doesn’t seem to charge from the alternator when I’ve started the bike and puts some revs on. It has been sitting around for pretty much all its life and I’ve often put it on charge. Does all this point to a bad battery? The condenser was also faulty...

[Ventodue]

Does all this point to a bad battery?

As previously : Yup.

But before laying out for a new battery, first you need to get your charging system working. Or you're just going to be back in the same position. You are in effect running what is called a total loss ignition system. Which will keep you going for a couple of hours. If you're lucky ...

Start with the alternator. With a multimeter set to AC volts, you should be able to see if it's kicking out anything when the engine is turned over on the kick starter.

[Dave L]

Yes it does. Roughly 1 volt per kick!

[Ventodue]

Yes it does. Roughly 1 volt per kick!

Eeek ! (Can't tell you what my Vento kicks out 'cos I don't have it with me at the mo'. But I seem to remember my Scrambler produces around 70 volts).

Sounds like it's a-coming off then. But just take some resistance readings as well first tho', to be sure ...

[Dave L]

The reg/ rect is from vehicle wiring products, not an original one. Would experimenting with swooping yellow leads arrive at a higher voltage from the alternator