Battery suddenly discharged... what??!

[drinmotoracer]

So... last week I went on a great long ride with my cousin. About 2 hrs worth of twisty canyon riding followed by a 1hr ride on the freeway. I don't ride for a week, and then this morning I try to turn the bike over... When I turn the key to "ON" everything is all good. I flip the switch to "RUN" and everything is still fine. I then hit the "START" button and only hear ONE small click and then everything shuts off. "WTF!" I say... so I started charging the battery and find that it is some generic NAPA battery. I let it charge for a couple of hours, and then go to turn over again. Again the same thing... I just a hear ONE click and then it goes completely dead.
Question:
Is this a battery problem or is something wrong with the charging system/Starter/Rectifier?

I am just thinking about getting a new battery and see if this solves it, but I guess I can try jumping the bike too to see if it is a battery problem or something else.
Any recommendations on testing? I don't have an voltmeter... if I did though, how would I test the battery and what should i look for? (I might just buy one since I don't have one).
Thank u!
Rider frustrated

[DefTrap]

A few things.

-When batteries go they tend to just go, one minute fine, next minute fit for the bin.
- A couple of hours isn't really long enough to charge a battery, overnight is about right. Optimate chargers add a bit of glitz to the proceedings and can be helpful in diagnosing just how good/bad the battery is. Can also be used to rescue dead batteries, sometimes.
- A click is good. Your wirings good and the starter solenoid is engaging.
- Charging is another matter entirely. There's a decent fault finding guide here - http://www.electrosport.com/electros...t_finding.html You'll need a multimeter. I'd really recommend you use it before binning / replacing any expensive electrical parts. The last charging problem I had on my Bros was down to a slightly fritzed main fuse. That fault finding guide saved me big time ...

First off I'd be tempted to splash on a new battery, especially if it's old and of poor quality.

My 2p anyway ...

[MrDude_1]

first, try cleaning the contacts for the ground, and the starter.

next, just for ha-has.. try bump-starting the bike... or atleast turn the motor over to a diffrent position, then try the starter.




my guess is there is a bad connection in your starter circuit at the moment.. make sure none of the starter or ground wires are loose.. and make sure they have no corrosion on the contact points.

[motorcycleman]

Ditto on checking the connections on the battery itself. This hot and humid weather can accelerate any corrosion going on there, which could lead to the condition you are describing. If you find you can twist the connection, it is too loose. Also when you charge, if you don't know this already, do not use a charger that puts out more than two amps. Car chargers are too powerful for bike batteries and can quickly ruin them. One of the most common causes of battery failure is over charging.

Get a battery tender. Good for charging, good for winter storage.

[drinmotoracer]

Sweet,
thx for the suggestions.... Upon closer look the + terminal is totally corroded. I bought a new a battery and I am currently charging it. Hopefully this will do the trick... thank you all for the help!

[drinmotoracer]

Grr.... it was the battery. Bought a new one... put in the acid, charged it, fired the bike right up...
RIDE !