My new career as bike mechanic!!

[greenhorn]

I have an 03 xl125 Varadero.

Came out to it tonight to go for a ride after 2 weeks off and it wont start. I suspect it is battery as it had a couple of lame efforts and then nothing. I have the pretty manicured hands of an office worker and have not held a spanner close to any veichle...

What do i need to do? Is it a case of buying a charger? Or will I need a new battery? Do bikes charge as they ride? All help appreciated

[ADE THE BLADE]

as quite a few have already pointed out in the past, yes a good charger is essential. try and get an optimate charger ( i got one works great ) you can leave this connected to bike when not used and it will trickle charge ( top up ) battery ready for next outing !! with regards to bike charging battery the answer is yes ( alternator )but if this is not working right then little or no charge is being put back into battery. so a few miles down the road and battery goes dead...........so bike goes dead get someone with multimeter to check if battery if taking charge. obviously if battery is on blink then replace...............hope this all makes some sense.........if not then no doubt someone more technically minded will be along soon to explain it better good luck. ade

[greenhorn]

Thanks for this. I currently store my bike outside and it is fairly exposed to the elements. I guess this doesn't help? Are bike batteries pretty standard and therefore chargers are?

[ADE THE BLADE]

i found bike batteries can lose their charge a lot quicker than say a car one will, as for " standard " ,bike batteries are not really a ` one type fits all `they do vary. don`t rush out and buy a new battery just yet. get a charger as previously mentioned........charge it up.....then get it tested to see if battery / alternator is dodgy........if so then rip it out and take to bike shop etc for new one. good luck. let us know how it all goes. ( just get a charger without fail.......worth its weight in gold) ade

[greenhorn]

Just bought one from Ebay, will let you know how i get on, thank you.

[greenhorn]

Dear all,

Managed to buy a charger. Managed to get the panel off my bike despite threaded hexbolt (where do I get new ones from?). Got the battery out, battery charged up nicely and just taken the bike out for a ride. Thanks for the advice.