I just can't win

[99GSXR750]

So i'm going up I-25 to ftc from brighton, and i get to the bud events center, and all of a sudden my bike starts acting up. It felt like it was losing power and was a bit rough, so i pulled off. I noticed the FI light was on and my alarm was beeping but nothing like it normally does. It was barely audible and it was making a strange noise. Well i was thinking it was the battery so i unhooked the alarm and then tried to turn the bike back on, but there was nothing, no lights or anything. After a few minutes, i turn it on and everything was fine. Rode it the rest of the way without any problems. What do you think happened?

[JOE!!!!!!]

Sounds like a bad connection, or a short, somewhere. Intermittent, so it happens when the bike is hot and/or vibrating. It could be inside the battery, so have it checked. Could be the battery cables, make sure they're tight and in good shape. Is any insulation rubbed off anywhere? Is the alarm hooked up well? Make real sure that's right and not shorting something out. Pull apart as many harness connectors as you can get at, and see if the pins/sockets are corroded (happens a lot). Any poor connections to the battery can hurt the battery, so the old saying is true: everything is connected to everything else. The whole electrical system has to be clean, or problems will start popping up here and there. And they can be a bitch to track down. I wonder about the alarm. Keep it disconnected when you're riding, and see if the problem ever comes back.

[99GSXR750]

I'll try to do that tomorrow. I have had the alarm for about a year or so and i haven't had any problems. I've had the bike for over 2 years and have not replaced the battery and i'm not sure if the previous owner ever did either.

[brian38]

Charge the battery and if you have a volt meter make sure the bike is actually charging the battery. Loss of power like that sounds like a battery running out of juice. Should be charging at 13-14.5 volts just off idle.

Brian

[99GSXR750]

I won't be able to get to my voltmeter til late tonight, so i'll be able to test it tomorrow. I can't find anything in my service manual about the FI light. I rode to class this morning and about halfway there it started to flash, but after class i didn't have any problems on the way home. Do you think I should charge the battery and see if it helps, or should i just wait for the voltmeter. I haven't seen any problems with the lights or anything.

[99GSXR750]

I checked it under DC V, and it came up at 14 off the idle. I haven't charged it yet. Does that sound okay? Should I take it in to autozone or something for them to check it?

[rybo]

That sounds about right. Start checking for loose connectors, loose battery terminal, corrosion, maybe a bad voltage regulator? I would start at one end of the charging system and work may way along the line.

[99GSXR750]

Since monday I haven't had any more problems with it. I haven't had a chance to tear it apart and look for any bad connections or anything. Do you think I would be okay riding 60 miles friday, then 60 back sunday? I need to ride to my parents house in order to really tear it apart. Also, how would I know if the VR is bad?

[99GSXR750]

Well I had some problems on saturday so I decided to replace the battery. So far nothing else, so I think that was the problem.