sfoda
Parking Attendant
Posts: 23
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posted January 28, 2003 03:39 PM
Jump start/Battery charge
I'm a pretty good wrench, but.....I neglected my baby and didn't do my battery/bike maintenance. I went out to try and start my ZX-12 for the first time since December and no luck. I am in Missouri. Is there a way to jump start this beast or did I need to remove the battery and tray to charge it?
  
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redelk
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posted January 28, 2003 07:20 PM
Hey SOFDA! Long time, no see! Now that the "pleasantries" are taken care of, time for some "bad and good news".
The bad news is that if you or your dealer did not hook up the jump starting cable to the battery (the dealer usually won't during assembly), your going to have to remove the battery tray. Easier said then done.
First, you'll have to remove the front seat. Then the fuse box cover and the tank cover. Now you'll be able to get to the top 8mm bolt on the battery cover. A lot of folks just leave that top bolt off so they won't have to hassle with it again.
With the battery cover off, you'll have to disconnect the two wire plugs, remove the 10mm nut holding the main wire to the tray and remove the two 8mm bolts that hold the tray in the bike.
The good news is, now that you have the tray out, you can connect the jump starting wire, leave the top 8mm bolt off the battery cover and never have to go through all this again. Actually, I still have the top bolt on my cover, but have the end of the jump starting cable bearly sticking out of the opening on the upper right side of the cover. Having it set up like that makes it real easy to either jump start the bike or putting it on the trickle charger and I don't have to remove a thing.
Hope this helps.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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Zhooligan
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posted January 28, 2003 08:14 PM
Red... whats your thoughts on the battery box cover / access plate? Specifically, I have wondered how important the cover is if at all in regards to the frames rigidity. The reason I am asking I have contemplated leaving the top bolt out so the cover can be removed without removing the the tank cover. Sometimes I long for the days of lifting the seat to expose the battery!
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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redelk
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posted January 28, 2003 09:03 PM
Me too! Sadly, you are asking the wrong guy of anything TRULY technical. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't give you my opinion!
Personally, I don't see how leaving out a single bolt, even the top one would have ANY effect. As for leaving the whole cover off, I don't think something that small would have a significant effect on the rigidity of the frame as a whole. I just can't see how something that small, that structurally weak and thin, would be an active component of the frame's strength.
Keeping in mind, this is the opinion of an uneducated idiot!
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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Zhooligan
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posted January 28, 2003 09:21 PM
I appreciate the opinion. I'm going to leave the top one out the next time it is apart.
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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MadMike
Moderator
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posted January 28, 2003 09:50 PM
you know if you guys had an INTERSTATE Battery you would not have to go through all of that crap! how many times do I have to tell ya.......
Mad Mike
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Zhooligan
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posted January 28, 2003 10:02 PM
Is this a shameless plug for INTERSTATE Batteries? 
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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redelk
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posted January 28, 2003 10:08 PM
Would that statement qualify as a binding, three year, not prorated, free replacement (including all applicable federal state and local taxes), exchanged and installed by MM himself, guarantee?
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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deathpulse
Pro
Posts: 1688
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posted January 28, 2003 11:04 PM
Hey. I have a stupid question (like most of my questions). Can you jump start a bike like the '12 from a car? My '12 will probably need a jump start soon - so I can get it to my new garage (with a nice outlet for my new battery tender  ) but I'll need to start her up with a jump (hopefully from my exepdition).
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Zhooligan
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posted January 28, 2003 11:18 PM
Shouldn't be a big deal as long as you can hook up the jumper cables. I have certainly done it with some of my other bikes.
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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deathpulse
Pro
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posted January 28, 2003 11:27 PM
 - Thanks Z! I just didn't want to fry my electronics.....
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MadMike
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posted January 29, 2003 05:43 AM
No shameless plug here but when one of my parts that I use Works great I just want to share with the whole world!(when you buy one tell them mad mike sent ya). and hmmmm... Red, how Anal (in a very good way!!) you are I could probably take that guarantee and have nothing to worry about....
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n da zone
Expert Class
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posted January 29, 2003 05:45 AM
quote:
The bad news is that if you or your dealer did not hook up the jump starting cable to the battery ....
Red, what is the 'jump starting cable' you refer to? And you say you just leave it 'hanging' when not in use, so I guess it must be shielded to prevent discharge or shorting. Is this something we can get from the dealer?
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MadMike
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posted January 29, 2003 05:55 AM
 Edited By: MadMike on 30 Jan 2003 10:14
Oh and if anyone needs a House apprased in the state of Ill, I would call Harris and Associates 815-634-4034, and for Kawi Parts, sales, and service I would use Struthers brothers Kawasaki 515-284-3634,and for all of your Label and Logo needs I would call ADCRAFT of Arkansas 501-372-5231!! and Muzzys just about says it all for performance on my ZX12R! 541-385-0706!! and then if you want the Best Hot Wings!!!! I personally have ever had. Give Janine a call at Gerri's Bar and Grill! 515-365-8383 and tell them all Mad Mike sent ya!
P.S. hey Z i could be shamelessly plugging your company to buddy..... LOL...
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OZZY
Needs a job
need guberment cheese
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posted January 29, 2003 06:37 AM
You can jump start the 12 without hooking up that jumper cable thing if it isn't already hooked up.
Take off the side plate and hook up the ground jumper to a good ground point.
Locate the positive wire that goes from the starter solenoid to the starter. Do NOT connect to it yet.
Hook up the jumpers to the "assist" battery.
You should now have 2 ends of the negative cable hooked up,and one end of the positive cable hooked up.
Turn on the key, make sure the bike is in neutral, touch the remaining end of the positive jumper cable to the previously located terminal on the solenoid. When you touch the cable do so with a deliberate motion, it may spark a little, that is normal.
A LOT of sparks is not normal, it means you haven't followed the directions correctly and are more than likely touching the positive cable in your hand to a ground.
At this point the engine will spin over.
You can also hook a battery charger up this basic same way, EXCEPT that the key does not need to be on, and you hook up the positive cable to the OPPOSITE heavy gauge wire located on the solenoid, which goes to the positive battery terminal.
Dont do any of the above if you are not positive of your actions or these instructions.
____________
"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses......HIT IT!"
Blues Bros.
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redelk
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posted January 29, 2003 07:33 AM
Edited By: redelk on 29 Jan 2003 07:35
NDZ, Let's kinda go backwards on these...
1.Is this something we can get from the dealer?
The cable is in the battery tray, but is not hooked up by the dealer for liability reasons.
2.I guess it must be shielded to prevent discharge or shorting.
You could almost say it is "double sheilded". At the end the is a black cover over the exposed terminal and then there is a larger red cover over that.
3. Red, what is the "jump starting cable" you refer to?
Becuase of the unique location and difficult access of the 12R's battery, the engineers at KHI chose to include a cable that is just long enough to go from the positive terminal (on the left side of the bike), across the battery itself and stick out just past the opening of the battery cover on the right side.
This cable is specifically for jump starting, but can also be used for trickle charging and battery testing with a meter. "Playing it safe" liability wise, KHI does not recommend leaving it attached. Realistically, it would be pretty useless if you didn't. After all, to utilize it would require more steps then if you had nothing at all to facilitate a jump start.
4. And you say you just leave it 'hanging' when not in use?
HEY! That's kinda "personal", don't ya think? Just kidding. "Hanging" might not be the best way to describe it's state when not in use. In my case, the end of the cable is right at the right side opening of the battery cover and is tucked behind the tank cover. To access it, I simply gently lift the corner of the tank cover and pull it out by it's red cover.
I'll see if I can't take a pic or two before I go into work and I'll post them later today.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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kcadby
Pro
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posted January 29, 2003 11:55 AM
My opinion...You can leave the top bolt out of the cover...I know more than one person that has done it 
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kawachan
Pro
Posts: 1031
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posted January 29, 2003 12:01 PM
No top bolt here!! Bike hasn't broken in half........yet
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redelk
Moderator
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posted January 29, 2003 05:07 PM
Sorry about the crappy pics, but they get the idea across.
TOP: Shows the "double shielding" of the jump starting cable end
CENTER: Shows where the cable comes out at
BOTTOM: Show the cable in it's "stored" position
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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Zhooligan
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posted January 29, 2003 06:53 PM
So Mike are those nuclear or just hot hot wings!
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
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posted January 29, 2003 08:55 PM
LOL.. Just hot but man they Rock!!! if you ever make it to one of my races I will have them! just let me know in advance!!!
Mad Mike.
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n da zone
Expert Class
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posted January 30, 2003 03:39 AM
Thank you, Red!. That is a beautiful description and rendering of the solution.
I'll be down in that part of the bike this weekend and look around for my cable. Rather have it hooked up now and ready to go, than trying all this shit in a mall parking lot at 10pm with a dead battery.
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redelk
Moderator
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posted January 30, 2003 07:12 AM
Soooooo, Mad Mike... your too good to give my company a plug, eh? I see how you are. It might be time for Ashley to make that call to "you know who" and then you'll be paying full price for those movies.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
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posted January 30, 2003 10:15 AM
ummmm. what do you mean????(playing very very dumb here)??? I always list my favorite Label company Adcraft of Arkansas....
Mad Mike
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WARBIRD
Needs a job
Posts: 2739
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posted January 30, 2003 07:47 PM
sfoda..........while you have your battery out performing maintanence..........be sure to buy a Battery Tender Jr. About $29.95 U.S. It comes with a neat little cable that has two connectors on one end to permantly attach to the battery and a nifty little connector with a cover on the other end that plugs into the tender when ever you decide to charge it. No more taking the plate off the frame to charge. The tender will charge your battery at the proper rate and shut off automatically when the battery is fully charged. If it senses low voltage it will automatically start charging again and shut off when finished. You can leave it plugged in all winter without fear of overcharging your battery. You can also by extra cables to hook to your other batterys (I have them on all my bikes and lawn tractor) and keep every thing freshly charged with one tender.
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I'd Rather Be Roadracing.
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