SD 990 '08 DEAD

Hey peeps,

So the other day i went for a ride with my girlfriend on the back.
we did around 40 km when we decided to stop for a drink.
as we got ready to continue our ride, i turned my key, the dash went on,
(as per good habit, checked if it was in neutral)
but the moment i press the starter, all i heard was a single *tick* and the bike just died (dash included)..
there was litterally no juice left and the engine didn't even turn over once.
since we just rode 40 km i figured the battery couldn't be completely empty so i checked the fuses under the seat but they where all intact.

i called up a relative to pick us and the bike up and towed it to my garage.
i checked the main fuse next to the battery, also intact, replaced it just to make sure.
disconnected the battery and hooked it up to the optimate,
left it to charge and "optimize" for a few hours, hooked everything back up and still, completely dead.

by now i've run out of ideas as to what the problem could be.
anybody have some tips for me before i tow it to the shop?

fun fact: my warranty ran out literally 2 weeks ago. (yay me)

and it was raining for almost a month non-stop, now the weather was good for 2 days and this happens... f*** me right? ^^

moody greetings from a sad belgian dude.

Could be many things..........

Were the lights on, fuel pump priming, etc? Was the battery completely flat?

Most likely, issue is battery not charging during run and voltage dropped below 12V but not below 10V, ie not high enough to turn engine over (hence just relay click) but not low enough to trigger battery warning light.

Start with the simple things - check your battery condition, battery connections (particularly the earths) then reg/rec and then generator output.

Edit - just saw that you put battery on Optimate - are you sure that it took the charge?

Forget reg/rec and generator for the moment - recheck all the battery cables, particularly earths, and not just the connections at each end but, more importantly, that no cable has broken internally at the connector - this is/has been a very common problem.

Ill check as soon as i get off work tomorrow morning.
So you mean i should check the cables running after the 2 fuses connected to the battery?

Each end of every thick black cable to and from the battery and the starter relay.

When you say you changed the main fuse at the starter relay, it was the 'active' fuse and not the spare fuse that sits alongside it?

Sounds very much like not enough CCA . ... I've had this before with old batteries, volts show as good but it doesn't have the grunt to turn over the motor...
Could be bad connections to the battery (somewhere) as well though... or even corroded battery leads (had this once on an old '73 HQ Monaro)
Good luck with it

had exactly the same issue on my 10 plate SDR, short story the battery was end of life and replacing it resolved the issue. first trip this year after battery been on a optimizer was for its annual MOT left me stranded after MOT, second outing was to a dealership for a Demo on a MT10 got back on the SDR and click then dead stranded again ...got recovered and dropped bike off to my local dealer who checked the battery - replaced it and no issues since.

Problem found!
- connection inside battery broke off

it looks like the previous owner or garage where i bought it couldn't be arsed to replace the battery when it broke,
and solded/welded it back together themselves pretty sadly.
because that doesn't look factory to me at all..

ofcourse when i put on the clamps to charge it before, the pins probably made connection due to the pressure of the clamps,
thus giving no error and charging completely.
earlier today when screwing the battery back in, the pins touched and i heard my dashboard jump on.
so i pried open the lid and found this:



temporarily cleaned it up, screwed it in tightly and incased it with glue untill i get a new battery next week.
Thank you all for the tips and hints anyways.
spared me some money on the shop and gained some knowledge in the proces!

Greatings from a happy belgian! :p

Great to hear but looks way dodgy.

i know, but since the warranty ended, when i'd take it to that shop now, they'll just say it broke off cause of the tremors the bike produces..
ill just get a new battery myself and replace it.
they will never credit for that dodgy work..
they'll say it was the previous owner.

Wahooha Comrade Grallesh! What is that thing you found? I once saw a battery that looked like that. I think I was about 15 at the time - some fifty odd years ago.
Yes a new battery (perhaps a Lithium) might be the go.
Glad you are back on the road

i know right?! :p blew my mind aswell..
was planning to put in a top-grade battery aswell but
i think i'm going with a maintenance free gel battery tho,
just cause of the huge price difference.
if you treat a battery right it should live quite a while.