The ATGATT Rat

Decibel Test

2024-06-14T23:59:00.000-04:00

It's Always The Battery

2024-04-20T18:26:00.001-04:00

Short version:

It was the battery. The simplest explanation was in fact correct. Have you heard the saying, among amateur motorcycle mechanics: "It's Always The Battery"

I gotta confess, I've always been skeptical of this truism. It seems like a cop-out; like an oversimplification. Maybe the amateur diagnostician is lazy and just guessing.

But, if you see the history of this bike on this blog; it is beginning to prove true more times than not.

Longer version:

On a Honda, this would’ve been a parking lot diagnosis and repair. On a Suzuki Intruder, it was a pain in the ass, as usual anytime dealing with the battery on an Intruder.

If you haven’t heard my rant on the subject: It’s all about battery placement. Suzuki hides the battery in a box underneath, just forward of the rear tire, with a trap door. To remove and replace the battery, get the rear wheel up off the ground a couple inches to make room for the trap door to open, disconnect the battery cables from the terminals through two one inch square holes in the battery box, one of either side of the bike. Fish a screwdriver between the swing arm and the rectifier into that opening and loosen the screws. The cables are too short to lower the battery while connected. Carefully lower the battery out the trap door. Installation is the reverse, and has all the charms and appeal of threading a needle with your toes.

Given battery placement, you cannot reach the positive terminal with jumper cables. You *can* reach the positive terminal main junction with the wiring harness under the left side cover.

I decided I didn't want to tackle the work on the ground in an apartment parking lot. So, I trailered it home for the comfort of my garage and the convenience of a lift. This deprived her of the experience of working on it with me, but allowed me to nurse my aching head and resolve the issue in relative comfort.

She and I replaced the battery on this bike in 2022. She got less than 2 years from this AGM. I’ve never had one die so soon. I get 5-7 years from my meticulously tendered, garage-kept batteries. I’m thinking that parking lot living for this bike, with greater temperature extremes and no tender for the riding season months she’s at college, shortened the battery’s life. But that’s just a theory.

I trailered it back and dropped it off. Such concierge service!

Suzuki Intruder won't start (again)

2024-04-16T22:50:00.004-04:00

My daughter is away at college.

Today she called me, unable to start it. Turn the key on, there's dash lights etc. As soon as she presses the start button, the lights go out and stay out. Turn the key off and on, dash lights come back on. Try to press the start button, and repeat the whole sequence.Had her charge the battery on a trickle charger, which is a bit of a challenge when she had to run her extension cord off the apartment balcony, across the yard to the parking lot. She charged it for 5 hours before campus security put an end to her extension-cord-across-the-yard shenanigans. Same result.She does not have a multi-meter. (Now ideas for her graduation presents are becoming clearer in my mind).

The battery is less than two years old.My thoughts are the kickstand kill-switch is bad, or maybe the start button itself. Or, maybe the battery went bad in under two years, which, if true, tells me something is killing batteries on this bike.

Changing the battery on this bike is a nightmare. But this video shows a decent way to jump it; I'll give that a chance first.

3rd Annual Spring Break Maintenance Clinic

2024-03-12T18:19:00.001-04:00

Third annual spring break maintenance clinic with my daughter. Her third year of motorcycle ownership. This year’s work was fairly straightforward, not as involved as year one’s exhaust swap or year two’s front end swap.

Oil change and swap out the old headlight bucket, cracked and super glued by previous owner, now looking good as new thanks to EBay.

Top the day off with a 90 minute ride. Beautiful day.

Fall Ride

2023-11-04T18:52:00.001-04:00

Those fallen leaves will wait for another day. It’s 60 degrees and I’m going riding. Burning up the gas in my daughter’s Suzuki and getting it ready for winter. Perfect excuse for a fall ride.

College Ride Redux

2023-09-03T18:18:00.001-04:00

Just to complete the story, my daughter came home to attend her cousin’s baby shower this weekend. This allowed her the opportunity to get her bike to college. 120 miles, no mechanical issues. It was a beautiful day for a ride.