Colin

Hey All,

Needed some help. My 2008 Rebel is acting up. If u guys can remember i had a problem with a leaking battery. I put in a new one, the previous one was leaking an got to the solenoid switch and corroded it. Now i have problems starting the bike. Everytime i need to start i have to push start. Why would that happen? The mechanic told me to put some hot coke and blow it out with a compressor for the corrosion. Even when i'm running i see the head lights a bit dim. If the fuse is burnt can it still push start and if i change the fuse will the bike be able to start normal? The mechanic said it is acting that way cause the fuse is probally not good and the bike is basically getting power from the engine and not the battery. Sounds strange to me. Help please.

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JunkyardDog

Baking soda is the best thing to remove acid corrosion, if it is bad you may have to use sandpaper or a wire brush after neutralizing the acid. Any connections that are corroded will have to be completely disassembled to be cleaned. Put battery terminal grease on the connections when putting them back together. The fuse is either good or it isn't. If current passes through it, it is good. Best way is to check with a multimeter. If you own a motorcycle you need a multimeter. If the fuse is bad, replace it.


Does the starter turn over at all? Do any lights come on when you turn the ignition switch on? If they do it is not likely the fuse, but it could very well be corroded connections that are not conducting current.

Another thing you need a multimeter for is to measure the battery voltage. When not running, the battery should show 11.5-12 volts. When running, it should show 13.5-14 volts. With the weak Rebel charging system, you may have to rev it up to around 2000 rpm to get the 14 volts. Jerry.

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flitecontrol

Because of the problems standard wet cell batteries can cause, and you experienced, I have maintenance free, absorbed glass mat batteries in both my bikes. The Rebel came with one. I recommend Deka and East Penn batteries because they are good quality and made in the US. Next choice would be Yuasa. Many of the cheap Chinese batteries (Scorpion, Motobatt, etc.) fail long before they should.

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2001 Rebel 250, 1989 Vulcan 750
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Fridgitator

The Rebel is designed to run with a working battery in the system. While occasionally bump starting is no biggie, running it like that for any length of time will result in damage to electrical components. It would be best to clean up the mess, replace the battery, make sure you have sound connections, and that it's charging. Otherwise you are going to have one electrical problem after another.

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Guba

For your year Rebel it's normal to see the headlight get brighter when you give it some throttle. At idle (1400 rpm) the bike's alternator just doesn't put out enough juice to keep the battery charged. Once the RPM's go above 1800 it can keep the electrical system up to useage. It maxes out at 190 watts @ 5000 rpm.

There is a 10 amp fuse that supplies the start solinoid. It's located on the left side of the battery position (facing battery). If the battery corroded that bad, it's possible the corrosion may have shorted it and blew.

If acid got into the start solinoid, it might be bad. A bad solinoid will also make a fuse blow.

To check a fuse, pull it out. With a multimeter set on ohm's touch one end of the probe to one end of the fuse. do the same thing with the other probe and other side of the fuse. You should get a reading of 0 or maybe 2 or 3 at the most. It depends on how much corrosion the fuse has and how much pressure you apply to the probes against the fuse ends that determines if your making a good connection. A clean fuse should read the # 0. If you see OP in your display, it means "open". Open is a blown fuse.

As Jerry pointed out, baking soda is best to nuetralize any acid. I use an old toothbrush and dip it into a watery paste of baking soda to nuetralize. And I use plain old water to rinse. Pull the battery out to do this, that way you can get the most acidic spot, the battery pan.

It sounds like you have either, just a bad fuse.
Or a bad starter solinoid. Be aware that a bad solinoid will take out a fuse. In your case change the fuse and if it blows on start up you know it's the solinoid.

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Some days beer tastes good...other days beer tastes better!

'07 Rebel 250 26,000 miles