Battery amperage

[hondavidson]

I just got a 1986 Suzuki VS700 as a project to work on for a friend. It hasn't been started in 20 years but has been garage kept most of the time. The tank and carbs were drained so no gas has set up in them and appears to be in pretty good shape. It does not have a battery in it and before investing in a new battery I wanted to go through the bike and make sure it wasn't frozen up or anything. Question I have is it calls for a battery that is 230 amps and I have 1 from my goldwing that I was gonna use for testing purposes that is 350 amps. At fgirst the bike was turning over and then all of a sudden everything went blank. Found out that the circuit breaker tripped. Well I reset and tried again. It tripped again. Is the amperage too high? Is that why it is tripping? Also, what would be the first thing to really check out to get this bike back on the road?

[Motorcycle Forum]

[Ironjoey]

With a battery that much higher than what is recommended, that is likely the problem. Try a recommended amp rated battery, it will probably work....

If it hasn't been started in 20 YEARS, there is probably going to be some additional problems. A new battery might be the least of your worries.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate using Tapatalk

[DrBob]

You probably have a short somewhere- at one point I jump started my old Intruder with a pick up truck battery having something like 850 amps, and did not trip the breaker.

There were about 100 things you should have done before trying to turn it over, but too late now. If it turned over we can assume it is not locked up, but that does not mean the inside of the motor is not rusted, in which case the rings are going to die very quickly as they rub on the rough cylinder walls. If it is rust free, change the oil and check for water/ condensation. A compression check would not be a bad idea, but is not required. Change the oil filter. You'll most likely have to pull the side cover and manually separate the clutch plates, which will be good and stuck together. You'll have to change the brake fluid, clutch fluid, and rear drive fluid also. Rubber dries out and starts to degenerate after 5 years, so after sitting for 20 the tires, tubes, rim bands, brake line, clutch line, and other rubber parts are dangerous and will need to be replaced. Expect oil leaks from old, dried out gaskets and seals. The rubber boots between the carbs and cylinders are prone to drying out and cracking, so check them. Fuel lines should be replaced. Take the front caliper apart and make sure the seal is not roached (it probably is quite dried out) and that the pads are OK. Check the rear drum brake for correct adjustment and cable operation. Drain and flush the cooling system, checking for oil in the coolant and flushing until the water runs out clean. Remove and test the thermostat, refill with the correct mix of anti-freeze, bar's-leak, and water. Replace the hoses if they are cracked, rotted, or stiff.

So think long and hard about doing this: that bike is worth maybe a grand in very good condition (Intruders are good bikes but they are as common as the day is long, and the 700cc version is the least desirable compared to the 800 and 750 versions), and it is going to cost you several hundred to get it back on the road safely, and then it will be of very questionable reliability and longevity due to it sitting for so long. If you do take it on, do it right, and it can be returned to the road safely.

[Easy Rider]

With a battery that much higher than what is recommended, that is likely the problem.

No it isn't.
It's the voltage that is important for this kind of a story.
A battery will work for any application UP TO the rated current capacity.

[Ironjoey]

Not a mechanic, so I learned something too

Sent from my Samsung Captivate using Tapatalk

[hondavidson]

Thank guys. Yea, it turned over for a few minutes fine and then I took a spark plug out and tried the spark test and the breaker tripped. Figured that was just a coincidence so put it back in and tried again. It almost tripped immediately so I just unhooked the battery and waited until I heard something on here. So I assume it is safe to continue to use the same battery from my goldwing to finish checking out the bike.

[Easy Rider]

So I assume it is safe to continue to use the same battery from my goldwing to finish checking out the bike.

Yes.......so long as you have it connected properly.......and you don't run it down too much between charges.