ATV help.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: California Desert
ATV help.
I have an '86 Suzuki Quad Runner. At idle, all of the lights work perfectly. The second you give it gas, the lights dim to almost nothing. If the battery was bad, I would think it would do the opposite. Is it the regulator, perhaps? Also...just out of curiosity...how much would one of these things go for? It's a 230 in pretty good shape. $500? $800? Less?
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Joined: Sep 2005
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I don't have a quad, but it sounds to me like you have a charging problem. Possibly the regulator, it sounds like one of those expensive hard to find problems. Try calling a Suzuki dealer and ask the repair guys how to test it, I had a simmilar problem with a street bike and they told me how to test the parts of the system. I ended up needing a new alternator ($425). Hope you have better luck...
Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Phenix City, AL
I had the exact same thing happen to my Grizzly last winter. I thought the same thing about the charging system at first, but the battery was toast. What's happening is the charging system thinks the battery is fully charged and shorts to prevent over-charging. Once this happens, you're lights are only getting the little bit of juice that the battery is providing and it's also trying to provide juice for spark.
Easy way to see if the battery is toast is to put it on a charger and if it show fully charged within a few minutes; it's toast.
I put the new battery in and all was good again.
Easy way to see if the battery is toast is to put it on a charger and if it show fully charged within a few minutes; it's toast.
I put the new battery in and all was good again.
Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Phenix City, AL
Originally Posted by DOHCmarauder
Volt meter anyone???
What tipped me off was when I KNEW the battery was dead (bike wouldn't crank) and I put it on the charger and in about 2 minutes it was reading fully charged. It was really odd.
Oh yeah, pull starting a 660 single sucks!
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Dededo, Guam
Originally Posted by BFR250SD
You know, I tried that and everything read fine. The battery was still making 12.5 + volts when I put the meter on it, but it couldn't hold it under a load. Everything else was fine.
What tipped me off was when I KNEW the battery was dead (bike wouldn't crank) and I put it on the charger and in about 2 minutes it was reading fully charged. It was really odd.
Oh yeah, pull starting a 660 single sucks!
What tipped me off was when I KNEW the battery was dead (bike wouldn't crank) and I put it on the charger and in about 2 minutes it was reading fully charged. It was really odd.
Oh yeah, pull starting a 660 single sucks!
Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,753
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From: Phenix City, AL
Yes I know. Mine like many others have the AUTOMATIC compression release. Yeah, automatic my butt. My QM 500 had the manual and that was no problem, but the Griz, wheeeeeew!
You gotta make a couple little pulls to get in the right spot to yank. If you don't, it's rip it right out of your hands.
You gotta make a couple little pulls to get in the right spot to yank. If you don't, it's rip it right out of your hands.
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Junior User
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Roy,WA
most of them are automatic de-comp now. I pull started an ATC 200 with a broken auto de-comp lever, it sucked because being as short as I am I couldn't get a good pull on the thing, and the one time I did the run switch was off.
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New User
Joined: Sep 2005
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If you want to check the battery and don't have a load tester for it take it to a parts store that sells batteries. Most of them will test it for you for free. Just using a volt meter isn't acurate as the battery may maintain it's voltage without being able to flow any current. The voltage needs to be checked while the battery is flowing current (under load).
Last edited by ffemt32ffd; Sep 24, 2005 at 10:11 PM. Reason: added more info
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
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From: cape may county NJ
I am building one of these right now ground up for the wife(yea right) easy way to test load on battery with out a load tester is put a volt meter on battery and hit the start button then take your reading as far as what it is worth depends on condition around here great shape 1000-1500,good shape 700-900.The 230 I am building is going to be pretty nasty ported, wiseco piston supertrapp exh,larger carb and cam and a twist throttle.I'm a bike guy but the 230 suzuki fits me well only auto that I ever had that would do third gear wheelies
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