My Honda Interceptor is having trouble starting

[74tiiGolf]

It will start when I have my charger on the battery and it is set to 30 amp setting. However, at 2 or 12 amp setting on the charger, I only get a loud buzzing from the 30 amp fuse that is right behind the battery. When the engine starts, it doesn't idle unless I keep the throttle open a little with the charger still attached and if I remove the charger and keep the throttle open, it runs but only on 2 cylinders. The buzzing from the 30 amp fuse is what has me confused. Do I just need a new battery? Seems more serious than that. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Matthew

[KFunk]

It will start when I have my charger on the battery and it is set to 30 amp setting. However, at 2 or 12 amp setting on the charger, I only get a loud buzzing from the 30 amp fuse that is right behind the battery. When the engine starts, it doesn't idle unless I keep the throttle open a little with the charger still attached and if I remove the charger and keep the throttle open, it runs but only on 2 cylinders. The buzzing from the 30 amp fuse is what has me confused. Do I just need a new battery? Seems more serious than that. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Matthew

I don't know much about that particular bike, but 30 amps seems like way too much to give any bike battery. Usually they say 1.5 to 2 Amps max. If you've been giving it 12 or 30 Amps, then its probably well past fried. I'd say you need a battery by now, at least. Some bikes, like mine, need the battery connected to stay running, to charge the field coils or something. It sounds like you might be just bypassing that by running the charger like hell or revving it hard to generate more power from the bike itself.

As for the 2 cylinder thing, I dunno, but anytime you don't have the proper power supply... stuff might not work right. It might not have enough power to run each coil, and only favors one.

I'd try to hook a voltmeter across the posts on the battery and measure the voltage while revving it, with no charger connected. Make sure its getting 14.5V or so (or whatever the spec is on your bike). If it's not getting that, then theres something wrong with your charging system. It might just be a pinched wire (happened to me).

Yeah, I'd also clean any and all fuses with contact cleaner, file them, pinch them tighter, maybe replace them with new automotive grade fuse holders. A loose connection from the charging system may be the original source of your problems and the buzzing, but I bet you'll need a battery too before it'll be good.

[74tiiGolf]

KFunk, thank you! After neglecting it for a while, I went and purchased a battery at the local Interstate warehouse, installed it tonight and SHAZAM! Fired right up! I still don't understand the buzzing or why a battery would die that quickly. I had used it to start the bike not even a week prior.... But when I took it in the Interstate guy showed me that it wasn't taking a charge. Thanks for your time and knowledge on this one. I'm still learning these things...

Matthew