Hey guys,

I just got a '06 599 used with 1700 km.. it was a blast the first couple days riding! this was a bike I have always wanted, and it seemed like fate that I would come across one when i was looking (since they're pretty rare around here)

Anyways, just this morning and last morning, the bike wouldn't quite start with choke + throttle. ended up having a friend boost it with a charger.. it's weird though because the first couple days, it would start smoothly and with no problems at all. what could this be? idle speed (i have not adjusted it)? i checked the battery before charging it, the meter read 12.25

Other than this problem, i really like this bike :D

New 599s seem to have crappy batteries. Mine had a lousy one. A few other people here have reported bad ones too. Go out and buy a good new Yuasa and get it charged either at the dealer or on your trickle charger at home, and then you should be set.

Agreed. Mine died at the start of season #2 even with a good Battery Tender on all winter.

On my second battery and I haven't mounted up in two weeks. She was none too happy about life this evening. Cruising around for a quick 40 or so miles made things a ton better. Plus some idle adjustment. Which I will post about.

Mine (2006) had problems the few first weeks I had it. The charger/trickle charger helps - just charge it up the night before you ride if it's been a while since you've ridden or been a long time since you've charged it. I'm gonna be getting a new battery soon though, as this seems to be a problem best solved by that.

Welcome friend!! Yeah i had some issues as well. Bought a trickle
charger and haven't had a problem since. Was gonna buy a new batt
but a buddy suggested the charger first and so far so good. I'm coming
up on 5k mi so i may replace batt anyway just because.

Congrats & welcome!

Agreed. Mine died at the start of season #2 even with a good Battery Tender on all winter.

+1

Keep 'er charged or grab a better battery!

Meh. Don't feel bad. My battery was DOA before I made it back from the dealer. Smeggin bastages....

Just curious -- did anyone claim these battery issues under warranty? I for one did not.

Weird.... my 06 has 11,000 miles on it sat over 2 winters , never had a charger on it and cranked the living hell out of it each time the carbs got put back on from tuning probably 7 times and still it starts up fine every time :shock: mine has a yuasa battery as OE is this what they normally come with?

I haven't looked, but is the stock battery not a Yuasa? If not, it would be the first Japanese bike I've seen that didn't have an OEM Yuasa. Then again, this may be the only negative of the 599's Italian origins...

Yes, stock is Yuasa. So is my replacement. I'll let you know next year how my replacement does!!

I replaced my duff original with a stock Yuasa. My replacement is fine. It may not be the best possible battery but it's certainly adequate.

Weird.... my 06 has 11,000 miles on it sat over 2 winters , never had a charger on it and cranked the living hell out of it each time the carbs got put back on from tuning probably 7 times and still it starts up fine every time :shock: mine has a yuasa battery as OE is this what they normally come with?

Same for mine, but it's an '04.

Initial charge has a LOT to do with how a battery will live.

Initial charge has a LOT to do with how a battery will live.
Or die :lol:
From what I've seen around, I'd believe this no questions asked. :thumbsup

(Sev you have a PM)

I have a theory on the 04 models (and the same may apply to the 06). Because a lot of these bikes are purchased and ridden a year after the actual model year, the battery/bike might be sitting around for a while so the initial charge would be poor unless the shop did due diligence during setup.... ???

Maybe, however the bikes are crated dry, which should also apply to the battery. Unless the dealer prepped the bike prior to hitting the show room floor (which I think would be rare), the battery should be fresh upon delivery to the purchaser.

If only the X-Files were still around. They could use this as content.

Well.... there goes my theory! :thinking The mysterious world of the Hornet...

HEH maybe the guys at my dealership actually did something right ?? :lol:

wow, great to see everyone's experiences. as for me, i read what some others wrote - conclusion is i was probably overworking the battery - didnt wait long enough between trying to start the engine and probalby gave too much throttle.. sometimes it starts very quickly, and other times the engine turns over quite alot.

Next issue is buying a new front brake lever - its kinda scratched up and looks bent

I have a theory on the 04 models (and the same may apply to the 06). Because a lot of these bikes are purchased and ridden a year after the actual model year, the battery/bike might be sitting around for a while so the initial charge would be poor unless the shop did due diligence during setup.... ???

Shouldn't be, the batteries sit in the crate with no acid in them (but sealed) until the bikes are PDI'd. So unless you took a couple of weeks to pickup your bike then your battery should have been prepared within 3 days of you getting the bike.

Ya... my theory already got shot down! :tomato

Slide -- you need to relax. Your ability to accept criticism is severely lacking. Man, you need some help!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

P.S. Loved the tomato icon!!
P.S.S. See ya in a week!!

I have a theory on the 04 models (and the same may apply to the 06). Because a lot of these bikes are purchased and ridden a year after the actual model year, the battery/bike might be sitting around for a while so the initial charge would be poor unless the shop did due diligence during setup.... ???

Nope, the batteries come with the acid stored seperately inside the crate. When the unit is uncrated for PDI then the battery should be prepared for use. If the dealership did things correctly (according to Honda's rules) and you picked your bike up on time, your battery should have recieved its charge no more then 3 days before you picked up the bike. In which case it should have been fine.

Maybe, however the bikes are crated dry, which should also apply to the battery.
Shouldn't be, the batteries sit in the crate with no acid in them (but sealed) until the bikes are PDI'd.
Ya... my theory already got shot down! :tomato
Nope, the batteries come with the acid stored seperately inside the crate.

Ok Sev, now you are just picking on Slide and his theories. He might soon get a complex and abandon us for ever. We Canadian boys stick together and defend against flying tomatoes!! :D

Shit... lol, I'm so sorry. I didn't see my reply, and totally forgot about the last one.

You're welcome to punch me in the back of the head next time we meet. Apologies!

having the same issue right now, today, with my brand new 04.
Battery probably sat on the show room floor for three years...
Has died twice in the last week and a half. The deal has it right now and claims it's still good. I don't believe it. probably get it back, have it die in a day or two and then go throw it through their plate glass.
Really though, the load tester at the dealer says it's still good. Anyone know if their battery still load tested properly but wouldn't hold a charge?
ehhh..
Bothered.

Yes, the load tester isn't foolproof. It shows that a fully charged battery can function. It can't tell hardly anything about a state of a battery.

Main thing is that if it fails on test, it most likely is bad. A good tech that takes time can evalute a bettery if he takes time and reads voltages and make determinations by other methods.

The beat thing for my piece of mind is to replace the questionable battery.
If your battery is for sure charged and you leave the lights on for 5 minutes, it should still start the bike. If you forget and leave the key on for 30 minutes, it will likely not start. You have to roll it off, jump it or if lucky, let the battery cool cool down a bit and then it may recover enough to start. Is is harder to turn a hot engine than a warm one.

ok, not to hijack the thread, but im having a similar problem. i let my bike sit for a month or two and my battery died. charged the battery over the weekend and bam... it worked perfectly. until the next day, when it wouldnt start. pushed started and went to work. wouldnt start at the end of the day.

charged it over the next day (today) and went down the street to the gas up. started no prob. after filling up and went to vote. was in the polls for no longer than 15 min. bike wouldnt start. pushed it and it started.

my battery is no older than 3 months. and has sat on the charger for about 5 hours today. i did the rev it and see if your lights brighten, they do. so that tells me that my alternator is still good.

any suggestions of what could be wrong?

I have been having a battery problem with my 2006 599 on and off for a year and after the dealer said all was ok with my bike and two batteries later. I took matters into my own hands. In short:

1. Your charge rate should be 13.5+ volts DC at 2,500 rpm
2. Your charge rate should be 14.8 volts DC at 5,000 rpm
3. If not check your alternator, by disconnecting the alternator plug (3 yellow wires) and by using AC setting on multi meter go yellow to yellow to yellow on all three wires that should read 50 volts AC at 5,000 rpm. (no plus or minus on AC current) ….DO NOT CROSS OR GROUND THE WIRES…..If alternator is ok then it is a faulty rectifier / regulator (RR) or could be a short in the wiring.
4. BUT before buying any new parts go through the complete electrical check that I found on the Internet.

Go to the bottom of this page and download the PDF file and print.
http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_fault_finding.html

I ordered a new rectifier / regulator because after doing all of the above checks showed that part to be the problem. Wish me luck. Cheapest prices with complete factory parts manual diagrams: http://www.motogrid.com/

Sneaky should do a video on this HINT HINT
GOOD LUCK.

ok, so i tested my alternator. at idle, its at 12.5... at 2000rpm its at 14.4

i went to the shop where i bought the battery from and they tested it and it was slowly losing a charge. with the negative lead connected and even more slowly with the neg. cable not attached.

If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

My way of saying to check for a mechanical problem. Electrical connections at the battery, fuse block, and other points in the charging circuit are a major source of problems. The link that Will posted had that tidbit of information as well. From that link,,,,,,,,

Any well working charging system on a modern bike will produce a voltage over the battery terminals in between 13.5 Vdc and 14.5 Vdc, over the entire rev range. When you suspect a fault in the system, this is the first thing to check.

When you find that there is a problem, keep in mind that the number 1 problem with any charging system are bad connections.