Battery Draining Issue

Thadorod

Standard Bore
Joined
Sep 17, 2022
Messages
8
Ride
2021 Triumph Rocket 3 gt
Hey everyone,

In the two years since I bought my 2021 Rocket 3 GT brand new I have had to bring it in three times for the battery being drained. The dealership has tried to blame me for leaving the ignition on which I turn off religiously when I'm not operating the bike. I ride my bike to work 4-5 times a week so it doesn't just sit. The most recent time I brought it in the dealership told me they did not have any concerns with the charging system or battery. They contacted Triumph who had them check the voltage from the right cube switch to starter relay, then the starter solenoid, and also checking the starter for any excess power draw which they told me all checked out as good. They ended up topping off my oil and returning the bike to me which has just under 10k miles at this point.

At this point I'm getting pretty frustrated and debating going to a lemon law attorney. I love the bike and bought it knowing Triumphs famous reliability. Anyone have any clue what could be wrong with my bike?
 
A dud battery?
Need to try a new one & see if the problem persists.
 
Already replaced it once. Was good for about 4 months before it died again. Dealership says there is nothing wrong with the battery.
 
Nashvegas said:
Yeah, ok, dealership, I agree. So how about you track down what is draining it? Jeez.
Click to expand...
The four times I have had to leave it there now they have kept it for two weeks each time to try to track what's draining the battery. It clearly does it slowly since it takes months, but they are stumped.
 
Do you put it on a battery tender? I have 3 bikes all on battery tenders so I have fully charged always.
 
I think we need a bit more detail from you......

- How long did the bike sit (without being touched) on the occasions where the battery appeared flat? (Did it occur on an occasion where you hadn't been running the bike)

- When you mention that the bike gets used most days, how long are these regular journeys? (Long enough to replace the energy used to start the bike?)

- Where do you keep your keyfob? (Close enough to the bike that it is in range?).........probably not be relevant, but thought it might be worth noting down.

- How soon between firing up the display etc.... and hitting the starter? (There's a significant drain on the battery when everything is lit up and the engine isn't running the alternator)

My gut feeling at the moment is a bad earth somewhere.....( <<<Wildcard>>> maybe even a faulty starter motor/actuator) , but it's worthwhile considering all possibilities.
 
-Bike rarely sits more than a weekend without being touched. Each time I've come out to the battery being dead was midweek and I had ride about 40 minutes the previous day.

-It takes me about 40 minutes to get to work and back, 20 minutes each way. Sometimes more depending on traffic.

-Bike is not near keyfob (but I like where your head is at)

-Maybe 10 seconds at most between display then start. I let the bike idle for 1-2 minutes while I strap my helmet and gloves on before I drive it. Ignition switch stays off when the vehicle is not being operated.

I brought up the idea of a bad earth to the dealer and they said they don't think the bike would start at all if that was the case. This slow drain has them stumped. I think a faulty motor/actuator is more realistic and its something they don't want to confront. My warranty is up next month since I've been dealing with this on and off for two years which I realize has a bit of wiggle room but I am getting into Lemon Law territory.

I am mostly just looking for some direction I could point the mechanics they aren't looking, love the bike and would hate to lose it.
 
get a multimeter and verify amperes from my post below, these values were taken from a working brand new showroom bike. if you have higher drain amperes, then there is a short on your bike and start removing each fuse one by one until the values matches to what I took, and then you have the circuit where the short exist and we can go from there.


I did electronics measurement and battery drain calculation for rocket3R 2022 - Battery, Turn signals

Hello All, Hope it helps someone - Stock blinkers are 2watts 12V LED Array in each blinker/turn signal so they are consuming 167Milliamps per blinker. - When bike is completely OFF and Key Fob is ON and in range then motorcycle drains battery at 80Milliamps. - When bike is completely OFF and...
www.r3owners.net
 
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