Bandit died while riding - now no electric

[mushupork]

Had the Bandit (Year 2000 Bandit 1200) out for the first real ride of the season yesterday.  We got about 35 miles from home and suddenly while riding there were three backfires and the engine died.  Pulled over to the side of the road safely and from that point on there was no electric on the bike - no lights, signals and no starting of course.  Checked the fuses under the seat - all good. We got towed home and put on the Battery Tender all night but still no electricity this morning and no start.

Dead battery makes sense I guess ... but how did I ride for over an hour before the thing quit?  It has been on the battery tender since the tune up in March.  Tune up was done at my local shop when I had the tires replaced - all the standard stuff was checked, oil changed and I rode home after.

My next thought is to replace the battery (no shops open on Sunday) but do you think that will fix the issue?  Is there something else you suggest I look at?  A "master fuse" or something else?

Any ideas welcomed - thanks in advance.

[txbanditrydr]

Check the "main" fuse located near the starter relay.  It should be behind the left hand side cover.  It's a 30 amp fuse that controls the whole thing.

[mushupork]

Thanks for the suggestion.  Found what you meant in the Haynes guide and took off the left bodywork of the bike to check it.  It is intact and so is the spare.

[txbanditrydr]

The next thing I'd try is hooking it up to another battery - sorta like jumping it off.  If you get lights, horn, etc. then you'll know for sure it's your battery.  If still nothing you have other issues.  Good luck and keep us posted.

[mushupork]

None of the bike shops were open last night but Autozone was - bought a battery and connected it.  Everything seems fine.  Test ran it for about 5 mins then went to bed.

I guess I don't understand batteries well enough - how did it let me get an hour away from home before stopping dead on Saturday?  Like I wrote, I ran the battery tender on it overnight (12+ hours) and it was still stone dead yesterday.  Worked one minute while riding then the bike stalled dead the next with no warning signs. 

[txbanditrydr]

Batteries can be finicky things....  The ones that mess me up show 12.2 volts but won't crank.

Sounds like you may have suffered a dead or shorted cell - that will usually render a battery to doorstop status in a hurry.

Glad you got it fixed... 

[PitterB4]

Did you have the battery tested?  I had the exact thing happen.  Neg battery lead jiggled loose.  I'm sure I had a nice flame show shooting out of the exhaust. 

[mushupork]

I didn't have the bad battery with me when I stopped at Autozone.  The connections were tight when I swapped them out last night though.  Maybe I'll take it in - they can dispose of it legally too I bet.

[Bandit1250]

So....what was the problem??

[mushupork]

Bad battery

[asskickinpeanuts]

FWIW I had a similar situation with a 1982 GS1100GK.  I had JUST replaced the battery with a brand new one, left it on charge all night, started vacation the next day.  I had to jump start the bike by the end of the first day.  Continued down the Blue Ridge Parkway.  On the way home, on I-81 right outside Martinsburg, WV, the bike totally stopped AND blew fuses.  The verdict was a bad battery AND regulator rectifier!   The bike shop in Hagerstown, MD swapped a used regulator and charged the battery all night.  The conclusion was that the original charge did not fully charge the battery.  Hence, the regulator rectifier and charging system was working overtime to finish the job, eventually overheating and ruining the original RR in the ensuing days.  Do I believe it?  Not 100%, but I'll never know for sure.  So that's my story, I'm sticking to it!