[dukegrrl]

not the greatest way to start the day. Geared up, ready to fly, no power. Well, had headlight, battery and fuel light, but no ignition.

Now I must admit that for approx 6 weeks now, everytime I fired her up, the LCD display clock reset to 0:00. And in neutral idling, the LCD light faded in and out, not a consistent brightness.

The battery was installed last October.

Sooooooooooo my learned ST2 friends, any clues?

Dog battery? Re-charge system not working? Water in the ignition?

 

[Stick]

The luninescent backlight of the LED display flickered slightly at idle on my 1998 ST2 also. This is because when idling, the battery isn't really being charged. If you raise the rpm gently to 2000 or 2500, you should see the headlight get brighter.
This is best done at night, and shining against a light colored wall.

This is due to the voltage moving from about 12VDC upwards toward 13.5VDC in an instant. If you keep it at this high idle for a while, you should be able to measure 13.8V up to about 14.5V. This is the best way to see if the charging system is working OK (using a voltmeter).

Another thing we do on this side of the planet is many of us tend to plug our machines in when we garage them at night. This keeps the battery at a crisp, full charge.

If your bike did a lot of sitting since October, there's a chance that the less-than-charged battery developed some sulphite (a sulphation process), and this tends to reduce the battery's capacity. A fully charged battery does not sulphate.

Or you could have a marginal connection on your battery--you may need to get in there and see if they are tight.

Or see what the voltage is on the battery when the key is turned on...If it droops to 11 or 10V with just the headlight and ignition on (just prior to starting), then you might either need a decent charge in the battery, bad connection, or the battery is hosed.

 

[Bill_Anderson]

Is this a case of the chronic alternator/rectifier (?) problems of the 98 ST2?

 

[tahoest2]

If the bike hasn't been ridden much since last october and no trickle charge on it I would suspect a new battery will fix your problem. My past bikes would do this if I neglected the battery all winter. I live in Tahoe and can't ride for 5 or so months per year. I wouldn't stress out yet. The flickering clock sounds like you were barely squeaking by. I would suspect a drained/old battery that just can't hold a charge.

 

[Stick]

Don't forget, October is the beginning of Summer Down Under...

And as for chronic problem 1998's? I wish we could get real data and see how many were "bad" out of the total ones produced. We always hear about the "bad" ones. Well, the one I owned was "GREAT" for 52,000 miles (sold recently).

 

[vgv21]

The flickering light is present on my '98 ST2 too, it's not a problem, and I have a new (3 months old) Varta 16A. In my rookie opinion, as long as the battery is able to start the engine, it's just fine.
As for the '98 regulator problem, yes, it's there. I fried mine a couple of months ago and I bought a new one for 160 euros, with 2 years warranty.
But for the love of God and this bike, I'm willing to spend that kind of money every 2 years for that item.

 

[Desmo_Demon]

everytime I fired her up, the LCD display clock reset to 0:00.

Your battery has low voltage on start-up.

My clock will reset when my battery is drained low enough that starting it zaps all the power and resets the computer. This can happen when the bike sits for several weeks without a battery tender. When the clock is resetting often and the bike isn't sitting, your battery is getting ready to go.....sounds like yours got up and went. Odds have it that buying a new battery and keeping it on a battery tender when the bike is going to sit for extended times will solve your problems.

Edit - As for rectifier/regulator and stator issues....my ST2 had the stator and regulator replaced under warranty at 11k miles. The second regulator was fried 4k miles later. I relocated the regulator to get air, and at 46k miles, I haven't had to replace either part, yet.

 

[cb4265]

You can make a really cheap battery tender leads without soldering if you get the right parts.
I will attach some photos, but basically you get a plug for your accessory plug, suitable length of twin sheathed 4-5 mm wire & a couple of small crocodile clips to attach to a normal car battery charger from any auto electrical outlet, Battery World & possibly Dick Smith Electrical.
I use the little plastic reel to stop the clips from touching & shorting out.

Craig