gl1100A 1983 Battery Drain?

[RealtyCaffeine]

I'm troubleshooting a battery drain problem and not having much luck. It's pulling about 8-9 ma when the key is off and it doesn't seem to be affected by pulling the fuses. I know the digital dash will pull some but I'm not sure if 8-9 ma is appropriate. It seems to run the battery down in 3-4 days of just sitting in the garage. Any ideas??

[winguyjo]

8 - 9 milliamps sounds like what i would expect from radio and/or odometer memory. are you sure the battery is good ?

[RealtyCaffeine]

It's a new battery. I know "new does not equal good" but it seems ok. I bought a lithium battery this time and it checks out ok with the charger I bought with it. I'm going to see how long it lasts without the charger/tender on it as a test but thought I'd ask if anyone had experience with a problem like this.

[OldguyGlen]

Just juggling the numbers for curiosity...
At 10 ma, and a typical battery having 22 amp-hrs rating, it would take 90 days to fully drain the battery. Assuming the battery would effectively be too low to actually start the motor after about 1/3 discharge, that would still take 30 days. So a failure in 3 days indicates a bigger leakage, or a weaker battery than expected. So, further testing is indicated to shed some light on this. Keep us posted.

[Joneszy]

My 83 had a battery drain when I purchased it. I knew this upfront. After trying several things to solve the issue, noticed that the voltmeter never shut down unless I held my mouth right (pushing down a bit on the key when shutting off if I recall)when turning off the key. As I was stripping the bike and replacing the digital dash pod with an analogue setup from an 82 anyway went ahead and did that swap which requires a different keyed ignition switch, proceeded to make the swap and never had the problem again. Just a suggestion to fiddle with the keyed switch and watch the voltmeter when shutting down, if it does not zero then maybe you have an issue with the switch?

[RealtyCaffeine]

Thanks for the tip! I have been monitoring the battery voltage and it seems to be settled at around 13.18vdc. I'll try your tip and see if I can make it happen.

[Devorlast]

The 83 I bought last year has the same exact problem. I didn't feel like digging through 40 years old wiring so I got a battery disconnect switch, it's like $6 on amazon, and has been working fine since. Only need to turn the switch off when you park it for the day, and since the battery on the GL1100 is so conveniently located it's a breeze. There are more expensive options out there that include a wireless fob relay that goes across your main positive line, I don't know if I'd go that far though for just a little more convenience. One thing to keep in mind though, I am using a Lithium Iron battery that is physically smaller than the stock so I have the space for the switch. The stock battery might need some added hardware to make the switch fit without touching anything.
One day when I have more time on my hands I'll look for the "leak", If you pull all of the fuses and still see it, you might have a pinched wire somewhere. Check resistance between positive and chassis and positive and negative with the battery disconnected and fuses pulled, if it's low or "jumpy" you might have some nicks in the wiring.