Battery goes dead after a couple of days

[bearshaka]

2002 GL1800, trike conversion (MotorTrike) in 2005. 98000 miles never any trouble until alternator/battery was replaced. Parked over winter for months and battery never died.

Shop replaced alternator and battery (the battery 3 times). Since then battery goes dead after a couple of days. Have had that shop and a Honda dealer research the problem (total of 3 weeks 4 visits). Both have failed to find a fault. I thought it might be the ignition switch because if I leave the key in, the battery would die but if I take the key out it would not. But after my last ride (3 hours hiway) I took the key out when I parked it in my garage and the battery was almost dead after 3 days. Additionally in the time line of battery dying, just before the battery goes completely dead, there is a high pitched buzz coming from the console (not the speakers). If I keep a battery tender connected all is good, but when traveling that is not always an option.
Any suggestions/thoughts/ideas would be appreciated.

[Steve F]

Would you happen to have a "BIKEMP3" player in the system? There have been problems with them draining batteries.

[bearshaka]

Thanks for the com-back.
I have a J&M mp3 player that "fools" the bike into thinking it is a CD player. However, I have had this installed for years with no issues.
I might add that the AM/FM radio was refurbished after the alternator/battery was replaced (shop said the radio was the problem for draining battery) but I don't think it is.
However, if the battery goes completely dead, CB and Radio do not work. I have to charge, disconnect battery leads reconnect leads and then that resets the electronics until the next dead battery episode.
I have a feeling there is a loose ground wire short somewhere as the time from full battery to dead fluctuates from 2 days to not draining at all.
Frustrating! and I have a trip planned to Big Bend in September, sure don't want to get caught with a dead battery out there.

[MikeB]

As a test, disconnect the Bike MP3 player for a week or so and ride it frequently and see if there are ny further battery issues.

If the MP3 player is draining the battery, it may be very warm to the touch while the bike is not being used. I had this issue and had the MP3 player replaced under warranty. No issues since then.

[raven41951]

I had left a battery tender sae/usb converter plugged into the tender cable. Just that little indicator light killed the battery flat in two days. Unplugged it and battery held a charge no problem. This leads me to think there is something in the system somewhere that is drawing power and killing your battery. I am not familiar with your set up, so I am being vague, but I would go for the obvious first, mps player, after market accessories, etc.

[Steve F]

OK, here's a test you can do to single out any parasitic current draw. It requires a decent quality Digital Multimeter and a bit of patience. In the end it could save you a bunch-o-bucks.
This video is based on checking a car, but the process is the same for the bike, except you don't have to worry about closing any doors first


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He talks about printing out a chart you will need to look up the values of the test, so I recommend doing that first before heading out to the garage.
Cheers!