I bought the bike last April, and from the beginning I've been having problems with the battery. Now I replaced it right away when I got the bike with full charge and it lasted a bit but the mixture in the engine was too rich and so it still had trouble starting when the engine was hot, now by the time that got fixed the battery was run down and so I got it checked and the battery was fine, I charged it again and I was good for about a month and a half give or take... but now it's sitting out in my garage, and I don't know what it could be.
I'm not a mechanic but this is my main method of transportation at the moment and I don't have the money to take it to a shop.
I'm guessing the problem's the alternator, or maybe there's a loose cable somewhere letting all the juice out, but if it was a loose cable would it have lasted a month?
If you guys have any ideas as to what I could check or what I should do i'd really appreciate it. thanks.

 

It is probably your stator or the cable from the stator sometimes those break

just in case:

 

I'm curious how far and at what RPM's you are riding your bike when you do ride. Heavy traffic riding and / or short distance riding usually doesn't result in high RPM use, and you need some higher RPM's to charge your battery, as MOST of what power is being generated is used up by the bike just keeping it running....lights, CDI, all require power and at low RPM's, short distances you may not be restoring the power used to start the engine, and after a while, you are parking a bike with a discharged battery expecting it to start the bike the next time you throw a leg over it. This may not be the case. You may ride the snot out the bike daily and you have a charging problem. No mention of bike cutting out or stalling while ridden, only problem mentioned is after a period of start / ride / park / repeat, you seem to run out of juice to continue the cycle.

IF the above applies, this can be solved by using a two stage float charger. Two stage float chargers [like the regular Battery Tender] can recharge [slowly] a dead battery, and then drop into float mode once the battery is charged. It won't cook your battery like a three stage battery will. A single stage charger like the Battery Tender jr will only maintain the charge....it won't top off the battery, so if you come in with a battery at 1/3 capacity, the tender will only maintain that amount of charge. There are lots of good effective smart chargers on the market that will work for less money than what the Battery Tender label demands.

Jump start your bike or what ever you have to do to get it going and put 30 miles on it at consistent higher RPM highway speeds and see if you then don't have a recharged battery.

None of this may apply. I simply offered a possibility based on what was described. Further information can lead to better diagnostics.....such as a circuit draining the battery.

Just a note on the side...there is no such thing as battery terminals that "look" like they are making proper connection. There is no visual standard to substantiate good from bad connections. One step in the process of electrical problem elimination is to clean the battery terminals: remove terminal fasteners, scuff, buff, polish, whatever you need to do to establish good contact and re-install. Follow wiring harnesses to check snap connectors. Your bike is over 10 years old. Corrosion and vibration may be moving in like Art Ritis on seasoned riders, and needs to be dealt with. It's a good way to become versed in how your bike works, giving you a gateway into the mysterious world of motor sickling.

 

[QUOTE] Corrosion and vibration may be moving in like Art Ritis on seasoned riders, and needs to be dealt with./QUOTE]

I hate it when this happens......sheesh