2014 Tiger 800 - Battery Good, but won't start

[Lebo1234]

Attempted to start bike last night, engine attempted to turn over for a few seconds and then stopped. Turned off the key and then tried again, it pretty much did the same. At this point the fuel gauage started flashing full to empty and then turned off the bike.

I assumed it was the battery. This morning, I put the battery on the charger and it was reading 13.5v I let it sit for a bit.

After getting to complete charge I put the battery back on and tried to start the bike with the seat off. When I did this, I noticed several things, there was a single click when I turned the key to the on positon. This was in the area of the fuses and various solenoids. Next when I hit the started a spark came from the ground and then it stopped trying to start. The screen then flashed a bit and the bike made the noise it makes when you turn it off.

I then started looking through likely fuses but could not find a blown one.

I then tried one more time. This time there was a spark from the ground and then the screen went blank and the bike is now officially dead.

I removed the battery and looked at the starter solenoid and the main 30a fuse under that. That seemed to be in good condition as well.

Curious if anyone thinks it is a solenoid, fuse or something else..

[K1W1]

There should be no sparks and when you saw the spark that should have been a sign to stop randomly try to start the bike.
Did you confirm that the ground as you call it is properly secure and not loose?

[HMC]

Hi Lebo1234,
It definitely sounds like you have a damaged/corroded earth/ground lead. You will get sparks when the current has to jump a resistance such as air gap, such as when trying to jump start a car with the crock clips not secure.
Regards HMC

[awjdthumper]

If you believe the bike is now dead, it would be worth checking whether the 12 V from the battery (assuming the battery is ok) is getting to one side of the fuses. If it is not then it implies that the main fuse is effectively an open circuit because it is either blown or its connection terminals are not doing their job (corroded or burnt out). If the 12V is getting to the fuzes then this may point to the solenoid (starter relay) being the issue

[Paullie2]

Worth noting that just checking those fuses by sight is not always reliable. They can blow and the breakage not always visible. Best to check with a meter, IMHO.

[Paulhere]

Poor battery connections. clean & refit, tight.

[Lebo1234]

So ended checking grounds and could not find any issues there. Had my brother check my sanity and he confirmed.

Then checked all terminals and connections were solid.

Put on a new battery and it started up immediately. Friend had a newer batter charger, put it on there and it immediately said battery was no good.

So I had a bad battery and a bad charger from what I can see.

[Paulhere]

Feedback is always good to read.

It usually is the battery for most faults that come on here.

[grizzlybear]

Good result 

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by Lebo1234

So I had a bad battery and a bad charger from what I can see.

Probably not the charger. The charger would most likely have been charging the battery to the correct voltage but the battery would have been breaking down when load was applied to it. If the charger was just a plain charger it would not test the battery.