75 mA battery draw at rest?

[NCHeritage07]

I recently learned about the security code that can be used without the fob on my 07 Heritage.  I went to check my code and reset it.  That was successful but when I went to start it my battery was too weak.  It ran only a week ago for about 10 minutes total and it was a little sluggish then.  The battery isn't that old but has always been un-impressive on the first start of the day.

So I decided to test the resting current.  I saw 116mA initially which then settled down to 75mA.  Based on what I have read this is too high.  This bike is a 2007 Heritage with a security system and wireless key.  Do I start pulling fuses or is this an acceptable draw and just a weak battery(autocraft)?

[Karl H.]

About 5mA is acceptable. 75mA is way to much! The alarm siren might have a defectice 9V block. I would disconnect the siren first.

Karl

[Breeze]

I know you have a Heritage, but do you have a radio amp? My '07 Electra Glide was pulling about 45ma at rest AFTER I installed a H.Tunes Amp. I called them and they said it was normal to draw power when off, for instant on or something like that. I put a in line switch on  the amp, now it draws less than 4 ma.

[NCHeritage07]

No radio amp or any radio equipement.

I am also not sure it has a siren.  I have lifted it off its stand while forgetting the key and the lights flashed but no noise was made.

I will pull the book out and see what each fuse powers and start pulling them one at a time.

I did add an always-on USB charging port but I checked its draw and it was 4mA.  Pretty low but its nearly equal to the acceptable draw.  I may find a way to put it on an accessory line. ---and still find the real draw.

[NCHeritage07]

I was finally able to do some more testing and I think I am happy with what I found.  I put the meter on it and pulled each fuse, one at a time.  But the only fuse that changed anything at all was the battery fuse which caused the current to drop to zero.  I decided that this data was not of any benefit and the problem may/might be the voltage regulator.  I left it to get some tool to disconnect the regulator and when I got back the current was very near zero with a slight increase as the "key" light on the speedo blinked.

After a few other disconnects and reconnects, a repeatable pattern became evident.  At connection, it pulls 116mA, within 20 seconds that drops to 67mA while the "key" light remains solid.  Then, at about 2 minutes, the key light begins to blink and the current drops to 50mA.  Finally, at ~2:20, the key light continues to flash but the current drops to near zero.  Apparently, I blew the fuse on my mA connection on the meter so I am stuck measuring on the 10A range and that reads 0.001-0.002 depending on the light flash cycle.

So, with this info, I think my battery and all other electronics are OK. 

If anyone has easy access to their battery and cares to watch their resting current, or already know, I'd like to know if this scenario is normal.

[tommy g]

The initial immediate hi current draw is normal, I just dont remember why.

[kd]

Likely circuit saturation? 

[PoorUB]

This was discussed a few years back, The ECM stays powered up for a time after you shut off the switch. I forget why. After a several seconds it shuts down and goes into a "standby" mode.

Maybe someone else can post something more specific, but I this should be fairly accurate, in layman's terms.

[Coyote]

Likely circuit saturation?

No

This was discussed a few years back, The ECM stays powered up for a time after you shut off the switch. I forget why. After a several seconds it shuts down and goes into a "standby" mode.

Maybe someone else can post something more specific, but I this should be fairly accurate, in layman's terms.

Yes but there are other reasons,  like if the bike has a siren installed.

[Ranze]

Mine was [FLHR] power relay, which has diode. Old diode let's power lead thru. I dont know is there same kind relay on Heritage, check. Easy to measure.

http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php?topic=106644.msg1265533#msg1265533

[NCHeritage07]

Since my most recent test, where I found that the amperage dropped to near 0 after ~2 minutes, I have let it sit for several days without starting and the next cold start was instant.  When I found it dead it must have been due to too many starts without any riding.  As it stands now, my always on phone charger draws more current than the resting motorcycle.

I just found it strange that the draw reduced in steps.

[Coyote]

If you have a smart siren (with or without a pager) it will do this. Even without, it will, but to a much lesser degree.

[chaos901]

When I found it dead it must have been due to too many starts without any riding.

On a separate note, really should not start it without riding.  Other than the battery drain that you know about it can also introduce moisture into the engine.  Riding and getting the bike to operating temperature gets rid of that moisture.