Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Honda Recon 250 won't start

I have a Honda Recon 250 2WD that was bought new last November. Lately when I go to start it up it will not start without 15 minutes or so of battery charging. Once it starts it runs well and idles good but once I park it back into the garage and go to start it a couple of days later it will not start. I charge the battery again and it starts but needs a charge every time I go to get on it. Should the battery have gone bad so soon? I have also tried charging the battery for longer periods but the charger after reading 4 amps or so gets down to 0 amps real quick and then I start it up. Is my battery shot and should I expect similar duration with a new battery or do I have a case with the Honda dealer? FWIW I have the 3 year extended warranty but I'm not sure it covers batteries. Any help/advice from other ATV owners would be appreciated. Thanks, Richard.

IME, once those little batteries die ... they're dead. They don't bounce back as well a large car battery or like deep cycle batteries found in a boat.

Was it dead the first time you tried to fire it up after it sat for a long time?

If that's the case it's time for a new battery.

Honda uses a CHEAP battery in their ATV's. My 650 Rincon battery needed to be replaced after one year, same with my 420 Rancher. Other family members have suffered the same problem.

I've never tried to get Honda to replace one because I know they would just put another cheap battery back in it. After they start to go dead I just replace. The replacements seem to be good for about 2 years and don't give me any grief.

Are you turning everything off when you park it? With engine running is alternator putting out voltage? Might be a short but todays battery's are expensive and warranty is only 6 months from some aftermarket sellers. I would check the battery voltage after you run it for awhile and then check it again after a day or 2 and see if the voltage drops significantly.

Sometimes batteries, even the good quality Yuasa batteries most of these machines use, will fail when they don't get used regularly. Loosen, check/clean the terminals, and re-tighten them before you give up. I suspect nothing is seriously wrong- at least nothing worse than a battery.

Most ATV batteries are shipped to the dealer dry, and the electrolyte is added by the dealer. What the dealers should do, but in most cases don't, is slow charge them once they have filled them. They usually won't last longer than six months to a year if they weren't given that initial charge.

I contend neglect (disuse) is still the worst thing for these little batteries. I rarely see a OEM battery go less than two years if the machine gets used somewhat regularly. Usually they go longer. But leave them sitting for awhile while they drain down and they can get funky quicker.

Thanks everyone for the quick responses.....Starting it up every 2-3 days is not neglect, the terminals are shiny clean and tight, it's a new ATV, with that being said what is a good quality ATV battery and where can I get one? I'd like to buy a good one and install it myself but I don't think I'll go back with a Honda battery. Thanks again, Richard.

I usually get mine at Walmart. Mainly because of the hassel free replacement if it doesn't perform. They have alway's had two, types for every model I've ever needed one for. One is the "standard" battery and has a one year warranty. The other is a "cold weather" model and has a two year warranty and cost about $15-$20 more. I alway's buy the cold weather model and they seem to last the two years they are gauranteed for and then die shortly afterward.

Are they the best? I don't know, but they are convienent.

Terry

Sorry to disagree with the rest here, but no way a battery should go dead on a 6 month old bike after sitting two days.
I personally do not have a Honda but of the other new atvs I purchased none needed a battery till at least 5-6 yrs old.
My thought is, there's a parasitic power loss in the bike that shouldn't be there, I'd pull the pos wire & check for draw between it & the pos battery post to see if there's a drain.

As a side note, your not killing the engine with the kill switch & leaving the key on?

No sir, I turn the key off and that's it. No auxiliary components are on besides I have only one and they are the 2 headlights and I don't use them for daytime riding. I don't turn the unit off by kill switch I turn it off using the key in the ignition. I too thought 6 months was not very long for the battery to last but I guarantee when I go home this evening and I try and start it it will not start although I rode it yesterday for over an hour. I will double check the kill switch though and make sure it has not been left on my accident. Thanks.

Honda doesn't make batteries but uses (or used to use) Yuasa, the same as many other ATVs - and they are good batteries generally. It sounds like you've either got a small 'leak' draining the battery somewhere - doubtful- or the battery has failed somehow - unusual, but not unknown....and very troublesome. I know it's not much of a silver lining, but be glad if you don't have to deal with air freight on something as small as a ATV battery.

I work on these things (batteries) for living and they can absolutely go south in 6 months and in some cases, even less time.

I've put 2 in my wifes 09 RancherAT and we bought that thing new. We store it in a heated garage in the winter and she fires it up once a month so we are not neglecting the 4 wheelers.

I've found that going to a shop that specializes in batteries is the way to go but if you don't have anything nearby, I'd suggest getting an Interstate battery. I've found that they last longer than most other brands on the market today. You could also go to a Costco and get one, their warranties are top notch.

That was my initial thought as well..before buying a new battery, check your charging circuitry...

Had a 99 Foreman original battery last about a year. Bought a replacement from Batteries Plus in 2000, filled it with the supplied electrolyte and slow charged it for 24 hours before installing it, and it is still doing fine as of last weekend.