I only got about 18 months out of my batteries. I recently went with Shorai on my R1 and am very happy

 

Test your charging system to see what voltage it is putting out. Also, get the battery tested. The battery should last for more than three years, but I have seen them go out sooner.

 

Check the conections to the battery, sounds like a loose earth (ground). :thumbup:

Sometimes it is the simplest of things.

A mate of mine had the same symptoms on his BMW Adventurer a few months back, it took the bmw workshop 3 hours to find this was the problem :rotflmao:

 

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll get her up on the bench tonight or tomorrow and see what I'm getting for voltage and I'll make sure to get a full charge on the battery today to see if it holds.

 

While you have the battery tray out check the starter solenoid connections are clean and secure.

 

.


My previous 'Varta' battery only lasted 15 months uzzled:

And left me stranded in France :rant: :evil:

Could of been worse though.


Thanx Dave.

.

 

the original battery lasted 5 years ,but its about 18 months to 2 years now

 

I have a full charge in the battery now (per my battery tender). I'll check it tomorrow morning with a meter to see what it held. This is the second battery. I picked the bike up in June 2010 with 3,100 miles on it and the PO had just installed a new battery (so he said). I've put about 10,000 trouble free miles on since. I did move 12 months ago from southern California where I rode the bike every day to Massachusetts where I only can get on it every other week for a 30-60 minute ride between May to November. The rest of the time it has sat on the trickle charger.

 

I've always gotten a minimum of 5 years from a Yuasa. I'm curious to know how continuous trickle charging affects battery life.

 

It's complex. Look up electrolysis. H² and 0² are the equalizers. Oxy (+) and Hydro (-) is the chemical reaction to electricity found? In other words, it's all around us like air. We even repel/attract is why we are good [lightening] conductors we getting hit all the time, buy a lotto with the odds and all that.

Sulfuric acid is the puppy. The H² and the 0² create that heat that causes the protons and electrons to bounce off each other and all that magical heat develops and then when hot enough, POOF! = H²0 flies out like a nice combo of hydro is the fuel, oxy is the air flamedango it goes up near a flame and all that chemistry that is over my head.

So the acid remains and now thickens. So you get the rest about having that PH of both chemicals being somewatt equal. When that battery is up to 1.27 on the acid scale, or you look at it at volts saying 1.28v is a well charged battery. It is saying, you have twice as many parts of oxygen to hydrogen in weight.

So if you saw both liquids in perfect alignment with the formula, H² would be twice as low as the 0²'s weight = 1.28 specific gravity. 1.300 is ideal well charged. 1.150 is discharged.

So like a manicured lawn, pool, body acids, you are more looking at the chemical numbers rather than the volts. The chemical balance inside the batter is the x-ray. The volts across the leads is like an anal thermometer to the outside. You need to draw blood in other words.

 

huh? :headscratch: I search the word anal and THIS is what I get.

 

Hubz, your thoughts often encompass visions beyond my perceptions. Let me put the question another way - does the continuous activity accelerate the degradation of the electrolyte or the erosion of the electrodes?

 

- does the continuous activity accelerate the degradation of the electrolyte or the erosion of the electrodes?

Yes. Acid loves to decompose lead.

No. Electrolyte remains like water if it never evaporated meaning. The water vapor is the chemical reaction so that depletes the water thru heat [the gas] meaning, you get it near a spark and all that. So no, the acid does not evaporate. The water solution to make the correct specific gravity does. So you see why you have to add water to the battery to get the specific back to 1.300?

 

I see what you're saying. Thanks, H.

 

Original Yuasa still doing the business in mine. (03 bike registered in 05) .Conditioner put on it for a day or two every couple of weeks when not in use.
It seems like I've got lucky, for a change. :thumbup:
Should I expect it to pack up any day soon? Replace it before it lets me down?

 

The Yuasas always gave me plenty of warning, starting with slow cranking when hot, and increased need for topping off the cells.

 

duuude!!! I just wanted to figure out why my bikes broke That said, I do appreciate the in depth education on the properties of batteries...you got some smart peeps at this forum

 

Simply put, youre battery is seeing surface charges from the charging system on short rides but a surface charge has less real power than a deep charge. With a surface charge, the bike will start but loose some charge in the process. If you go for a ride that is insuffciently long to replace the charge just used to start the bike, you are now working with less charge than you started with. Give the battery a deep charge on a battery tender and see how it goes. If you regularly park the bike for more than two weeks at a time, you should hook the battery up to the tender to maintain a full deep charge.

 

I have to reread that book of basics over again, but when you ask a question, you can see where the heat is building? It takes two dissimilar metals, a liquid and now gas.

Here is where I have to remember the other metal and it's not copper I believe? Copper is the best flow, meaning, can take the heat. A metal will absorb the heat. So when that 'electrolysis' happens, the electrons cannot flow? It hangs there beating the metal to death is that battery heats up when charged. It draws a lot of current in, like, sucks it in. So those two battery moves are saying, 'Hey, hello, I'm done!'

Say those faults have exposed themselves. And if you think about how simple it is, visualize:

1. Solid = The metals will react to;
2. Liquid = The chemical reaction which ticks away into 5 years about to kill it is the;
3. Gas = The residual that makes electricity.

That's my breakdown. The book is not explaining it that way. I'm just reading nature and she electrically decomposeshit happens!

 

Correct, Rotty.

This battery is different. It's chemical won't evap meaning. They use nickel not lead? Phosphorus for the chemical? Won't electrolysis as fast as sulfuric based.

Look up Edison battery vs. Storage battery.

And to add to; an editing note: with the storage base, you can check the specific gravity and get an accurate reading of the battery. With the Edison types, you can only read the volts across the leads meaning. So to check the jell is forget it.

So even though they last longer, are lighter, have less chemical reaction to that rotting out, you weigh that balance.

 

I did leave it on the battery tender for a full 24 hour period and my charger at least told me it has a full charge. I've just pulled it apart to test the battery, the alternator (per the service manual) and the solenoid connections as recommended by a member. It sure fired right up like it always has when I unplugged it. I sure hope to find the cause. I have a 1200 mile trip planned in 2 weeks and it will drive me nuts if the problem just "goes away" . Thanks again for all the suggestions and education

 

I don't take any chances i have a digital voltage meter right where i can see it at all times on my bike so i will know instantly if there are any issues before they become a problem stranding me somewhere

 

Ok guys....I am getting 12.6V from the battery. So that matches the service specs. When I test the alternator, I am getting 75 V AC at 4,000 rpm. Per the service manual, I should have 85-120 V at 4,000 rpm for a properly functioning alternator, but then it goes on the say " A much lower reading than that given in the table indicates the alternator is defective". Is 75 V considered "much lower"? The stator coil resistance checks at 0.4 at a slightly warmer temp than the 68F in the service manual.

What do you all think; is my alternator just tired and not keeping up, thus causing the battery drain problem I just experienced?

Or, as Rotty suggested, I've just not spent enough time running the bike to keep the battery charged? I have kept it off the tender since I first went out for a ride in May, and all my rides have been pretty short duration.

Thoughts?

 

I am going to take my volt meter, set it at 20v.
I am going to start the bike and let it idle.
I am going to check the leads to read volts @ idle so red to (+) and black probe to (-) ground or the battery's (-) post.

I should see 14v @ idle and say 14.2v revving up to 2,000rpm.
I don't want to see 13 volts or less.

WATT saYE?

 

A little seems to be a lot when it comes to electrical. A 12v battery is considered garbage if it tests at 11.9 volts. It seems to me if you're seeing 75v @ 4000 rpm when the manual states 85v -120v @ 4000 rpm, the alternator is insufficient. According to the manual, if the output is low but the stator resistance is normal, the rotor magnets are probably weak and the rotor must be replaced.

 

Sounds typical of an AGM battery. They last about two years and that's it, they start doing just what you're experiencing. Possible that the weak battery and all the electronics are dragging the alternator down.

12.6vdc is no where near a full charge, it's closer to 75%. A freshly charged 12v battery should be about 13.2v right off the charger and slowly drop from there but not down to 12.6v.

 

The manual says to test the battery voltage 30 minutes after taking the battery off the charger, did you wait to test it, or did you test it right away?

 

No I didn't wait the 30 minutes. I have it back on the tender now and when it indicates a full charge (steady green light-very exact ) I'll pull it off, wait 30 minutes and see what I get.

 

This is a field question?

1. I have the typical stator problem = I never change my magnets out, only my wires and that cured it.

2. I had to change magnets and that did it = Charging with the old stator wires.

3. I need to check each yellow wire against the other wire's resistance? Have I done that? I don't want to change magnets if the house never swaps out or hardly needs the rotor to be replaced.

Watt SaYE now?

 

I need to check each yellow wire against the other wire's resistance? Have I done that? I don't want to change magnets if the house never swaps out or hardly needs the rotor to be replaced.

Watt SaYE now?

Valid question to ask yourself. A simple wire resistance test is free and should be performed prior to disassembling the alternator. If the resistance is found to be high in one wire, there is corrosion or a partial break and should be fixed anyway. If the wires test fine, you now have confirmed that you really should replace the rotor.