On the way home from about a 50 mile ride. I stop for some tacos. When I got done eating and went to start the bike.......It was sluggish to turn over. Then that click click click sound. I checked if maybe I left something on, but found nothing on. Waited a few minutes, and tried to start the bike again, Same result. Got a hand and rolled bike off, it started right up and never missed a beat the rest of the way home.
All that said, I bought the bike 2 years ago, while fixing an oil leak discovered a used stater had been installed. Even have a book of records of all work that's been done to the bike, and found the receipt. Although the regulator was replaced with a new one, and the battery was also replaced at the same time, all just before I purchased the bike, June of 2013.
After getting home, I checked the charging circuit, At the battery while idling I got 12.33 volts, rev it up a little and 13.49 volts. check the battery under no load. 12.05 volts. Turn the key so the head light comes on and drop to 10.36 volts. So I am pretty sure the Battery is going out.
Does this sound correct? I do use a trickle charger, but only a day or two before riding, or after the bike has been setting longer than two weeks. Also how long of a life span can be expected from a standard battery, with standard use?
Battery life is dependent on many things, a properly maintained battery can last for over ten years. I just recently replaced the battery in my 2002 VLX 600.
All that said, I bought the bike 2 years ago, while fixing an oil leak discovered a used stater had been installed. Even have a book of records of all work that's been done to the bike, and found the receipt. Although the regulator was replaced with a new one, and the battery was also replaced at the same time, all just before I purchased the bike, June of 2013.
After getting home, I checked the charging circuit, At the battery while idling I got 12.33 volts, rev it up a little and 13.49 volts. check the battery under no load. 12.05 volts. Turn the key so the head light comes on and drop to 10.36 volts. So I am pretty sure the Battery is going out.
Does this sound correct? I do use a trickle charger, but only a day or two before riding, or after the bike has been setting longer than two weeks. Also how long of a life span can be expected from a standard battery, with standard use?
When was the last time you checked the cells water level? If you have the standard lead/acid battery they are not sealed and will evaporate via the overflow tube over time and charging. Longevity of a MC battery? It all depends upon many factors, heat/cold, added accessories, riding the the highway vs lots of stop and go with long idling periods. My Yusa's in my KZ900 would last about 2-3 years even with proper maintenance. The NAPA brand T battery that my Dad had installed in the Shadow 2 years before I bought it in May 2014, I replaced with an AGM Scorpion battery this spring because the battery wouldn't hold a charge. So that would make that battery 3 years old +. I'd recommend replacing your battery with an AGM with your State's climate
OK , so I just went and looked at the battery. I used a mirror, as the bike was on the stand, to see into the holes to check the water level. They all have water visible in them. some more than others but none were dry. Guess next stop is the good ol auto zone.
Had a similar problem today. Took the battery down to load test and it failed. I planned to replace next spring, but have a Yuasa AGM I'm just heading out to pickup now instead. Voltage always tested well, I even intentionally left the lights on for 15 minutes and started as a self check and it passed that...till today. Load test went to 108 CCA and should have been 190.
With a full charge on the battery, I`d use the electrosport diagnostic schedule to completely check the charging system properly...There are many you tube videos too, but I like the one I suggested...
check the battery under no load. 12.05 volts. Turn the key so the head light comes on and drop to 10.36 volts. So I am pretty sure the Battery is going out.
Does this sound correct? I do use a trickle charger, but only a day or two before riding, or after the bike has been setting longer than two weeks. Also how long of a life span can be expected from a standard battery, with standard use?
Pull the battery and get it load tested. It probably is going.
A conventional battery typically lasts 2 to 3 years. AGMs about double. With TLC, and AGM can last as long as 8 years. (I managed that.) Source. I'll let you know about lithium-ion (Shorai LiFePO) someday -- hopefully not soon.
Nope. Sounds like he's right at the point he should be expecting the battery to start showing symptoms of decline. But, of course, he should not assume anything when he can test.
No surprise here......Its time. So whats up with the Lithium-ion batteries.......I am running a standard stater and regulator. Any special considerations? Or just put it in and ride?
They are MUCH smaller and lighter.
o You need to pad the battery box to hold them. (Padding came with mine. It was cut-to-fit sticky-back in several thicknesses.) Getting the battery positioned ideally can be tricky; getting it wrong might have the positive cable rubbing on the battery box and getting you a short. (Don't ask me how I know. :-x )
Typical float chargers kill them.
o LiFePOs should never need charging after installation if you don't have problems/issues with your electrical system. They will hold something like 99% of their charge while sitting for a year.
o I've had success using a $7 trickle (700 mAh) charger that I got from Harbor Freight many years ago. (It is called a float charger but does NOT have a desulfation mode and power output is constant so it really isn't one.)
False rumors abound.
o One is that cold kills them. I think it's the float chargers that were used though the folks who spread the rumors deny using them. My battery has gone through 3 winters (One was harsher than encountered in Fairbanks, AK that year.) in an unheated garage with no issues.
LiFePO batteries put out power MORE EFFICIENTLY as they heat up. (That means better first-of-the-year starting.)
Supposedly good for 3,000 full-drain-then-charge cycles. (I don't plan on testing that.)
They put out full power as long as they can then output falls of dramatically.
o This can be very deceptive after years with lead-acid batteries. The tells of a failing charging system (e.g. slow cranking) are gone. The bike will seem perfectly fine until it won't run at all. (That was the first sign of stator failure for me -- the engine stopped when battery output dropped to 4 volts. I was moving at 50+ MPH at the time.)
I'll need to get another 2 years out of mine before I can say the investment was worthwhile. It was only $15 more than the Yuasa AGM I would have bought; I'm pretty confident I could have gotten at least 7 years out of that based on prior experience. I'll call them even if I get all of 5 out of the LiFePO considering the way I stressed the LiFePO during the first year.
A conventional battery typically lasts 2 to 3 years. AGMs about double. With TLC, and AGM can last as long as 8 years. (I managed that.) Source. I'll let you know about lithium-ion (Shorai LiFePO) someday -- hopefully not soon.
Adlowe pretty much covered the positives and negatives of Lithium-ion batteries for motorcycles. When I was looking for options to replace my "T" battery I gave them some consideration vs. an AGM as I had my fill with dealing with lead/acid batteries in my bikes. The Lithium-ion battery caught my eye for it's light weight and keeping a charge, but the cost was a killer for me. So I went the Scorpion AGM battery route which is rectangular and fit my box nicely and could be used as a side or top post and is slightly lighter by about a lb or so over the lead/acid stock battery and about a third of the cost of the top brands Lithium-ion. Just my 2 cents.
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