Flat Battery

It was just too nice today if a bit cool, so I got it out, and after the 3rd kick, I decided something was wrong. Tried the horn and hardly anything. So I got the VOM out and 5.1V on the battery. Ugh. It was fine just a few weeks ago, and I thought I'd had the smart charger on it recently, maybe I hooked it up backwards. I have a hard time putting red on ground. Anyhow I put the lightweight manager on it and after an hour, nothing, still 5.3V. So I got the 1 1/2 A one out and last I looked it was 12.3V. I'll let it charge overnight and see what I have. Only 2 1/2 years on this Yuasa AGM from Clubman. I had the manager on it most of the winter. I would think it would last better than that, but like I say, maybe I hooked the manager up wrong. We'll see in a few days, it's going to start raining and it's been pretty cool anyhow.

I've been spending too much time on the John Deere with the Danuser post hole digger I just rebuilt, but it's plenty of exercise.

Dave
69S

Ugh I usually don't have charging issues till like 4 yrs. Fortunately we can roll start in most places or get a little jump though electro brains can take almost 20 mph in 2nd to spin up volts enough. Maybe the store has return policy to credit towards next one. No one said old cycles were an inexpensive hobby even the nickle and dimes ongoing drains. I usually put the charger leads direct on battery just to keep my connections straight.

Some intelligent battery chargers are not so intelligent. Just threw one in the trash, no brand names given.

"Smart" indicates the charger, not the user. One kept my diesel tractor just fine all winter, it uses 2 large batteries and I get tired of changing them every other year. But I don't see the need of using it all summer, since that's when it's used more and the bat doesn't get cold.

Dave
69S

DogT said:

I would think it would last better than that,
Dave
69S

Click to expand...

Dave,
I purchased a good rubber battery pad from Walridge. Most lead acid batteries do not like vibration so anything better that the steel battery tray would help. I have had good luck with my battery with over 5 years on it. I also use this tender as it has pulse tech. http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-res ... 100-P.html
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN

The AGM are supposedly more resistant to vibration than the liquid lead acid and especially the gel cell. I should probably get the pads, I'm using those old hard rubber pads that were originality in there. But I'm thinking it may be something I did. We'll see, the battery took a charge over several hours and has been on float overnight. My charger takes the battery to 14.5V and then goes to float at 13.3V and once in a while pulses it back to 14.5 and then lets it float again. I got one of the 1.5A and a couple 900ma like here http://www.yuasabatteries.com/chargers.php but you can find them about $10 less than that at bike shops on line. I'm a cheapskate. That $99 charger looks pretty good though.

Dave
69S

Still holding 12.8V this evening after disconnecting the charger at 9am. WTF. Oh, well.

I never seem to get much more than 2 years from a battery, but I don't leave a tender on it all winter so maybe that's why. The bike is indoors however and never gets cold.

If wet lead cell battery is allowed to go flat then it speeds up the suflate or such formation that can collect to short the cells, especially if bounced to point the stuff settles-piles up on the bottom of plates. There stories of getting stuck w/o juice so they dumped the battery upside down to shake out the shorting crud then filer the acid to put back in and got going again. EDTA chelating agent is sold to put in battery to extend them or recover them, at least for a while longer. Battery banks for solar etc, need to have periodic over charging to "Equalize" cells, so they are all putting out more than sucking down storage amps. Before I shut down on way home I turn off lights to try to get closer to full charge preservation. Trixie is using a Wallmart 8-9ish ah that was in electric start SV650 for a year, then sat a year+ while Trixie recovered, then couple+ yrs in Trixie with a couple times bumps broke the zip ties and batter acid drained till she died on idle then would not start w/o a roll off, then a few more months to weeks at time down time going flat so horn don't toot just click but points allow a KS and then hold charge enough for one step starts the rest of the day. At some point likely this 5th yr will get so resistant it won't start with battery hooked up - then another battery cheap as I can find. Similar battery life with my big ole mower now on 5 yr of battery which is getting weak so I use a charger to help to cold stat now, so begining to set my mind to have to buy another soon.

They sell felt like matt impregnated with alkaline substance to absorb spill and vent-age from eating the battery tray and helps cushion the shocks too.
http://www.google.com/#output=search&sc ... 39&bih=576

It was still holding 12.7 this morning, so I put the smart charger back on it to drive up the voltage again. I may do this for a few times this week while it's raining and then let it sit for a week or more and see what it holds. I'm thinking it's OK, it just may be that I hooked the charger up basackwards for a few days the other week. I should get a load tester, but why when a headlight works so good?

Good grief, here it is early May and it's still only 55F for the high today.

Dave
69S

Thats why I went the Maggie way with my Norton, never have to worry about battery issues ever again, I fired up my Norton for the first time in 4 months sinse owning my new Thruxton, it fired up after the second kick, no need for a battery to run your lights.

Ashley

Be sure to disconnect the fuse. My battery tender won't shut off as the zenier diode bleeds off current at the lower voltage than the tender shut down voltage.

I always pull the fuse. The early bikes only switched the rear light and ignition. Everything else is always hot. I may rectify that at some point with a couple of relays.

Dave
69S

Well, it must have been my stupidity. I left it sitting after charging for a few weeks and the bat was still at 12.7 (it's been pretty cold here). I think it has something to do with the red wire I have connected to the minus terminal on the battery, I've got to change that.

Otherwise, I had it out for a run today and it felt good. The wife is in NJ, so I trusted it enough to go out without backup. I need to get out more. It's been a very busy spring for me.

Dave
69S

i got one of these and so far pretty damn happy with it.
http://www.geniuschargers.com/G1100

it never gets a sold 100% light, just blinking 100%, but i think thats the zener causing that. My moms lawn mower had a DEAD DEAD DEAD battery in it. Tried different charges, would never start again the next week. left it on the wicked smart over night and it starts every time now.

oh and it shuts down and tells you if you've hooked it up backwards :wink:

Well 40 years with the Norton and no battery tender. Never paid any attention to them. Bought a Harley and now I'm suddenly heavily into battery charging, "maintaining", and even load testing. All this to convince myself that I don't need a new battery. (It's just the way it is.)

Dog T - maybe paint that red wire on the negative side with a brown paint pen followed by a blue stripe heh heh.

Russ

Yeah, mine tells me if I'm hooked up basakwards too, I just didn't look at it. Unfortunately it doesn't honk at me.

No, I need to replace that stupid red wire with a black or green one.

You can buy the cool charging plug that resides on the side of the bike from ebay. They're a little spendy, but they're polarized! Of course, you have to solder it up right the first time. That's where I'd lose it... If you dedicate a smart charger with this plug, then there's never a concern about polarity in the future.

I use an industry standard Battery Tender plug. Only caveat is the little cap must be used, the male pin would arc if touched to ground.