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TBA 2008 EFI
I have being stranded a number of times due to battery not being fully charged.
I normally keep the battery on trickle charge using the Triumph charger when not in use.
But if I leave the bike for a couple of days not charging and go for a run in town, the next time I try to restart the bike its dead. The battery reading when this happens is 11.9 volts.
Now, I have the Triumph spots and the Kirsan signal minder installed. The Kirsan is set to running lights at half power.
The battery is obviously not charging at low revs in town traffic, but in this day and age you would think the Alternator would be fit to run the loads as stated.

Is there a higher capacity battery for our bikes ?
Can anything be done to increase the Alternator output ?
Is there a small booster pack for motorbikes ?

What kind of voltage do you have at idle and as you bring up the revs.
You are looking for 13.5 to 14.5 volts DC.
Start there.

you can use BS-14 on the bike it might be a little shorter so you have to fill in the gap by cutting up a piece of wood and putting it under the bike... that sure will work.

Batteries are not covered by the warranty. However if a problem with the bike has caused the problem then they will change it. Don't ask how I know...

Try running the short distances without the accessories on. And get the dealer to check the electrics over. There may be an issue somewhere that you don't know about.

The alternator should be up to the job, if you look at the fuse box there's circuits for so much, if they allow for all the extras then it should be up to it.

Sorry i mis-typed my reply. you can use a BS 14 instead of the BS 12 that comes with the bike. i use a small tool box to cover the gab between the battery cover and the battery or you can cut a piece of wood and put it under the battery to cover that gape... hope this help.

Evaluating charging systems is reasonably easy and worth learning. I have scene far
too many people get jerked over either by getting sold system components unnecessarily
that are not really at fault and don't solve the problem or, ALL the system components
unnecessarily because they are not really sure or capable of their own diagnostics.

Just my 2¢ worth.

Thanks for all the feed back.
First of all electrics are not my forte which is obvious
I just think the battery has not enough capacity @ 10amp.

I discovered I had the main beam on + the spots + the running lights.
So – Main beam = 60w
Spots = 35w x 2 = 70w
Running lights = 21w x 4 / 2 = 42w
Total = 172w = 14.3 Amps

The scenario seems to be that the battery was low, but had enough power to start the bike.
Driving through heavy traffic, I had the revs low say under 2000revs. When I stopped for fuel and tried to restart the bike there was obviously not enough power in the battery to turn the starter.
Which means that the alternator was not producing enough current at low revs to bring the battery up to the required voltage to restart the bike as I took a reading on the battery and it was 11.9v
Triumph specify the output of the alternator as 24amp @ 2000revs & 26amp @ 4000revs but I do not know what the output is at idle.
So in the time it took to get fuel – say 15 minutes travelling time – the alternator would have to produce 14.3 amps at idle speed to maintain the load from the lights + whatever was required to top up the battery to turn the starter.

I don’t want to re-invent the wheel and try to change what is, I just want to have some means to boost the battery if it happens again and not be left stranded.
So, stupid questions maybe.
1. Can you push start the bike
2. Is there a small booster pack for bikes
3. Is there a larger capacity battery for our bikes
Thanks again everyone.

I can answer your first question... yes you can push start our bikes.

Test for voltage. We Yanks understand it better.

At idle, with a fully charge battery, there should be at least 13.5 volts (DC) at
the battery terminals. That should go up to no more than 14.5 volts (DC) as you
bring up the revs. Seeing a very small drop when doing this is normal.

To test the stator/alternator, unplug the harness that comes from the stator/alternator
and goes to a three terminal plug under the seat. Check continuity between each terminal
and ground. There should be none. Check for continuity between each terminal. There
should be about .4 ohms or less.

Next, check voltage between the terminals while the engine is running. You are looking for
about 20 volts (AC) at idle and an increase of about 20 volts (AC) more per each 1000
rpm increase above that.

I agree you can push start the bike at first or second gear...

Not when mine was very dead, depends on how dead it is. spent a agonizing 40+ min trying to push start the bike. battery was left on for about an hour(i know,,my dumb a$$)

i had to be jumped and then cranked the idle way up!

There is definitely some thing wrong with your start/charging system. I have an 04 TBA with the original battery, and highway lights and never had a problem with starting, even after leaving the key in the on position for about half an hour(now I shut the bike off by the key only).Even in the winter, I don't use a trickle charger, I just start it once a month, let it run for 15 minutes or so and shut her down. I would check any and all connections for being loose and/or corroded and put some dielectric grease on them first.

Derek
I think you are right with your conclusion as to why the battery failed to have enough 'umph' after running in traffic with your spots and ancill lights on. My O8 EFI did exactly the same thing 2 weeks ago after slow running in the Ride to the Wall event. I did have my spots on and I had previously made the erroneous decision to upgrade to 55W lamps from the standard 35W. After a bump start (best in 2nd gear) with 3 Triumph riders pushing me it started fine. Turned the spots off and rode at normal speeds and the BA was soon charged up. No problems since ..even with the spots turned on.

Try the NAPA battery #740-1866. It's cheap and stronger than stock.

See 12 volt column





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