Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech dead battery ramble

I'm about 90% sure its the battery. but i'm bored and can't ride so.. here i go with stupid questions..

if you had a battery die on you. how did it happen?

i got lucky and it happened in my driveway after a 20 mile ride...

-went to start - dead as it gets.
-jump it - it starts - lights are real dim -
-let it "charge" - took off jumpers and it still ran
-took off down the road to get it to "charge" it self
-got back shut it off. tried restart
-turnedover 3 times without fireing then got the dead battery rapppppppppppppp.
-jumped again. fired righ up.
-repeated same cycle in the hopes that it was just me. it wasn't

as a wierd cowinkydink my brother borrowed my voltmeter this morning, so the usual testing with that can't be done until i get him go bring that back...

but i bought a cheapcrapo walmart battery and its charging now. i'm basically asking cause i'm curious if im retarded.

im i wrong in saying that its not the charging system because the bike will run all day after a jump? tell me your tale!

Your battery is kaput. Just because you generate enough juice to run (while it's running) doesn't mean there is a surplus available for charging - might be, but not necessarily. Do the earth wiring mod from your R/R if you haven't already.

Battery life is hard.
They die.
How long was yours in service?

Mine died overnight. Simply wouldn't start the next day.

Ask Friar to tell the story of his battery the year we met up and rode to Vancouver BC....

Nothing wrong with that "Wal Mart" battery, those are made by Excide. The ones in the yellow box are glass mat too.

I must have gotten the best damn battery in the Triumph assembly line. It has lasted for 10 years and 40k miles. Knock on wood!

I do remember reading here somewhere that jumping your battery from a car will kill it. Or is that just one of them urban legends?

My Exide lasted 1.5 years. Last summer things were well until the last 2 rides saw the bike with a no start issue....dreaded buzz. With a full charge showing 13.5 volts it wouldn't turn the bike over. When I did a capacity test this spring it only had 105 amp capacity vs 180 rated. Battery was replaced on warranty.

My old Yuasa was swapped out after 7 years as a precaution. Still spun the bike over well. I guess I should have left well enough alone.

Going on eight years, 41000 miles, with original battery, (Knocks on wood), No slow starts or other signs of weakening battery, there usually are some warning signs, right? Ride safe out there.

mine died with symptoms like yours about 4 yrs ago. Replaced it with a walmart which was dying at the end of last season.

My OEM battery is 8 years and going so far.I own a battery tender but have never hooked it to this battery.

i had original batter on since bought the bike 2002 YES 10 years

Seven years and,well the season has not begun,but I'm crossing me fingers.

Had to join the battery rant. I was running errands the other day, got to my last stop, hit the ignition, and clickclickclickclickclick. *@#%$!%! dead battery. 1.5 years on this one and I think that it's time for a new one.

All I can say is: "British Electronics." At least they don't leak oil anymore.

The longer a battery sits the more opportunity for chemistry class to prevail. The sulphur in the electrolyte leaches to the lead plates coating them in a film; the longer the battery is idle the harder the coating gets. At some point the now 'sulfated' battery starts giving false positives to its charge status. At that stage you can only read the true state by measuring the specific gravity of the electrolyte. You might be able to resurrect the battery with a trickle charger; that would slowly heat the lead plates freeing the sulfur to return to the acid. A higher output charger just charges the remaining electrolyte giving those false positive voltage readings.

I randomly charge my batteries over the winter using a battery tender. I'm not convinced an inexpensive charger won't cook my batteries so I don't leave the charger attached long term. So far, so good. I got at least 7 years from the first battery but it may have been more as I routinely swapped the battery from my 01 Bonnie with the 04 when the 01 went dead and being lax didn't mark which was which.

My nephew replaced the battery in the 01 last fall, it hadn't been ridden or charged in months :-(

Here in the deep South, riding is the preferred trickle charge method. Although I am guilty of using a Yuasa trickle charger from time to time.

I got four years out of my stock battery (a lot of miles) before it died on me on a ride. Stoped to gas up and it never turned it over again. No warning at all. Thank goodness there was an Auto Zone within sight. Replaced that bat. last year just to be safe. It was the first time I have ever changed a bat. that was not dead.

We have em here during the winter: Snowbirds!

Have you heard the Snowbird call??? Yuk yuk yuk

EH!

i have no idea how long this battery has been in there, it was a honda battery of somesort. i bought the bike from fishercat in the winter. the walmart battery did the trick tho. i've never had a battery die on me the same way threw the 8 or so batterys i've bought in my life.
whats this ground (earth) mod?

I chased a dead battery issue for two years. Had all the systems your having intermittently. One thing about a battery its either good or not. Charging/distribution/grounding problems become noticeable as a dead battery.

Here's what I found and how I fixed it:
Battery/Charging fix

The guy who sold you that bike must have seen you coming...

Shouldn't you be 'marketing' something?

Lovely idea. Got any suggestions?

I suggest utter cream. It prevents chaffing as you milk the nipples off that one!

Some just ain't worth milking...