As most of you know, I am very knowledgeable about batteries ( [cheeky]), however I have experienced an odd situation just recently. I ride very often, and generally put my bike on a Battery Tender Jr. when I park in my garage. Last weekend I had not plugged it in and some very stormy weather was coming in so I plugged it in after a day of sitting. this would normally result in a green light after a few minutes, butt this time it stayed red for a couple of days! I switched to a Battery Tender Plus then, and the same thing continued for a couple more days. A day or two later it finally went green. I then called my local shop, Moto Corsa, and they told me to bring it in for a load test (surprise surprise) and they said that it tested like a new battery! It starts the bike pretty much instantly, but it still takes longer than before for the little light to go green.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I was hoping that it was going bad so that I could justify buying a new super spiffy lightweight jobbie, but being basically thrifty, I have a hard time justifying replacing something that is working properly, my last Monster not withstanding.....
Thanks for any thoughts! Spike
Edit:spelling and laps in continuity
Quote from: SpikeC on December 10, 2015, 04:30:41 PM
<snip> It starts the bike pretty much instantly, but it still takes longer than before for the little light to go green.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I was hoping that it was going bad so that I could justify buying a new super spiffy lightweight jobbie, but being basically thrifty, I have a hard time justifying replacing something that is working properly, my last Monster not withstanding.....
Thanks for any thoughts! Spike
Edit:spelling and laps in continuity
Lot's of things take longer as we get older... ;D
High resistance in the terminal harness for the battery tender?
Hiya Howie, the connections are snug as a bug in a rug, I pulled and replaced the battery and payed close attention to that. And as far as age is concerned I do not know the history of the battery prior to my acquision of the bike two years ago last September. I doubt that it is original to the bike, a 2008 model. It is possible that it is seven years old I suppose, I have seen batteries last that long......
IMO, If the battery is over four years old, particularly with an FI bike, changing the battery as preventative maintenance is not a bad idea. As a diagnostic tool it is not a good idea. Measure the voltage drop of the charger terminal harness, meter + at the battery, - at the positive terminal that connects to the charger (the insulated one), charger disconnected. Then connect the charger, but leave enough of the negative side exposed to get a meter reading. + where the negative connects to the charger, negative at the battery. Both readings should be close to 0. If you get the polarity wrong, no problem. Just ignore the negative. Too much drop on the positive side? Check the fuse holder for corrosion. Also check the charging rate at the battery. It should be 13.5-14.5 volts at 3K RPM.
my 2 cents worth ..i just went through mega trouble with my monster...all because of a failing battery...it started the bike instantly, everytime then pop...totally died leaving me roadside with a buzzing relay, lights but not much else.... it was only 5 years old but i know now...once a battery starts to play up...replace it...i bought a japanese yuasa battery for 40 dollars... peace of mind...
. peace of mind...
Yep, buy a new battery.Don't get an El Cheapo one - peace of mind.
generally when a battery is going bad it takes less time to deplete and less time to reach full charge.
i think the internal resistance goes up. the battery tender applies current until the battery does not accept it any more (high voltage). that's when it assumes that the battery is full and you get the green lite. when the internal resistance is high and it applies current, very quickly the voltage goes up, refusing the charge, thus appearing to be full.
if your battery is lead-acid type, it could be mild sulfation that could be remedied with a charger with desulfation mode.
does the battery get warmer than usual? if it's getting current but not building up a charge, it should get unusually warm.
you'd need to know the start voltage, supplied current and battery voltage during the charge to properly diagnose it.
maybe the battery tender is supplying less current, thus taking longer to charge?
or your battery is not getting properly charged during the ride (bike charging issue)?
I decided to just do it, I now have a Shorai in the bike.
Would be interested in hearing how an 1100 goes with a Shorai. I have used Shorai batteries in a few bikes and really like them, but they were carbed bikes and my track bike. I'm thinking about getting one for my Hyper.
did you also invest in a Lithium balance charger?
That's a good idea. The Shorai specific unit has a diagnostic function that could be useful.
I will be getting the Shorai charger a bit later, I don't think that I need it just yet. When I started the bike a day after installing the battery it was in the 30s f., I cranked it a turn to warm the battery and then it started immediately. I did a few errands and had very good starts at each place that I stopped at!
Yeah, those batteries can sit around for months and be fine as long as there isnt a thirsty bike alarm or sum such device leaching away.