Battery and sulfate

[Charlie98]

This is actually a question about the battery on the XR, but it would certainly apply anywhere...

I went out to take the XR for a spin to the bank, yesterday... mashed the magic button and... nothing.  The headlight didn't even come on, nor the indicator lights.  So I threw the battery tender on it... but I noticed it never went into charge mode.  Crap.  Multimeter says it has about 6v, soooo....

I pulled the battery out (thankfully, a 2 minute job on the XR, vs the 2 hour job on the Monster...) and put it on my big charger, a multimode Schumacher.  It started to charge... and then shut down, and threw an indicator light.  Referencing the manual... it says it went into 'desulfation' mode.  OK... never heard of that, but... alright.  Instructions say it can take up to 10 hours, so I left it set on the bench overnight.  Went out this morning and, 16 hours later, it's still in desulfation mode.

Granted, I don't ride the XR as much as I should... mostly because I would have to move the Ducati to get to it... and, well, the Ducati has it's own merits.... so I understand why the battery would need a charge, but what is the reason for sulfation?  Just from setting, or is there a mechanical/electrical reason it would do this?  It's a regular Yuasa AGM (I'm assuming...) motorcycle battery, just like my Ducati battery.

[Charlie98]

As a follow up... I decided I had nothing to lose and reset the charger.  It showed it had about 50% charge... so I threw it back on the XR, again, just a 2 minute job... ...and it turned over slowly but started.  Meter says it has a little over 12v on it.

I put the Yuasa trickle charger on it, to see what that gets me.  I'll check it when I get home tonight.

So... secondary question:  Does reviving a battery from sulfation permanently damage it, or reduce it's ability to hold a charge?  I take the XR into some remote areas... if the battery is compromised, I'll have to replace it.

[Howie]

You have given the battery a second, but short life.  Time for a new one.

[Charlie98]

I guess it blew it's wad this morning.  Came home at lunch and while the charger showed full, the battery wouldn't hardly turn the motor over, let alone fire it.

Scrap.

[koko64]

You have given the battery a second, but short life.  Time for a new one.

+1 That mode is CPR for batteries for sure. The Torqueasaurus is probably a good candidate for a high quality Lithium battery with its simple, non parasitic electrics.

[Charlie98]

Beggars can't be choosers... It's got another AGM battery, already charged, installed, and test ridden!

I always forget how much fun that bike is to ride.