Weak Battery??

[hig4s]

Went to take the bike to work today and it wouldn't start,, battery seemed weak. This is the second time it has happend.. Bike is just a year old last week and completely stock. First time it had sat unused for a month, and when I went to start it the radio had been turned off so I was not 100% sure I had turned the key all the way off. I charged the battery and it was fine for a few weeks. On the 13th I did a 150 mile ride and put it back in the garage, hadn't had a chance to ride since (but that is only 11 days) and today it wouldn't start. The key was definitely off.

 

I will get to it tomorrow and check the fluid level, connections and voltage, charge it, and check the voltage running, to make sure it is charging OK.

 

Anything else to look for?

[GeorgeS]

Is it a Sealed Battery?

 

IF not: Check the water level. if low add distilled water.

 

If its a sealed, battery, on 1 year old bike, Charge at 2 amp rate or more for 4 to 6 hours, and then check voltage level every day for a few days. Unhooked from bike.

 

Not with a Trickle charger, use a Real Charger,

 

If voltage level keeps dropping battery is probably going bad.

[Bartley]

Do you have a CD player hooked up? I had the same problem and discovered that the CD player had a continuos slight draw. If I didn't ride for a week, the battery would be totally dead. Now I just unplug the CD player when the bike will be parked for a few days & haven't had any problems since.

[silvercrew]

I have the same problem with my voyager but that is just the nature of the voyager. Last year I used a 53 watt solar panel to charge up the battery when it is parked in the shed and it worked perfect. This year I will be using a 100 watt solar panel just because I will be adding the 53 watt one on my trailer because of room. I still take my battery out in the winter because of cold and snow gets on the solar panel. I just plug the bike into the power point when I get home and it is all ready to go when I am.

[hig4s]

Do you have a CD player hooked up? I had the same problem and discovered that the CD player had a continuous slight draw. If I didn't ride for a week, the battery would be totally dead. Now I just unplug the CD player when the bike will be parked for a few days & haven't had any problems since.

 

No, completely stock.

[hig4s]

I have the same problem with my voyager but that is just the nature of the voyager. Last year I used a 53 watt solar panel to charge up the battery when it is parked in the shed and it worked perfect. This year I will be using a 100 watt solar panel just because I will be adding the 53 watt one on my trailer because of room. I still take my battery out in the winter because of cold and snow gets on the solar panel. I just plug the bike into the power point when I get home and it is all ready to go when I am.

 

I use to do the same thing when I lived in Michigan, but here in Florida I usually don't go more than a couple weeks without riding ever.

 

Oh and I never took the battery out in Michigan, the snow never seemed to affect my solar panel. You do have a diode in the line, or your solar panel has one built in, right? If not solar panels become a drain on the battery when it is dark.

[1BigDog]

Al, its under warranty and if there is a charging issue it would be covered. Let the dealer worry about it first. If the key was on for a while like you said it might have been, it may have put enough strain on the battery even after re-charging to weaken it substantially. Dont tell the dealer that though..LOL. Its possible a cell went bad too. And if your not running a Battery Tender, well, get one.....Signal Dynamics makes a nice LED charging light for about $27.00.

[hig4s]

After checking the parts listing, I see it is a sealed maintenance free battery.

 

It had a voltage of 11.64 volts before charging. 13.2 volts after charging.. With bike running I measure 13.84 volts. I was expecting about 14.2 but assume this is normal, and the bike certainly is charging the battery.

 

There is a 3 milliamp draw on the battery even with the key off. I would think with electronic ignitions this would be normal. Can anyone confirm if this is normal or not?

 

I guess I will just keep an eye on the battery and if it goes down too fast this week I will get to the dealer and see about getting a new one.

[1BigDog]

Mine measured 12.50 at rest and 14.05 while running at high rpm. 11 range seems a bit low. Sounds like a weak cell.

[Gearhead]

Charging spec is over 14V, but my VR and Virago both only charge at 13.8V.

 

11.6 is too low. A healthy, charged battery will be at 12.6 - 12.7 V. After you remove the charger, there is a surface charge which is why you read 13.2. It has to "rest" for up to a day after charging before you can get a good reading free of surface charge.

 

I would guess 3 ma is reasonable, but stress that this is a guess. If your battery has a capacity of 18 amp-hours, then a 3 ma draw would in theory take 250 days to drain it.

 

Sometimes periods of inactivity seem to finish off a battery, although at only 1 year it is a little early! But it happens.

 

Jeremy

[hig4s]

Battery is losing charge, probably still usable but I got another one.. Per the dealer, the battery is not part of the 5 year, but has its own warranty, 1 year. And that was up two weeks ago!!!

 

Oh well.. I got a Dura Boost brand.. my only choices locally were Yusa, Dura Boost or what ever Wal-mart sells.

[GeorgeS]

Be Sure to Charge the New Battery, at about 2 amps or more for 4 to 6 hours. !!!

No matter what the guy behind the counter told you !!!!