Battery Talk.

[Old Miner]

I have just come across a short(ish) article from Yuasa about motorcycle batteries I thought I would share it with you.

 

I have just lost my battery, dead whilst running. Home on the back of a trailer....... ouch!

 

 

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/motor_battery.php

[Condor]

I have just come across a short(ish) article from Yuasa about motorcycle batteries I thought I would share it with you.

 

I have just lost my battery, dead whilst running. Home on the back of a trailer....... ouch!

 

 

http://www.yuasabatteries.com/motor_battery.php

 

Sorry that you had to go through the embarrassment of trailering your scoot... : I get imbarassed often... The Yuasa write up is interesting and gives a good understanding of what happens in a wet cell battery. However times have changed and most of us have moved on to AGM batteries made in the USA. Same principal for much better design. Deka seems to be the most popular, but some folks have had good luck with other brands as well. There are a lot of places that stock Deka's, but here's where I get mine. http://www.bohannonbattery.com/html/deka/etx20l.html

[rougeray]

Thanks for sharing the article. Very informative. I am always amazed at the people on this forum who have battery problems. The normal life of a battery is 3-4 years. It is not uncommon to read that a member has a battery that is 6 years or older! It is like a badge honor to see how long it will last. This is a breakdown waiting to happen.

 

After having a battery on a brand new Honda 1100 Shadow go belly up after a year I got into the habit of replacing it every year. It was a bastard design as it was shaped like a T. It is much cheaper and less stressful to replace your battery just as you would change your oil. I typically ride solo on trips so it is important to me to have a dependable battery. Just got back from a ride to the Texas hill country from Baton Rouge, LA. Prior to that I rode up to east TN to visit and ride with friends in the Smoky Mts. I didn't need a $100.00 item with a predicted life span to leave me stranded.

[videoarizona]

Interesting, Ray. Common sense says I agree with you.

 

But since I got the Battery Tenders and use them regularly on my sailboat and both scoots...my battery life has increased dramatically.

 

Group 27 on sailboat is 9 years old.

 

VStar 950 battery is original - 2009.

 

And 89 VR is an "original type" as it has built-in sensor still there. (don't know how old that thing is). And yes, I'm saving pennies to get a new battery for VR.

 

Mind you, I'm in Arizona and heat does kill batteries. I realize that at some point they will die. At the first sign of an issue, I'll replace....so far...everything cranks well!

 

Am I crossing my fingers? You bet. Do carry cables to jump start the VR!

david

[syscrusher]

Thanks for sharing the article. Very informative. I am always amazed at the people on this forum who have battery problems. The normal life of a battery is 3-4 years. It is not uncommon to read that a member has a battery that is 6 years or older! It is like a badge honor to see how long it will last. This is a breakdown waiting to happen.

 

After having a battery on a brand new Honda 1100 Shadow go belly up after a year I got into the habit of replacing it every year. I didn't need a $100.00 item with a predicted life span to leave me stranded.

 

Just get one of these and don't worry about that old battery. A battery can fail anytime, I definitely wouldn't replace one every year. Try for 9?

 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCD05Y6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon.com: LEMFO 12V Jump Starter Multi-Function Car AUTO Emergency Back Up Power Bank Real 14000mAh Battery Charger For Laptop Mobile Phone: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41y8DwosVoL.@@AMEPARAM@@41y8DwosVoL[/ame]

[rougeray]

Just get one of these and don't worry about that old battery. A battery can fail anytime, I definitely wouldn't replace one every year. Try for 9?

 

Amazon.com: LEMFO 12V Jump Starter Multi-Function Car AUTO Emergency Back Up Power Bank Real 14000mAh Battery Charger For Laptop Mobile Phone: Automotive

 

That won't do you a bit of good when the battery is broken internally. That's what happened to me with the T battery. I removed it, charged it with jumper cables for about 15 min reinstalled and used jumper cables to start it. When the cables were removed the engine died. I have had this happen on a car battery as well. Both times this happened everything was fine until the bike/car was shut off. When attempting to restart the battery was totally dead. No warning at all.

 

If your willing to play Russian roulette with your battery so be it. It's just not for me. BTW I always carry jumper cables. But in the case of an internal break they are useless. That's not to say replacing the battery every 3 yrs will prevent a break down but the odds are in your favor if you do. Just my humble opinion.

[Freebird]

Those of you who have not owned a Honda Shadow likely don't know about this issue. I had a '95 I think and I loved the bike but the battery was a very poor design They designed it especially to fit into an odd shaped area so it was not a rectangular battery. It was narrow/stepped down on the bottom. They had a tendency to boil the acid in the narrow section of the battery and if you weren't observant, would spew battery acid and corrode the frame in that area. Great bike but very poor battery design. Here is a picture of the one I had taken in front of one of my houses in Dallas. Also a picture of the battery it took.

[BlueSky]

Those of you who have not owned a Honda Shadow likely don't know about this issue. I had a '95 I think and I loved the bike but the battery was a very poor design They designed it especially to fit into an odd shaped area so it was not a rectangular battery. It was narrow/stepped down on the bottom. They had a tendency to boil the acid in the narrow section of the battery and if you weren't observant, would spew battery acid and corrode the frame in that area. Great bike but very poor battery design. Here is a picture of the one I had taken in front of one of my houses in Dallas. Also a picture of the battery it took.

 

That is a weird battery design. Probably had a unique replacement cost too?

[djh3]

So what about making a filler for the drop down and put a "normal" type battery in. If your vehicle wont run after a jump tells me one of possibly 2 things. Alternator is no good or battery is dead short. Now they say new cars with all the computer stuff its not good to run without a battery in it.

[videoarizona]

Funny thing...the battery warning light came on yesterday. Took out the little yellow cell plugs and the cells were dry. Filled with a pipet and distilled water. Back on battery Tender for a nice slow charge...

[Prairiehammer]

Funny thing...the battery warning light came on yesterday. Took out the little yellow cell plugs and the cells were dry. Filled with a pipet and distilled water. Back on battery Tender for a nice slow charge...

 

How long has it been since you topped off the battery electrolyte? A voltage regulator failure can 'cook' off the electrolyte quickly, on the other hand, the hot temperatures of Arizona can do that as well, albeit that will take longer.

[videoarizona]

How long has it been since you topped off the battery electrolyte? A voltage regulator failure can 'cook' off the electrolyte quickly, on the other hand, the hot temperatures of Arizona can do that as well, albeit that will take longer.

 

 

I never have since I got the bike last Spring. I am concerned that the warning light didn't come on until the cells were exposed. guess that's Yamaha's way....And me being an idiot trusting the warning light!

 

david

[djh3]

I was iin Cycle Gear yesterday. The fellow showed me a new design battery. I guess its lithium, but a battery for our bike weighed about 2lb. I was amazed, of course I think theprice was up there too.