BlueSky Posted December 1, 2018 #1 Posted December 1, 2018 It had been 2 or 3 weeks since I started my RSV and the battery was dead. I put my smart charger on it and it said it was at 0% capacity and 2 volts. I started charging it but decided I was beating a dead horse so I went to Autozone a half mile away and bought a new AGM battery for it for $102.99. I was surprised to find out that it was fully charged. Seems like I always had to charge them before. Installed it and it fired up. After running it for a few minutes, I checked the running voltage and it was 14.02 volts at idle an slightly more revved up. After shutting it down, I hooked up the smart charger just to make sure it was fully charged and according to the charger it had 13 volts and was 100% charged. Then I hooked up the pigtail for my Battery Tender and installed the missing rubber pad from partzilla on the seat. The seat rests on about 5 little rubber pads and one had been missing. And installed the new seat hold down nuts I had bought from partzilla. The seat had been held on by one wing nut. Wanted to go for a ride but it started raining. It's about 60 degrees today.
djh3 Posted December 2, 2018 #2 Posted December 2, 2018 Yup, batteries come serviced up with fluid and charged. I know when I worked in a garage back in the mid 70's we pulled a battery off the shelf, added acid and usually had to charge for a couple hours before installing. Anymore they charged when you pick one out. So my question that looms is if you all up north are at the end of your riding season and are putting stuff on battery tenders and such. Why buy a battery now when it will be 3 or 4 moths before you can ride? Your loosing 4 months of warranty.
BlueSky Posted December 2, 2018 Author #3 Posted December 2, 2018 All of the motorcycle batteries I've bought in the past had to be charged for a day at 2 amps. Even the first AGM battery I bought which was a Walmart Everstart that was actually made by Yuasa. The acid came separately and it had to be added to the cells and charged for 24 hrs at 2 amps.
Du-Rron Posted December 2, 2018 #4 Posted December 2, 2018 Some are "factory activated" some are "fresh pak". I'd ruther have the fresh pak. http://www.yuasabatteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Catalog-2018-Final.x78244.pdf
BlueSky Posted December 7, 2018 Author #5 Posted December 7, 2018 Well, I gotta problem. My brand new battery that I installed last Saturday was dead today. I have not started it since Saturday and I didn't get around to hooking up the battery tender. So, something is killing the battery. Troubleshooting time! Any ideas would be appreciated!
YamahaLarry Posted December 7, 2018 #6 Posted December 7, 2018 Well, I gotta problem. My brand new battery that I installed last Saturday was dead today. I have not started it since Saturday and I didn't get around to hooking up the battery tender. So, something is killing the battery. Troubleshooting time! Any ideas would be appreciated! Could be a bad battery, but guess you won't know that til some troubleshooting. Last time I bought a motorcycle battery from Autozone, I had to carry it back for exchange about a month or so later. But, to my surprise, batteries had gone up a good bit in that month and instead of prorated charges on the exchange, I got a prorated credit. Anyhow, I guess the replacement worked out ok. Ended up selling the bike a few months later. I can't recall if it was an AGM though. I will be purchasing a new AGM to put in my 09 RSV very soon from Batteries Plus.
Treb Posted December 7, 2018 #7 Posted December 7, 2018 Well, I gotta problem. My brand new battery that I installed last Saturday was dead today. I have not started it since Saturday and I didn't get around to hooking up the battery tender. So, something is killing the battery. Troubleshooting time! Any ideas would be appreciated! I had 2 bad batteries in a row on one of my other bikes and I was losing my mind trying to figure out what could be draining it until I took it off the bike and fully charged it and let it sit on the bench and it was dead a week later. Also this might sound kinda stupid but I killed the battery on my RSV the first week I had it because I left the key in the 'ACC" position for about a week.
BlueSky Posted December 7, 2018 Author #8 Posted December 7, 2018 I had 2 bad batteries in a row on one of my other bikes and I was losing my mind trying to figure out what could be draining it until I took it off the bike and fully charged it and let it sit on the bench and it was dead a week later. Also this might sound kinda stupid but I killed the battery on my RSV the first week I had it because I left the key in the 'ACC" position for about a week. The old battery went dead with the key out. I did leave the key in the bike since Saturday but it was in the off position. Looks like it has a short somewhere. Could be the ignition switch. I bought an AGM battery from Autozone for my Kawasaki over a year ago and it has been great.
Treb Posted December 7, 2018 #9 Posted December 7, 2018 The old battery went dead with the key out. I did leave the key in the bike since Saturday but it was in the off position. Looks like it has a short somewhere. Could be the ignition switch. I bought an AGM battery from Autozone for my Kawasaki over a year ago and it has been great. Ok so it wasn't the key but my point was to try removing the battery from the bike and see if it dies anyway. If not then you know you have some parasitic load you need to identify.
BlueSky Posted December 8, 2018 Author #10 Posted December 8, 2018 Ok so it wasn't the key but my point was to try removing the battery from the bike and see if it dies anyway. If not then you know you have some parasitic load you need to identify. I appreciate the advice. I think one of my old multimeters has the capability to read amps. So, I guess I'll hook it up in series with the battery and see if there is a current leak. Then maybe start pulling fuses. I know very little about my RSV. Where are the fuses?
BlueSky Posted December 8, 2018 Author #11 Posted December 8, 2018 Doh! I hooked up the battery tender yesterday and left it overnight. Today, I checked and it was still charging so I removed the seat and hooked up the smart charger. That is when I noticed the ignition key was indeed in the ACC position. Another dumbazz mistake. I can't tell my wife. She never forgets! Ha!
SpencerPJ Posted December 8, 2018 #12 Posted December 8, 2018 That's why I take my key out Glad you got it figured out, charge it up and be ready for the next ride.
Rafterd Posted December 8, 2018 #13 Posted December 8, 2018 The old lead acid batteries would last me almost exactly 3 years to the day. One went out in Utah, then almost 3 years to the day, it went out in New Mexico. That time I stared buying AGM batteries. The first one is 6 years old and still going. I put it in an older bike I don’t ride much, and put the new one in my Venture. Then bought another for my Harley, but put it in my Venture and the one out of the Venture in my Harley. Always keeping the newest in the Venture. But the first one I bought is still going. I do have battery tenders on all of them.
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