new battery

[Sideoftheroad]

I asked the previous owner. He isn't sure whether the battery has been replaced or not. If not, it is 9 yrs old and I have been having battery issues. The 3 nights I put it on the battery tender. When I went to check on it the next morning, it was still red. Just before I left to go to work it turned green. That is 12+ hrs it needed to charge the battery. W/ my previous bike, it was a couple hours and it was charged on a 5 yr old battery.

 

2 nights ago, I put it on the charger and it was green by the morning.

 

Last night, I put it on the charger and still red this morning.

 

So assumming it is the original battery, I rode in this morning and was pretty much dying just before I pulled into the parking spot.

 

Dealer said battery prices just went up. Quoted me $145. Online OEM says around $101.

 

Does anyone know of any alternates? Can you pick up the same battery at places like Autozone?

 

Thanks.

 

Jerry

[gibvel]

Heck, Wal-Mart should have the right battery.

[GigaWhiskey]

Pick up an Odyssey battery. It may cost a few bucks more up front but will be very cost saving and mental state saving in the long run. I understand these last for years. I was replacing an acid battery every 6 months and they got near to impossible to find for my '85. I love this battery and many others on this site do to. Just search for the battery name on the forums here and you will see what I am talking about. I have never had to trickle charge or charge this battery and I do not ride much at all.

[2WHEELSFORME]

Wall Mart has it and they don't have to be charged just add the acid and go. Replaced mine in the parking lot. Why take a chance with an old battery when they cost less than a hundred bucks. I don't use tenders or chargers, if the battery gives any sign of weakness I replace.

[bobbyduck]

I haven't used an Advanced Glass Mat battery such as the Odyssey yet - but have heard enough that I will buy one when my 2006 OEM battery bites the dust. The XS650 crowd have been using them for quite awhile, purchased out of MikeXS. Trust me when I say that the XS650 is a good stress tester! I have ridden them constantly from 1974 to 2005 and them puppies VIBRATE! Plus they have even worse chronic alternator issues than do our beloved V4s....

 

I figure if that bunch is having good luck, I'm in! Added feature is zero leakage, zero maintenance.....

 

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I hate to ruffle a few feathers, but I gotta say:

 

If you wont spend $100 or even $150 for a battery that can last 5 years or more, making it about $20 to $30 a year, then you probably shouldnt own a bike. My opinion.

 

I wouldnt even THINK of putting a cheapo flooded (add the acid) battery in a motorcycle anymore...sure, we used to have to do this, when its all we had. But getting a sealed AGM battery is the only way to go.

 

Dropping these big bikes is a very real possiblity, and if you cant lift it right away, then that old wet style battery acid can do a LOT of damage in just a few minutes. You may not think to check under the seat (or wherever it is on gen1's), and later on, you end up with acid damage under there. No thanks.

 

Not to mention, AGM's are nearly maintenence free, vibration proof( almost) and longer lasting.

 

Spend the bucks, get an AGM type.

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeS]

3 Times the Cranking Amps--- ( it will spin your motor, )

 

No Fluid to mess with----

 

12.8 Volts, instead of 12 volts.

 

They last longer. ------

 

If you actually think that battery is 9 years old, Quite Wasting Electricity Trying to Re-Charge it !!!!

 

You can order the PC-680 on E-Bay for about $85 bucks. Dealers ask about $120.

 

I have 3 of them now, all over 2 years old, and ZERO Problems ( more then one bike )

[Bugsplat]

I just had my oem battery replaced on my 2006 RSV. Thank goodness It was in the garage and not out on a several thousand mile road trip. Everything was fine when I parked it and a week later nothing!!!! just like someone lifted the battery during the night. No warning.

I replaced the oem battery on my 2005 suzuki C-90 with the Odyssey and have had no problems nor has it seen a charger. Worth the money!!

Note: My Odyssey stated that you are not to use a trickle charger (battery Tender) on it.

[Sideoftheroad]

Bought the new (sealed) battery yesterday. I will look into the Odyssey one later, but I went w/ the OEM one. Changed the battery at work parking lot. Got home, hooked it up to the battery tender last night. Got up this morning and still got a red light. So I don't think the Odyssey would have worked in this case anyway. Obviously something else is going on. So this morning I unhooked all the accessories connected to the battery posts (including the battery tender connectors) and reconnected just the battery cable. So now the only thing connected to the battery is the battery cable. I got out the battery tender clips and connected it to the battery.

 

I am hoping for a green light when I got home. If not, I am taking out the wiring for the stebel horn and removing the horn. Basically putting the bike the way it was when I got it and minus the battery tender cable that was already attached to the battery. But right now since I took off all the connectors that were attached to the battery posts except for the battery cable wire, I am not getting power to the horn anyway.

 

One thing I noticed is there was a 20 amp fuse in the battery tender cable that you can bolt to the battery. This cable came already on the the bike.

 

The battery tender cable w/ the clips, I had when I bought the battery tender. This only had a 3 amp fuse.

 

I don't believe the bike was hooked up to the battery tender, but a few nights ago I had the lights go out in the garage. It was the breaker. Don't suppose it zapped the battery tender too. W/ a 20 amp fuse, it wasn't enough to blow that fuse? I wouldn't think so unless it was actually connected to the bike, but just a thought. Anything's possible I suppose.

Edited August 22, 2008 by Sideoftheroad

[Sideoftheroad]

quick update. Wife said earlier the light is green. So I am taking out all the stebel stuff.