Bikes, Hints'n'Tips > Fazer 1000/FZ1 corner

Battery woes

(1/3) > >>

chriswarren:
My OEM battery for my Gen 1 lasted 5 years. Since then, I've had some (relatively) cheap MF batteries (c. £50) that last for 10 months on average. My most recent one now dies completely unless I've got it on Optimate overnight - particularly if it gets below 10 degrees or so.
 
Is this issue because:
 
- after-market cheap batteries give you what you pay for
- my Thatcham System 3 is the knackering batteries?
 
Is it difficult / expensive to get rid of the alarm system if this is a major drain. And otherwise, should I stop being stingey and just buy an OEM battery. (I did get an OEM one as a first replacement but that one only managed 3 months!)
 
I'm riding the bike every day for a 15 minute commute - but not using headlights (yes I know!)....
 
Any comments gratefully received.

Fazerider:
I'd check the current the alarm system draws and the generator.. either one is taking too much or the other is supplying too little. Batteries last a very long time if they are treated right, my FZS600 is still on the original and is almost 13 years old.

eddie:
you need an optimiser (trickle charger) by the sounds of it.... got my last battery  from Deefer about 7 years ago always on the optimiser when not using bike

MEM62:
If an OEM replacement only lasted 3 months I would assume that it must have been faulty.  You have mentioned that cheaper replacements have lasted longer and this shouldn't be the case.  It is worth checking your charging system just in case.  This is easy to do and a multimeter, if you don't already have one, is relatively cheap to buy.  Your commute is relatively short and will not put much of a charge in the battery anyway, but your ovenight charging should easily compensate for this.  As for the alarm, some are worse than others for trashing batteries.  Personally I won't have an alarm fitted to either of my bikes for that very reason.  My FZS1000 has never had an alarm fitted but my VFR came with one - the cost of having that decommissioned was around £50.     

solorider:
I had a blackbird that had an alarm and I kept it on an optimiser over the winter,that actualy killed the battery,what I did in the end is use a timer and only charge at certain hours,that way the battery only got what it needed and it was allowed to discharge as well

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page