Charging or not?

[sirgalahad3]

Problem or not a problem?
Gen1 Broken down 400 miles from home with battery failure. No problem,new battery fitted. AA man said bike was not charging when lights were on so bike was ridden 400 miles home with lights off with no problems at all. Engine off fully charged battery is 12.8v . Engine on lights on @ tickover 13.3v . Engine on lights on @5000 rpm 13.7v. Now these figures look good to me with a full battery.
However Haynes says 14v at 5k revs???
Anyone know off hand what there bikes are putting out at similar revs?
A known good rectifier has been tested on the bike with no difference in results to above so I tend to think all is well?

[AdieR]

How old was your original battery?

[sirgalahad3]

2 years.Total failure. Started bike ok,rode 50 miles and it was dead. Tried charging it but it would not hold any charge at all. Must have shorted inside I would think.

[Fazerider]

Those certainly look like healthy numbers to me too. There is the possibility of an intermittent contact somewhere and it was fine when you measured, might be worth going through the electrics checking for corrosion and tightening up the spade connectors to try to make sure the problem doesn't recur.

[manuel32]

I suspect the battery was dead,,only buy the best, unless you were unlucky boyo,


13.7 volts should do fine to keep it topped up.

[sirgalahad3]

All conectors checked,especially the white one under the tank that is known to cause trouble.
Just puzzled why the AA man said it wasnt charging with the lights on when it seems to be and slight concern why the figures fall short of those in the haynes book.
Like you guys I think it is ok,a ride with the lights on is the best test I suppose.

[manuel32]

run it in the dark,tickover, slow it down, watch the brigthness of the lights on a wall or door,


then turn the throttle, if the lights brighten up then its charging ok, it will be quite noticable.

[sirgalahad3]

Will try that,cheers.

[AdieR]

I think you've just had a failed battery - the do deteriorate after time.

My Haynes also states 14v.

If that battery has been "boost-charged" or fast charged at too high a rate, that can be fatal to a battery (it damages the internal plates through heat). Trickle charging over time is best.

You say you've changed the reg/rec - is the plug to it clean and tight?

[unfazed]

 A little info on batteries for what it is worth
Bike Batteries are sold with 2 important measurements:
CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) and AH (ampere Hours)
The definition of the CCA of a motorcycle battery is the amount of current a given battery can deliver for 30 seconds at zero degrees (Fahrenheit) without dropping below a specified cut off voltage (manufacturer-specific, but usually 10.5 volts). The value of CCA will change with battery temperature, CCA increasing with higher temperatures. Therefore a 180 CCA will allow 180 amps flow for 30 seconds at zero (Fahrenheit) before reaching the cut off voltage.
The definition of AH is the amount of charge in a battery that will allow one ampere of current to flow for one hour. Therefore a 10 AH battery will flow 1 amp for 10 hours before going completely flat.
The OEM battery for the Fazer 1000 is a GT14-B4 (GS) which is 12AH and 135 CCA which is in CCA terms is low for the engine size. The Yuasa battery for the Fazer 1000 is YT14B-BS which has a CCA of 210 which is higher than standard and are a better buy if you can afford it.
The Fazer battery is a sealed unit and is only suitable for charging with trickle chargers. The standard car type charger is not suitable as it will charge the battery to fast and damage it in one of two ways, buckle the plates or cause evaporation of the acid and being sealed you cannot replace the acid. It is only suitable for unsealed lead acid type batteries. I know others on the forum will say it is ok to use a fast charge for a short period. Most battery problems I have come accross over the last few years are due to people charging them with the wrong chargers.
 

[sirgalahad3]

Certainly dont get the 14v stated by Mr Haynes.
All Plugs etc tight n good.
Battery was looked after properly re charging,just seem to fail from good to gone in a few miles,no hint which is possibe I suppose.
Hopefully the figures I am getting are the norm and its ok,we will see!
Thanks for info on batteries unfazed,interesting reading.

[unfazed]

The original battery of my 2003 Fazer died after 3 years, the replacement I got at the time which was exactly the same model as the original is still going after 6 years. No hard and fast rule in relation to the lasting time, but most batteries should last between 4 and 7 years which means mine is not long for this world. I have seen new batteries die after 2 to 3 years and even one after 6 months. If the battery was treated well then you were probably unlucky. It would not do any harm to check all the connection and spray them with WD 40 to keep the corrosion at bay.
The charging specifications say 14V/365 W at 5000 rpm but that would be with no load. Lights on and resistance of wires, a bit of corrosion etc. could drop it to 13.7.