FOCing dead AGAIN!!!!

[ghostbiker]

SO pissed off right now, Battery is dead once again. thats 6 batterys in 5 years (1 was a replacement for a dodgy one under warrenty)

Every winter the battery dies and wont hold a charge. its perfect all year long can be left for weeks at a time and still start on the button. but yesterday affter a week standing i went to start it and it strugled to start. so on the optimate it went. few hrs later (about 6ish) green light and back on the bike it went.
started fine, then today i go out and its dead as a dodo.
Charging system is all within spec, only drain is the imobaliser which is minamal and isnt a problem all year round.
but every focing year just affter Xmas the battry just dies and wont hold a charge grrrr  :'(

Mostly its gen yam ones i used but have tried others as well and all die at 1 yr old
I know  :'( the bike is kept outside all year round and is ussed all year but is ussed randomly. IE can be ussed every day for a week or so then might be stood for 1-3 weeks when im broke and cant aford fuel, or could be ussed 1 or twice a week for months. its totaly random as its used for fun only and being unemployed meens it gets used when it had fuel lol

just a rant more than anything as there seems to be nothing actualy WRONG with the bike so it must be down to the use it gets. /shrug ARGGGGGG  :'(

[dickgam]

Hi, My battery has also started to go flat recently, i charged it up, bike started instantly, i left it for about 10 days while away working, then it was flat again. I have laft it this time as i am away again but i will charge it and try again once home again.

I think replacing the battery every year is bad though, mine is the original from 05 and the bike has done 17,000 miles. I know you say that it powers the imobilisor but with the battery so easy to take off, i think i would be doing that next time to see if this makes it hold the charge longer.

Hope you get it sorted as batteries are expensive if you are not working.

[bash62]

keep mine on optimate 24/7 but too had one go and replaced after a year  under warranty
cheers
bash

[bludclot]

a battery a year does seem excessive, certainly way more than my bikes (and cars and vans) have ever needed and some are kept outside like yours and all have alarms and immobilisers.

halfords may have their knockers (ooerr) but they do have a no quibble warranty on their batteries. if they have to change one a new warranty starts on the replacement. worth considering?

alternatively one last battery purchase might be considered - and with 2 batteries one can be kept indoors and changed out for the other every week over the winter? a visit to a local breaker might well yield a suitable spare battery...

[ghostbiker]

Yeah im gunna get another one but keep the old one as a spare on the optimate through winter so at least i can go for a ride when i want lol.
It is odd that it keeps going like this. i know theres no drain other than the imobiliser and i know winter allways shows up a weak battery but why they are becoming weak baffels me.
i thought i had got away with it this year affter the cold snap a couple weeks back but seem's not.

[Fazerider]

Very puzzling. Either the batteries you've bought have been faulty, something else is drawing current when it's parked up or the bike isn't charging properly. Have you tried sticking a multimeter across it to see what's going on?

[Gnasher]

I guessing these are gel type right?

[ghostbiker]

yup gel type, mormaly go for the OE battery but last couple i have tried diff ones.
I fully charged it for 2 days on the optimate, and then let it stand for 24 hrs, voltage went from 13,6 fully charged to just over 11 in 24 hrs lol and thats standing in a warm kitchen not conected to anything.

so i think its to far gone even to be used as a back up battery.
new one now on charge ready to fit in the morning, will see how it lasts. but i doubt there will be the slightest problem till next xmas now, it seems to be the way
think im gunna find an old type acid battery of the right size and use that as a backup battery to keep indoors and swap to if needbe for next winter.

[kebab19]

I think your charging system is on the blink.

Why not pick up a spare reg/rec unit off ebay (e.g. Item number: 380399133153) & see if that makes a difference?

[Gnasher]

Mate in my experience these types are very sensitive to discharging once they have been allowed to go to less than 12v they never really recover and go on to just discharge faster and faster until they fail.   

If you want to stick to using the type make sure you use AGM type see here http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/shop/product...mentID=155  I've used this lot for years and had good service, whatever you do DONT buy cheap Chinese rip off's.  Better still use the older sealed lead/acid type they last for years if looked after and are far better at taking discharging/recharging regardless of all that's claimed I've had to replace many an owners gel type! 

You really need to ensure that the gel type is not left for longer than a couple weeks at this time of year without being trickle charged or you will end up deep discharging it for any battery this time of year, possibly to a point it can't be recovered.  Even a good quality low drain alarm will discharge a battery within a month at this time of year when temperatures go below 10* the effect on batteries is quite marked, go further below 5* (probably most nights) and it increases still further the lower the worse it gets. 

Keep it on the optimate  :thumbup  or ensure it's charge every week.

[jackojet]

05 fazer1000 first battery went within 2 years despite being optimated, replacement which is a Lintek been on ever since, still keep it on the optimate as i have a meta alarm . The bike has done less than 600miles in last 2 years . Starts first time every time touch wood.

I was somewhat peeved when i realised the bike had a lintek battery on despite the stealer charging me 69.99 for it in 07 and me assuming it was a Yuasa at that price. it was'nt until Mike removed it to do full monty a couple years later i saw what make it actually was. It looks like it is a better battery than the orginal or i've been lucky. :rolleyes

[ghostbiker]

thats actualy pretty usefull gnasher.
i was leaning towards a older acid type because of as you say they handle the way i use them better than the gel type.
sadly where the bike is kept i cant get power to it and with all the good intentions in the world im not going to remember to keep removing the battery to keep it on an optimate.
as you say, its only AFFTER its been low discharged a couple of times the gel battery just gives up the ghost. where as every other bike i have had has used the acid type and although i have offten compleatly discharged them they nearly allways recover and certainly recover a lot better than the gel versions.

i thought there might be some reason that the thou "needed" gel. but if it can be happy on a acid one then thats deff the way to go for me.


As for my charging system, thats bang on spec acording to haynes and as the bike gives me no trouble at all for 99% of the year i doubt thats anything to do with it. also its an imobiliser on it not an alarm so draws a lot less current than the alrams most have.

[Minty]

My old 600 fazer had a lead acid type that lasted 8 years, no charging or trickle chargers used. Only thing I did was take it off and left in the house when it was really cold. I've heard the Gel ones are not as good as the old sealed lead acid type.

[pitternator]

ghost
Its the cold and inactivity which kills batteries. I have never replaced a bike battery ...ever. They are all still OE ones. Reason is simple. My garage is heated, and I never stop using the bike over winter . Its rare to go more than 2 weeks without at least a 30 min run.
I also ditto stick to lead acid type.
My cars by comparison eat batteries...cos I only drive 1000 miles a year and they live out on the street....
my van which I use daily completely opposite...only had 1 go in 12 years ....from OE.

[crishner]

when getting a new battery for my old BMW R65 i thought about a gell one but was told that they are verry susceptible to the cold weather so I stick to the acid type and have never had a problem

[ghostbiker]

i will next time the new gell battery dies swap to acid type. the gell type just dosent last well with the way i use it.
i hope though that as i have now replaced it again it will last till next winter lol

[squitbit]

My gen 1 is a bit over 7 years old now and on its 4th battery, they seem to die in around November. The one in the bike now is 15. months old, bike is used daily for a 65 mile round trip commute and kept and outside the battery spins the motor round like a good un every time. Will be interesting to see what happens come this November.