Battery problems after only 20 months

Hi David during the colder weather I would leave my bike (T100) connected to my Optimate permanently.

 

Hi David. Oxford chargers can give problems. The Optimate or Ctec are better. If you have a multimeter check the voltage across the terminals once the battery is fully charged, And off the bike. It should read between 12.7 13.2 v. If you have a digital meter that has a low impedance mode use that. If not connect a bulb up to the 2 terminals then measure the voltage, This will give a more accurate reading. Leave it a couple of days and measure it again to see if it has held a charge. If it hasn't the battery will probably need replacing. If it has maintained a charge this maybe a parasitic draw on the bike somewhere. This will mean connecting the battery to the bike on the negative side. Then place the multimeter set on amps, in series with the positive side of the battery. Then measure the draw of current. There will be a small draw for alarms,clock etc look in the instruction manuals for current consumption. But if the current draw is larger. this could be where the problem is. It is then a question of pulling fuses to find out which circuit is giving the problem.

 

I have just experienced the same problem as you are having and have come to the conclusion from advice given on the forum that regular trickle charging with an Optimate or similar is the answer.

 

Hi David, I suspect that your battery is coming to the end of it's useful existence. Also, re your question about repeated charging, to prolong the like of any lead/acid battery they need to kept in a good state of charge. If they are left to descend below 12v then they will die progressively quicker.

Using devices such as the Optimate (permanently connected) will keep your battery in tip-top condition.

 

David, I've just bought this battery charger from Aldi.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/p/93683/0

My Bonnie has an Optimate charging socket fitted, I'm not sure if that's standard or was fitted by the previous owner.

Out of the box the charger comes with the usual croc clips but I ordered an optimate connector from fleabay this morning.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adaptor-C...402033?hash=item43d67e2cb1:g:8AkAAOSw2s1UwSB1

Several people have said that the charger does a great job for a lot less than an Optimate at £13.99 it's currently charging a leisure battery off the boat and seems to be doing a great job. It also comes with a 3yr guarantee!

They are still available in some stores as a mate of mine came round for a coffee this morning while I was messing with it and went and picked one up after he left me to replace his very ancient one.

 

Hi Mr Toad and David, I have an identical Aldi charger and have used it on my T100, KTM 1190 and now my Tiger. Works brilliantly via the std. ancillaries socket on the bike.

 

My FJR is always plugged into an Optimate when it's in my shed. The bike is seven years old and the original battery is still full of life. Have got the new T120 plugged into another Optimate.

 

Hi Dozer, I have battery tender, it has three setting's, motorcycle, car & winter, on winter setting it will cycle between trickle and high charge and if left for many days and it senses battery requires it , it will partially discharge and recharge. As batteries require use to maintain them fully, I had a battery last 4 1/2 to 5 years on a Trident which was used most days for mixed riding and regularly stopped and restarted. I never hooked this bike up to any sort of charger that is until the battery decided to give up and expire!

 

Well, havent used the bike for 3 days, went to start it this morning, headlamp blaring, back light on, CLICK! not enough power to turn the engine over.
Fortunately there is a slight hill where I live so bump started.
Has anyone thought of engineering a kick start into the new bonneville ?

 

I just wish the manufacturers wouldn't treat us like Numpties and let us turn the headlight on by ourselves.

 

It's not the manufacturer. It's one of those wonderful EU directives to keep us all safe.

Of course I doubt Brexit will change much as the bikes will still be sold all over the world, including the EU, and I doubt they'll turn the lights off just for the UK market. It would be nice but I'm not holding my breath.

 

It didn't feel very safe as I was pushing my bike to the hill and diving on it in the pitch black.
Brought back the memories though.

 

Had it been on charge?

Have you measured the voltage with a decent meter?

Is there any current draw when the ignition is off?

Batteries do fail. Yes they can last years, my old AMG Merc SL was still on the original battery after 14 years and the battery on my 2009 Fiat Qubo runabout is still original

On the other hand I bought four good quality AGM batteries for the boat and two of them died after two years, fortunately they had a 5yr guarantee so were replaced.

What you describe in your original post, not fully charging or charging but not holding it, definitely points to a knackered battery. It only takes one duff cell to kill it. Also Your shed may not be damp but cold does kill batteries and this is especially true of a dying battery that might appear fine in warm weather. The battery on my Jeep is encased in a thermal insulating jacket as it's built to work in climates far colder and harsher than we ever get in this country.

In your position I'd just replace it and move on providing you've proved that there isn't a fault drawing current and flattening it.

 

Thanks for the feedback Mr Toad.
A bit more information about my battery.
It was brand new 12 months ago when I bought the bike. (I haven't ever looked at it to be honest)
I have a factory fitted Datatool alarm which obviously draws a small amount of power.
My bike is stored outside under a bike cover
Using it daily, no problem starting, left several days in the cold 'Click'
I will check it with a multimeter although I honestly do not think anything is wrong, I just need to be a bit more disciplined and use my Optimate charger on the days it is not in use.
I do miss the kick starts!
Just for interest my BMW car is on its original battery, 13 years old now and never had a charger near it.

 

Ah! I forgot we had allow for the italians

 

My battery failed me this morning, stalled it at some lights (was in 2nd not 1st) and not enough juice to start up again.
Dispite my voltmeter showing a charge of 14+v going through the battery when the engine was running, there was only 11.4v when I tried to start it (couldnt turn the lights off as I haven't fit a switch yet)
Luckily a repair place nearby helped jump start and I was off.
When the chap saw the battery (Motobatt) he said they're crap, usually only last 2 years if that...

I will Google how to test a battery, but when (if) I get home this afternoon I will swap it out for an old Yuasa I have, fully charge the Motobatt and see how quick it discharges over Christmas week

 

Hi Red,
My Motobatt lasted more than 4 years as my bike battery and still in use as a power supply for the 12v led lighting in my bike towable pop up camper trailer, now 9yrs or more old & still shows 12v, though it doesn't have to deal with cold like you get in Blighty, and I understand that Motobatt acid soaked matting style batteries are more sensitive to cold than lead acid style !!

 

This is an interesting thread on the Triumph rat.net forum and one I think some may find helpful: http://www.triumphrat.net/air-coole...1-the-bonneville-starter-solenoid-boring.html

I've recently changed my battery because it failed to start on the first cold morning we had. Although not perfect the old batter should really have started the bike with the amount of juice that was in it. Incidentally I changed the original battery for a MotoBatt and so far I'm pleased with it but it's only been on about 6 weeks so time will tell.

 

Cheers for the replies guys
Well, she started fine in the afternoon (and this morning), and when I got home there was plenty of voltage in the battery.
This morning before I started the bike, I ran a multimeter on the battery again and it was showing 13v!
So it had not settled to 12.6v
I have a spare Yuasa battery that I keep next to the bike and this has held its 12.6v since I charged it a month ago

Looking at the specifics, it seems the Motobatt has a higher crankspeed(200), I am wondering if mine is buggered in someway that is enabling it to keep a higher voltage (13v) but the capacity is reduced, so it seems to recover if left or an hour or so, but if I try to use it straight after it stalls then there isnt enough and it needs to recover.