Motobatt battery problem. Can anyone borrow a smart battery charger?

[OutLander]

Hi everyone,

About 2 weeks ago I bought a brand new Motobatt battery. The old one was still working fine but I decided to make a little present for my monster :) The service guy in cycletreads suggested motobatt and I bought it. And today I couldn't start my bike. I changed the battery to my old one and started the bike without any problems. Has anyone faced such problems with Motobatt?
The question is: can anyone borrow a smart charger for 1 night? :drinkup: I want to charge the battery and check the charge for several days to see if it is still loosing power.

Thanks.

P.S. Motobatt charger costs twice as much as my battery and today I'm pretty disappointed with this brand.

[Edbear]

Ask a few dealers about Motobatt batteries. Give Nick a call at NZ Motorcycles, 07-889 1007.

Motobatt have had a dud shipment in recently and one dealer had a stock of 50 batteries to send back for warranty. :bye:

[Phreak]

Don't Motobatt have a 2 year warranty? That's what the guys at Cyclespot told me...

[Sable]

You don't need a smart charger for them, and they are supposed to come pre-charged plug and play. Don't be put off by your experience, they are a brilliant battery for the price and I use them in everything. I also have no connection to nor vested interest in the company/its products unlike certain people.

[Edbear]

Vested interest or not, I am only repeating what other motorcycle dealers have told me unsolicited. There was a faulty batch come in and has caused a lot of headaches for dealers and customers.

I have no need to slight the competition and never do in order to promote Shorai as the technology is completely different, so I only need compare technologies in light of progress.

I am pleased you have had a good run with your own and only repeat my advice to ask the question before buying another Motobatt.

[Motig]

Interesting, brought a motobatt about 3 months ago, took bike for warrant and had 1 ride went out today and its dead. Looks like I'll have to get the dealer to replace it.

[3umph]

Don't Motobatt have a 2 year warranty? That's what the guys at Cyclespot told me...

Got my motobatt Jan last year and thought it was a 2 year warranty but got told today that its only 1 year...

looked on Whites.co.nz website that imports them (so I have been told) and in there online catalogue it says 2 years in the motobatt section.... screenshot attached

So off to the shop tomorrow with that info...

Even if they change the warranty due to the amount of failures since i got mine they should still have to honour warranties that were brought under the 2 year warranty time...

[Edbear]

Good on you, hope you get the result you want.

[ducatilover]

Mine gets left for months on end connected and still never has an issue starting my ZX6thing. They're generally excellent batteries, far better than anything else for the same money.


Sent from my Tesla coil

[Madness]

Yuasa.


That is all.

[Paul in NZ]

All makers have an off day.

Its how they respond that makes the difference. My exp wit the giant yellow accumulator under the seat of the guzzler has thus far been good.

[paturoa]

I'm looking forward to the next technology lift. Makes a lecky bike a practical every day option. Here is a promising one http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/david-manners-semiconductor-blog/2013/03/graphene-supercapacitors-could.html

[3umph]

Follow up on Motobatt....

Motobatt are only a One year warranty... got that from W Whites the importer and it changed apparently August 2011

When I rang them today regarding warranty for my battery, there catalogue and what's in it regarding the wording.

Outcome... still waiting for rep to load test my battery but due to the wording that was in there current catalogue on there website stating that they have a 2 Year Warranty they will replace the battery if it is defective.
They have removed the catalogue off there site now due to my phone call...

I winder how many others think that there Motobatt has a 2 year warranty when in fact its only one year...

Yuasa I have heard give a 2 year warranty... maybe a change to that next time

[Disco Dan]

Just have some no name brand sealed battery in mine... starts bike every time. What more do you need... :calm:

Whats so good about them motobattamthingys theN ?

[Edbear]

Just have some no name brand sealed battery in mine... starts bike every time. What more do you need... :calm:

Whats so good about them motobattamthingys theN ?

They're cheap.

[3umph]

They are sealed and suppose to have lest discharge over time and better cranking power

[cruza]

They are sealed and suppose to have lest discharge over time and better cranking power

That and well priced with a '2yr warranty' .Least they are standing by what they advertised. Felt a bit shite when you came back yest and said "only one year warranty":sweatdrop. good warranty was main reason i suggested motobatt.

[AllanB]

I've been running a Motobatt for 3.5 years after my factory hellishly expensive Yusa (SP?) shit itself one week after the Warranty expired on the new bike (and NO Bluewing were not interested at all .....).

It was under half the price of a Y-thingy and has lasted longer. Very happy customer.

EDbear - you know darn well that shit happens and it is not unusal for factory recalls on just about anything - shit I could give a good list of Motorcycle related issues over the past 20 years from Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati ..... etc. Indeed if you research one of these 'fancy' new battery names you will find plenty of issues with underpowered batteries not suitable for the bike in use. I presume in most cases it is a ill-informed sales person (or data) not upgrading the shockingly expensive battery to a higher capacity one.

The only issue possibly here is are the importers of Motobatt doing a batch recall or just waiting to see which ones die? If the latter that is a very bad business move. If this is the case the dealers selling them need to put on the hard word. Mind you with NZ's motorcycle market (bikes and parts) being controlled by a handful of men it may not be so easy to apply a bit of muscle.

I'll spend my hard earned on another Motobatt when this one finally expires.

[AllanB]

One odd thing I have noticed - car batteries appear to have remained the same price over the years yet improved. Bonus. I have no idea why!

[Edbear]

I've been running a Motobatt for 3.5 years after my factory hellishly expensive Yusa (SP?) shit itself one week after the Warranty expired on the new bike (and NO Bluewing were not interested at all .....).

It was under half the price of a Y-thingy and has lasted longer. Very happy customer.

EDbear - you know darn well that shit happens and it is not unusal for factory recalls on just about anything - shit I could give a good list of Motorcycle related issues over the past 20 years from Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati ..... etc. Indeed if you research one of these 'fancy' new battery names you will find plenty of issues with underpowered batteries not suitable for the bike in use. I presume in most cases it is a ill-informed sales person (or data) not upgrading the shockingly expensive battery to a higher capacity one.

The only issue possibly here is are the importers of Motobatt doing a batch recall or just waiting to see which ones die? If the latter that is a very bad business move. If this is the case the dealers selling them need to put on the hard word. Mind you with NZ's motorcycle market (bikes and parts) being controlled by a handful of men it may not be so easy to apply a bit of muscle.

I'll spend my hard earned on another Motobatt when this one finally expires.

Agreed, but I did explain I was only repeating what dealers had told me unsolicited. That there was a faulty batch. It did seem the importer/NZ Distributor was not very pro-active about the issue either but that could be disgruntled comments by affected dealers.

I don't need to run down the competition and I don't. My original comment was to explain a probable reason for the OP's issue with Motobatt.

[tri boy]

Using two motobatt batteries in me n kanny's small fleet.
One in a Bandit 600.
One in an XRL650 thumper.
Both have been faultless, and I really like their pole options on both sides on the battery.
Cheap n cheerful whips overpriced complication every day in my books.;)

[Edbear]

Using two motobatt batteries in me n kanny's small fleet.
One in a Bandit 600.
One in an XRL650 thumper.
Both have been faultless, and I really like their pole options on both sides on the battery.
Cheap n cheerful whips overpriced complication every day in my books.;)

Whew! Thought you were talking about Shorai for a minute there! But they aren't overpriced having four times the life cycle and are a simple drop-replacement battery with no complicated use instructions... :yes:

A good Motobatt is a good battery but I do get a lot of people saying they will never use them again including at least three dealers. Too many issues with them. So I don't run them down as I have ever had one myself, I can only say what those who have used them tell me.

[3umph]

Agreed, but I did explain I was only repeating what dealers had told me unsolicited. That there was a faulty batch. It did seem the importer/NZ Distributor was not very pro-active about the issue either but that could be disgruntled comments by affected dealers.

I don't need to run down the competition and I don't. My original comment was to explain a probable reason for the OP's issue with Motobatt.

I got it from the importer that there was a dud batch and they were only from one model of battery and had a defect from manufacture that did not show up until they were being used

[Edbear]

I got it from the importer that there was a dud batch and they were only from one model of battery and had a defect from manufacture that did not show up until they were being used

Fair enough, it happens. As long as they notified the dealers and recalled that model for replacement with new stock, that's the best they can do and would placate dealer concerns.

[3umph]

Totally agree... even the best manufactures have a down day sometimes... as long as they put it right then its all goood

[ducatilover]

Whew! Thought you were talking about Shorai for a minute there! But they aren't overpriced having four times the life cycle and are a simple drop-replacement battery with no complicated use instructions... :yes:

A good Motobatt is a good battery but I do get a lot of people saying they will never use them again including at least three dealers. Too many issues with them. So I don't run them down as I have ever had one myself, I can only say what those who have used them tell me.

I've got a good one. I've left it connected for 3-4 months at a time with the bike's RFID unit on and it had no problem starting the bike.
I'm about o buy an MB2.5U for my kick start only GN600 and it should do the job perfectly. :Punk:
Everyone seems to have bad batches.


Sent from my Tesla coil

[3umph]

Well they honoured the 2 year warranty when they were made aware that it was listed in there online catalogue...

Battery tested today and was buggered... when I got it tested the other day it was only putting out 80cca and suppose to put out 200-250ish cca from what they said...

New battery in and the bikes cranking over faster then it ever has... tbh i think its had problems from the start...

Now that they only give a 12 mth warranty it may not be the battery of choice next time

[macka77]

ive boughta motobatt they are cheap,sealed, dont need acid filling when u buy it or maintanance (which is why i will never buy another),. my motobatt was for a 600cc an been sittin for about 8 months when i put it in the 1000 to see if was still ok an it started the bike straight up sweet as. they do have these odd terminal brackets on them which i didnt like at first but they are ok, but i will buy another motobatt in the future. buy it put it in and go

[neels]

I've got a motobatt in my DRZ400, a bargain at half the price of the genuine article. Was a bit reluctant to start the bike after it had been sitting for a few weeks when I first put it in, float charged it for a while and it's been fine ever since.

Sent from a chair at a desk using white mans magic.

[SS90]

Ill weigh in on this one too.

Motobatt are far more reliable than pretty much any standard lead acid battery, and the cost similar.

They out perform pretty much any "budget" sealed battery (and generally cost less, or very close)

If budget is your main concern, then go for Motobat, if price is not a concern, simply go for as good as you can afford (what ever that brand is), quality will never be cheap, there is no getting around that.

[Kathryn42]

Well this is interesting. I installed a new Motobatt in my old CBR600 and it as performed perfectly. However, a friend who bought one for her 250 Virago has found that it seems to self discharge quite fast, a matter of several days. I had suspected a 'leaky' rectifier bridge, but we have installed a new one and it still does it. The battery takes a charge on the charger OK though.
So perhaps we have been looking in the wrong place for the fault... it could be the battery... :rolleyes:

[ducatilover]

Well this is interesting. I installed a new Motobatt in my old CBR600 and it as performed perfectly. However, a friend who bought one for her 250 Virago has found that it seems to self discharge quite fast, a matter of several days. I had suspected a 'leaky' rectifier bridge, but we have installed a new one and it still does it. The battery takes a charge on the charger OK though.
So perhaps we have been looking in the wrong place for the fault... it could be the battery... :rolleyes:

Have you checked for current draw when it's off?

[vifferman]

VFR800, notorious for having problematic electrics. And way tooooo many wires and electrical gizmos. So I added two extra horns, a PC2, grip heaters, a fan for the R/R, an accessory jack, a whole extra fusebox, several thousand millimetres of cabling, and a pratridge in a pear tree. (Yes, as a matter of fact, I did mean to say "pratridge". And yes, you've got me oroficer - I've no idea what it is).
Last battery I put in it was so long ago, I can't remember when I bought it, but it was at least 5 or 6 years ago. Checked the voltage at rest a few days ago (it was on vacation, lazing around on a beanbag), and it was 12.47V. Never had a scrap of trouble with it, and it's one of those (Shock! Horror!) Motobatts. Y'know: yellow thing, with an ugly butt-face only its blind mother could love (at both ends), membraneous leathery wings attached to its front legs, and a nasty squeaky voice. And apparently a motor somewhere propelling it around the place.
So how ees eet, meester?
One thing I will say is that I don't particularly like the universal terminal connections (they give you some adaptors and you choose the appropriate ones, and attach them with little nut's bolts. They're fiddly, and a bugger to get tight when you first install the battery. For that reason, I'm not sure if I'll buy one next time. Maybe, but depends on the connectors, which direction the wind's blowing, and what I had for breakfast the Tuesday before.

[FJRider]

Yuasa.


That is all.

I second that ...I've had no problems ever with them.

[ducatilover]

I second that ...I've had no problems ever with them.

Motobatt tend to hold charge much better, which is why I own one motobatt and 5 dead Yuassa and other such brand batteries, only the yellow one works and it started my bike after sitting for a year :baby:

[AllanB]

Mottomatt in mine since 09 - the factory Yussa (SP?) died a week after the bikes warranty ran out. The yellow box has performed most excellently.

[Kathryn42]

Have you checked for current draw when it's off?
Yes..... doesn't seem to be any, so I guess it might (must?) be the battery. That would be disappointing because it's brand new... :(

[ducatilover]

Yes..... doesn't seem to be any, so I guess it might (must?) be the battery. That would be disappointing because it's brand new... :(

Really? I wouldn't expect it to drain itself in a matter of days without some sort of load on it.
I must be rude and ask, how was it tested?

[Kathryn42]

Really? I wouldn't expect it to drain itself in a matter of days without some sort of load on it.
I must be rude and ask, how was it tested?
Digital multimeter in series. Tried all scales down into the milliamp range.... reads zero... :(

[ducatilover]

Digital multimeter in series. Tried all scales down into the milliamp range.... reads zero... :(
:2thumbsup Somebody who can do such a simple test correctly!
I expect motobatt will replace that free of charge then (no pun intended)

[Kathryn42]

:2thumbsup Somebody who can do such a simple test correctly!
I expect motobatt will replace that free of charge then (no pun intended)
Why thank you kind sir.... :o

[Moise]

Yuasa.


That is all.

The OEM Yuasa in my bike lasted 6 years. It could still start the bike when I replaced it but couldn't crank the engine for very long.

So I bought another one from a seller on Trademe for about $30 more than a Motobatt.

[Grubber]

I second that ...I've had no problems ever with them.

Had one in my 955i since new and it is now 7 years old. Ready for replacement now so not bad effort i would have thought.

[bigreddog]

there was a dodgy batch of motobatts doing the rounds a wee while back...some where replaced under warranty. (1 year I believe)

[Big Dog]

The Hayabusa fitment was $100 difference so not a hard choice. Performed better than the two yuasas I ha in it before then.

+1 on any charger will charge it. A smart charger / battery tender will leave it holding a better charge. I don't understand the physics or chemistry. Just the anecdotal response of it starts easier in all conditions.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Hobbyhorse]

I was told by my motorbike guy that, like electronic components, that they have a higher incidence of early failure than other brands but that if they last the first month or so they will keep going and perform well.

[Corse1]

This will be interesting. The OEM Yuasa in my St has lasted 12 years so far...yep 12 years and still going strong. Just bought a replacement for the 999 and its a motobatt so hopefully I get a good one. the Yuasa in that has only lasted 3 years. The no name brand that has been on the bench for 3 years supposedly stuffed (not sure why I kept it) seems to start the 999 fine now. Go figure, but bought the Motobatt for cheap insurance. Looks like I better swap it out to see if its going to fail early.
Just goes to show