Be gentle

[Mom]

Total noob question here but...

The battery on the BB has gone flat, I have managed to extract it from the very tight and frankly stupid place it is housed and have it on the trickle charger. How long will it take to charge, and how will I know it is charged? It is currently drawing a bit over 2 amps on the metre. I have no testing equipment here.

[FROSTY:Me]

Total noob question here but...

The battery on the BB has gone flat, I have managed to extract it from the very tight and frankly stupid place it is housed and have it on the trickle charger. How long will it take to charge, and how will I know it is charged? It is currently drawing a bit over 2 amps on the metre. I have no testing equipment here.

itll be a YB12 LA2 --Take the filler plugs out and make sure its full of distilled water to the full line (otherwise itll go tits up). Then 6 hours on the trickler

[FJRider]

Total noob question here but...

The battery on the BB has gone flat .... How long will it take to charge

Depends on why it went flat in the first place ... lack of use, dud battery, or light left on ... etc.

Most batterys have a 12 month warranty, and cheaper ones seem to die about then. 2 -3 years old and they do fade out ...

Overnight - 24 hours should be enough to use ... but get it looked at by an auto sparky for an expert answer as to its condition. Most do this free.

[AllanB]

Probably a 9-10 amp battery so at 2 amps charging 4-5 hours.

2 amps is a pretty high charge for a bike battery (usually half this or less) so error on the side of caution. Also check it while charging so it does not overheat.

Invest in one of those bike battery tender/chargers.

[Mom]

itll be a YB12 LA2 --Take the filler plugs out and make sure its full of distilled water to the full line (otherwise itll go tits up). Then 6 hours on the trickler

The filler cap is off and the level is fine.

Depends on why it went flat in the first place ... lack of use, dud battery, or light left on ... etc.

Most batterys have a 12 month warranty, and cheaper ones seem to die about then. 2 -3 years old and they do fade out ...

Overnight - 24 hours should be enough to use ... but get it looked at by an auto sparky for an expert answer as to its condition. Most do this free.

Umm, managed to flatten the sucker attempting to start her is all. The battery is not new and has not been well maintained. I am picking we will end up replacing it, but all I really want to do is go for a poxy ride!

So 4 hours or less, the battery is not hot, it is just sitting there.

[FJRider]

The filler cap is off and the level is fine.




Umm, managed to flatten the sucker attempting to start her is all. The battery is not new and has not been well maintained. I am picking we will end up replacing it, but all I really want to do is go for a poxy ride!

So 4 hours or less, the battery is not hot, it is just sitting there.

If the battery is not at full charge, starting will/can be a mission. High horsepower Yammies need a good kick to get going. Connect the terminals and hit the button ... see if it goes ...

[Gareth51]

Very easy to cook those little battery's with too many amps

[CookMySock]

Umm, managed to flatten the sucker attempting to start her is all. The battery is not new and has not been well maintained. I am picking we will end up replacing it, but all I really want to do is go for a poxy ride!

You only need to put enough charge into it to start it. The bike will charge it back up as you ride. Put the battery back in and leave the charger on it, and when you are ready to go start it and let it warm while you put the covers on - don't stop it for the next 15 mins or so. If it won't start after a 15 min ride, then the battery is stuffed.

The amp meter will tell you whats happening also. The meter should start highish (in your case 2 amps) and then it should drop right back to nearly nothing as it charges over the next hour or so. If the amp meter does not drop back to nearly zero after an overnight charge, you either have a faulty amp meter or a battery with a dropped cell (throw it out and get new one.)

It sounds to me like the battery is stuffed. It should crank the bike for freaking ages (some minutes continuously) before you suck the whole battery dry of charge. That, or something is amiss with the bike or your starting procedure.

Consider asking someone to teach you to push start the bike. It's not hard (my 15 y/o daughter can do it on her huge comet) once you have done it you will grin about it - another biker thing you can do. Then at least you can get started if you have to get home.

Steve

[FROSTY:Me]

The filler cap is off and the level is fine.




Umm, managed to flatten the sucker attempting to start her is all. The battery is not new and has not been well maintained. I am picking we will end up replacing it, but all I really want to do is go for a poxy ride!

So 4 hours or less, the battery is not hot, it is just sitting there.

Mom If ya want to ride just put it back in and use jumper leads to start it from a car

[scumdog]

Mom If ya want to ride just put it back in and use jumper leads to start it from a car

Given the diffuculty she had getting the sucker out it may well be too awkward to get jumper leads onto.

I know of a lot of bikes like that and on the ones I've had like that I have fitted a short fat wire to the + terminal at one end and fitted a removable boot on the other end which I remove to hook up the battery-charger/jumper leads/cell-phone charger.

[Mom]

Consider asking someone to teach you to push start the bike. It's not hard (my 15 y/o daughter can do it on her huge comet) once you have done it you will grin about it - another biker thing you can do. Then at least you can get started if you have to get home.

Steve

I have crash started many bikes over the years, I dont need lessons in how to do that. I spent a considerable amount of time attempting to start this bike a couple of weeks ago and actually managed to flatten the battery that way. I also flooded it and despite 3 attempts to bump start her she would not go. We were on our way to a big ride out so I left it as we had run out of time. When we got home she fired up first hit of the starter as she has always done.

I have not ridden her since then and yesterday there simply was not enough go juice to turn the starter fast enough. Now I have charged many car batteries over the years but never a bike one, hence my question re how long to leave it charging. The meter on the charger is now sitting at well under 1 amp of draw, so I am picking it is taking the charge. I will test it out soon.

[Mom]

Mom If ya want to ride just put it back in and use jumper leads to start it from a car

Given the diffuculty she had getting the sucker out it may well be too awkward to get jumper leads onto.

I know of a lot of bikes like that and on the ones I've had like that I have fitted a short fat wire to the + terminal at one end and fitted a removable boot on the other end which I remove to hook up the battery-charger/jumper leads/cell-phone charger.

There is not hope in hell of getting jumper leads on the terminals, possibly would be able to get to the positive terminal and use a very, very tiny aligator clamp, but the negative terminal is actually tucked in behind the frame, trust me if there was a simpler way I would have done it. Nope tight as a snappers bum where that battery lives. The bike is also very heavy and I did not fancy attempting to bump start her and end up having to push her back up the hill again.

[FJRider]

There is not hope in hell of getting jumper leads on the terminals, possibly would be able to get to the positive terminal and use a very, very tiny aligator clamp, but the negative terminal is actually tucked in behind the frame, trust me if there was a simpler way I would have done it. Nope tight as a snappers bum where that battery lives. The bike is also very heavy and I did not fancy attempting to bump start her and end up having to push her back up the hill again.

As long as the lead to the POSITIVE terminal is on ... you can earth it to anywhere on the bike frame (a clean bolt) and jump start should be possible ...

[scumdog]

As long as the lead to the POSITIVE terminal is on ... you can earth it to anywhere on the bike frame (a clean bolt) and jump start should be possible ...

Hence my idea re the extra lead

[FROSTY:Me]

Given the diffuculty she had getting the sucker out it may well be too awkward to get jumper leads onto.

I know of a lot of bikes like that and on the ones I've had like that I have fitted a short fat wire to the + terminal at one end and fitted a removable boot on the other end which I remove to hook up the battery-charger/jumper leads/cell-phone charger.

Im hearing ya dude.
Mom daRN THIS IS FRUSTRATING--i HAVE THE STUFF HERE TO START IT.
i have bike jumper leads. (smaller end clips)
I actually just use a screwdriver and push in onto the bolt for the negative lead.