How long should a battery last?

[sootie]

My ZZR1100 is still starting OK on its original battery installed when the bike was first sold (presumably) in 1994. It will start the bike after standing for about 4 weeks, but not much longer, and it might not do too well in freezing temperatures! (I do put it on a brief chafge every 3 weeks or so if the bike is off the road.) Wish I could do this well with our car batteries.


The battery is a Japanese Yuasa. They claim in their advertising to make the best vehicle batteries in the world, and I would not argue with this. I do not like the current range of Chinese batteries much.

[ducatilover]

SMOKEU is racist and does druuuggggzzzz

I had batteries and they lasted around that long, maybe less, maybe more, hard to say.

[bogan]

5 years plus. Anything else and you've done something wrong. I've even had a few batteries last that long after being discharged past the point of cranking the engine over.
Are you still running my bros one Doug? That went about a year with a faulty reg and cold starts draining it very thouroughly, then getting drained so low it wouldn't even run the bike (with headlight off) when the reg shit out completely. Once fixed the battery came back up to full strength also and had it a year or so. Mind you if its in a kwaka it has probably caught some diseases by now...

[Dave-]

If you keep it properly charged, and only ever top up with distilled water then you should get around 3 years. If you just treat the battery that is something on the bike, and just use tap water to top it up then chances are it will only last around 36 months.

queue the "....you mean you have to put water in them?!?!"

[ducatilover]

Are you still running my bros one Doug? That went about a year with a faulty reg and cold starts draining it very thouroughly, then getting drained so low it wouldn't even run the bike (with headlight off) when the reg shit out completely. Once fixed the battery came back up to full strength also and had it a year or so. Mind you if its in a kwaka it has probably caught some diseases by now...

I never actually used it to run the Kwaka, I'm pretty sure that battery is still at just under 12v though... I'll slam it in Geoff when I've got it ready and see if it will hold charge, if it doesn't, who cares? It doesn't have a 'leccy start anyway.

[Conquiztador]

Add a battery purchase in to your budget once every 3 years. If you use the bike/car on regular basis and don't drain the battery empty then the chance is that you will get more than 3 years. If you park the bike/car and use it seldom (and at times you end up charging it to get the bike/car to start) then you be lucky to get 3 years.

I thought someone would have told you that already...

Oh and... there should be no long strings in the battery.

Here, this should answer most bike battery questions http://www.whitedogbikes.com/batfaq.htm

[sootie]

Oh and... there should be no long strings in the battery.

As you suggest, a lead acid battery should be floated to 14.1 to 14.5 Volts at least once a fortnight, and should definitely never be left well discharged for more than a few days if you want it to last. A charging rate of around 1/10 of its rated capacity is best too.

Could you please explain what you mean by "strings' above ???

[Gremlin]

Most batteries are now maintenance free sealed units.

One thing people haven't mentioned is the bike itself. The newer more modern bikes with more electronics are more sensitive to battery voltage. If it's not within the required parameters the bike ain't starting. For other bikes more tolerant of a varying voltage, the battery can seem to last longer.

Got an 05 CB900, ridden very regularly (5-6 days a week on average) and still on original battery. Sat for about 7 weeks last year and started easy as... disgusting Hondas. 2010 BMW if left for 2-3 weeks started complaining on the OEM battery now and then, but also has stuff draining the battery (although the Honda does have HISS). Got a Shorai in the BMW for a week now and the odd slow crank which is to be expected then she fires up stronger than on the OEM.

[Conquiztador]

Or is this a "how long is a piece of string" type question?

cheers

Could you please explain what you mean by "strings' above ???

This bit from the OP

[sootie]

Conquiztador: OK on the string bit - a bit sharp for me late evening!

I would suggest that there are three things which primarily determine battery life for any installed starting battery :
1. The quality of the battery (particularly its self discharge rate & robustness of plate construction)
2. The quality of the charging system
(eg is ~14.1V maintained over a range of revs and current draw offs from the whole electrical system)
3. How often the battery is left unused for weeks at a time

Around town, I use a little 2009 Piaggio Fly scooter. The charging system in that is so poor that with short runs, it can not run the headlight, and maintain a full battery charge. I keep the engine revving a bit when waiting at lights, but even so, I find it necessary to trickle charge the battery back up to over 14 Volts on float about once a month. If I did not do this, I doubt that the battery (a cheap but newish Chinese brand in this case) would last 6 months. I suspect this situation is more common with more models of bikes than most of us realise. It comes down to pathetic design of the electrical system. I now really only like the full car system ie a field controlled 3 phase alternator.

[sinfull]

1984 just called, they want their batteries back. I cant recall the last time I saw a motorcycle battery that you can refill.

Just fa yu 99



Guess i should check the levels seein i'm having to jump pac it of late lol

[BuzzardNZ]

Stock Battery = 3 years.
In the past 2 years I've gone thru 2. Only ride once a week ( less than that in the winter ), no battery tender, so my own fault really.

I need a new one now, any recommendations regarding brand?

[sootie]

Stock Battery = 3 years.
In the past 2 years I've gone thru 2. Only ride once a week ( less than that in the winter ), no battery tender, so my own fault really.

I need a new one now, any recommendations regarding brand?

Please see my earlier quote: A 1994 ZZR1100 still starts on its original battery even after standing 4 weeks. It is of course a Yuasa battery & the Kwaka uses good alternator engineering.

I suspect my Fly 150 scooter would not start after standing 4 weeks. The battery in that is a bit over 1 year old. Crappy Chinese battery, and crappy charging system on the Italian scooter.

I think Yuasa make the best lead acid automotive batteries, but they are expensive, and you do need to look after them if you want them to last. cheers

[ducatilover]

Please see my earlier quote: A 1994 ZZR1100 still starts on its original battery even after standing 4 weeks. It is of course a Yuasa battery & the Kwaka uses good alternator engineering.

I wish they used that lovely engineering on my ZZR6! Mine's been through a few batteries (some my fault, left sitting) in the last two years, a few reg/recs and three stators or something along those lines

Seems to work well now there's nothing OEM left
Motobatt AGM battery, I re-wound the stator (Bogan fixed my drunken winding...) and it has a Honda reg/rec for now

[p.dath]

How long should a battery last before it needs replacing?

Or is this a "how long is a piece of string" type question?

As has been said, it depends on how the battery is treated (and to some extent its chemistry). Lets talk about plain sealed lead acid batteries since they are very common.

When they aren't used (aka exposed to charge) they suffer an effect called sulfation. So if you don't ride your bike for 6 months, and don't put the battery on a trickle charger during that time, it'll probably be written off.

If you only ride once every 3 months under the same circumstances, the battery will also have a greatly shortened lifetime.

If you ride monthly, ... you get the idea.


So if you ride several times a week, and keep the battery topped up, you might get 7 years out of it. Do anything else, and that number starts coming down.